As a longtime fan of the original “The Crow” franchise, I must say that Rupert Sanders’ take on this iconic story is a breath of fresh air. Having seen numerous adaptations and sequels over the years, I can confidently say that this reboot offers something unique and intriguing for both newcomers and die-hard fans alike.
Contains spoilers for “The Crow”
For individuals who recall the 1994 film or James O’Barr’s 1989 graphic novel that served as its inspiration, the 2024 adaptation of “The Crow” carries a familiar tale. In this rendition, Eric (played by Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs) share a romantic connection while staying at a rehabilitation center. Tragically, they are both killed upon the instruction of an individual from Shelly’s recent past. Driven by his thirst for vengeance and undying love for Shelly, Eric finds a way to return from the dead and exact retribution on their killers.
In 2024’s adaptation of “The Crow,” the narrative has been given an additional layer of complexity. The antagonist now possesses supernatural abilities, creating a more balanced conflict between the two parties. There are numerous other modifications as well, which we will delve into below. This piece will discuss how this new version of “The Crow” deviates from both the graphic novel and the 1994 film, and what the revised ending may imply for the franchise’s future direction. Herein lies an analysis of the conclusion to the 2024 adaptation of “The Crow.”
What you need to remember about the plot of The Crow (2024)
“The Crow” begins as Shelly’s friend Zadie, played by Isabella Wei, sends her a disturbing video from an incident nobody wants to recall. Initially, we don’t watch the whole clip, but it’s revealing enough for Zadie to urge Shelly to leave town immediately. However, before Zadie can depart herself, she is kidnapped by Marian (Laura Birn) and her henchmen. Trying to flee, Shelly encounters a man who chases her, forcing her to seek refuge with police officers. In her haste, she drops her bag, revealing hidden drugs, getting herself apprehended.
Simultaneously, Marian escorts Zadie to their superior, Vincent Roeg (portrayed by Danny Huston). It’s uncovered that Roeg had struck a pact: If he delivered people’s souls to the underworld, he would gain eternal life. He then murmurs incantations in an otherworldly tongue to Zadie and gives her a knife, which she repeatedly stabs herself with using it.
In a different setting, we find Shelly being admitted to a recovery center. There, she crosses paths with Eric and starts flirting with him. When Shelly’s relatives, Marian and Sophia (Josette Simon), visit her, an anxious Shelly and Eric manage to slip away from the facility. As their relationship blossoms, there’s another character named Dorm (Sebastian Orozco) who shows up after Zadie’s remains are discovered. He urges Shelly to flee the area. Shelly and Eric then seek refuge at his home, where she intends to reveal everything to him. However, before she can do so, Marian and their group catch up with them. Both Shelly and Eric have bags placed over their heads, leading to their tragic deaths by suffocation.
The Crow is reborn
In a surprising turn of events, Eric finds himself awake in a river and follows an enigmatic figure named Kronos (Sami Bouajilla) to Limbo, which is depicted as a deserted railway yard teeming with crows. Kronos reveals that Eric has been resuscitated to exact retribution on those who harmed him and Shelly. If he completes this task, both he and Shelly will be restored to life. Initially skeptical, Eric returns to the physical world only to encounter Detective Milch (Dukagjin Podrimaj), a man working for Roeg, who shoots Eric fatally through the heart. However, Eric doesn’t succumb to death, instead experiencing pain, which leads him to confront and ultimately slay Milch.
Initially, Eric embarks on his assigned task, but a video emerges of Shelly and her companions, revealing Roeg secretly instructing Shelly to take someone’s life. Before Eric could process his emotions regarding this revelation, he is confronted by three henchmen of Roeg. In the ensuing altercation, one of them inadvertently wounds Eric, causing him to realize that he’s indeed bleeding this time. Upon returning to the railyard, Kronos informs Eric that since he questioned Shelly’s actions, their agreement is void. In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, Eric proposes swapping his soul for Shelly’s, and Kronos consents to this exchange.
What happened at the end of The Crow (2024)?
In the strange realm where I met my untimely end, I found new life and sought retribution against those who wronged me. The trio responsible for my demise fell to my blade, their lives extinguished as swiftly as they had taken mine.
In this rephrased version: Eric takes Marian’s car without permission and drives it to a location where he encounters Roeg in a physical altercation. During their struggle, Roeg speaks an unknown language and fatally wounds Eric with a knife. Initially, it seems that Roeg has emerged victorious, but Eric recalls his past with Shelly, regains consciousness, and forcefully ejects himself and Roeg out of the window. They both end up in a haunting rail yard, where demons take Roeg away to hell. Shelly is resuscitated, and Eric spends a short time conversing with her about his inability to return to the world of the living. Later, she embarks on a successful music career, while Eric promises to wait for her.
What the end of The Crow means
In the final scenes of “The Crow,” the message is that true love transcends death, as indicated by the movie posters. Even though Eric and Shelly have been separated by death, their love remains strong. The term “almost” in Eric’s statement at the end of the movie suggests a complex emotion. It could mean that being with Shelly again in this life is almost within his reach, hinting at a possible desire to break his promise to Kronos for her sake. Alternatively, it might imply that helping others who have suffered injustices and transforming them into avengers of vengeance is just short of what he desires, suggesting a selfless commitment to aiding those in need. Given that Eric speaks these words at the end of the movie, the ambiguity is intentional, allowing viewers to interpret the scene based on their own perspectives.
As I delve deeper into this game world, it’s comforting to know that justice prevails – the wicked like Vincent Roeg are met with their due punishment, and at least some of our allies manage to survive. The significant win here is Eric’s role in taking down Roeg, a man who had extended his own life by sending others to hell instead. Although Eric can’t save those already damned by Roeg except for Shelly, he makes sure no more souls will pay the price for Roeg’s immortality.
What does the horse’s death at the beginning mean?
In the movie, right off the bat, we’re taken back in time before the present-day action unfolds. This young version of Eric (played by Solo Uniacke) is seen walking home when he stumbles upon a horse trapped in a field by barbed wire. He rushes to help and manages to free it, but tragically, the horse succumbs to its injuries. The incident leaves scars not only on the horse but also on young Eric’s hands, and as he grows older, these physical wounds are mirrored by emotional ones as the memory of this event continues to haunt him.
In the graphic novel, the scene where Eric encounters a running horse holds symbolic significance for him as The Crow, representing his continued compassion towards the innocent and good. Conversely, in the movie, this scene serves as a traumatic event for Eric before he becomes The Crow, symbolizing an innocent creature’s senseless death that he is powerless to prevent. This discrepancy may suggest that the scene has different interpretations in both versions of the story.
Why does Roeg die a supernatural death?
In this adaptation of “The Crow,” every character, except Vincent Rogue, suffers a genuine demise. Eric, who is essentially invincible, still endures severe injuries such as a broken leg or an organ being forcibly removed upon stabbing. However, unlike others who meet their end through gunfire, knives, or other lethal weapons, Rogue experiences a death of supernatural origin, devoid of any blood, though it might be a fate more dire.
As a devoted fan, I find myself compelled to express that Roeg appears to be a supernatural entity, given his alleged pact with the devil. Yet when Eric forcefully throws him from his manor’s window, it’s intriguing how, as a newly minted supernatural being himself, Eric manages to reel Roeg back, pulling him into the railyard – a place that symbolically bridges heaven and hell. Upon reaching this realm, Eric has the power to deliver Roeg into the clutches of the demons who emerge from the ominous black water in the railyard. Whether Kronos is involved remains unclear, but it seems evident that someone immune to death like a typical mortal would eventually need to be escorted to the afterlife for their eternal torment.
How does The Crow (2024) compare to the graphic novel?
Among all adaptations of “The Crow,” the original graphic novel offers the most straightforward portrayal of the storyline. Similar to the films, it revolves around Eric seeking vengeance against those responsible for his and Shelly’s death. However, unlike in the movies, the love story is not extensively developed; instead, flashbacks are used to illustrate their relationship, allowing readers to grasp their love through Eric’s relentless pursuit of revenge, highlighting its intensity.
In the graphic novel, neither Roeg nor his associates are featured; instead, a street gang encounters Eric and Shelly one evening with the intention of murdering them. Upon his resurrection, Eric seeks vengeance against this particular group as there are no superior figures for him to target. There’s no underlying motive for the brutal killing of Eric and Shelly, as portrayed in the movie – they simply happened to be present at the wrong time.
In the original graphic novel, there’s a character called the Skull Cowboy who was omitted from the 1994 film adaptation of “The Crow.” In the comic, this character shares some similarities with a figure in the new movie. Known as the Skull Cowboy, he occasionally offers comments on Eric’s actions and seems connected to Limbo and the crows that follow him. In the newly released film, there’s a character named Kronos who bears a resemblance to the Skull Cowboy. Although Kronos is more supportive towards Eric, he too has ties with Limbo and the crows.
How does the 2024 movie compare to the 1994 version?
1994’s adaptation of “The Crow” tells a less complex tale compared to the original graphic novel, yet it still carries an intricate narrative. In this version, Eric (Brandon Lee) and Shelly (Sofia Shinas) meet a tragic end when she sends a letter about their impending eviction to the housing board. Subsequently, goons are sent to intimidate her into silence, but Eric happens to return home during the attack, leading to both him and Shelly’s deaths at the hands of these thugs.
In this revised version, Eric embarks on a pursuit of the gang who murdered him, but differently from the 2024 adaptation, he’s prepared to face death once more, except for one crucial factor: Sarah (Rochelle Davis), the child they cared for during their lives, has been kidnapped by the gang leader, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott). Contrasting with the 2024 film, a police officer, Sergeant Albrecht (Ernie Hudson), offers his assistance in Eric’s mission for retribution.
But the main point of departure may be the way Eric himself looks. In 1994, Lee sported a heavy metal grunge look complete with long hair and stylized face paint, a look more reminiscent of the comics. In 2024, Bill Skarsgård has a more emo-punk look, with lots of tattoos and short hair, which Twitter users say reminds them of Jared Leto’s much-maligned Joker in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.”
What did star Bill Skarsgård say about the ending of the movie?
As a gamer diving into the latest updates, let me clarify that the 2024 rendition of “The Crow” isn’t just a rehash of the 1994 classic. Contrary to some assumptions, we weren’t aiming for a remake at all. The original film and Brandon Lee’s unforgettable performance are untouchable masterpieces that shouldn’t be altered in any way. I’m thrilled that our team has aimed to create something unique instead.
In a nutshell, Alexander Skarsgård, who stars in “The Crow,” has expressed a preference for a more conclusive ending than what was ultimately filmed. This suggests that the ending may not be as definitive or final as initially planned, and this is particularly noticeable in the final voice-over where the word “almost” is used. If “almost” implies that Skarsgård isn’t fully content with the outcome, it hints at a possibility for the character to return, which Skarsgård hoped wouldn’t be suggested by the movie itself.
What did director Rupert Sanders say about the ending of the movie?
Although Bill Skarsgård has voiced his concerns about the ending, director Rupert Sanders holds a more optimistic perspective. In an interview with Forbes, he stated, “The movie is primarily an origin tale, but it can definitely stand on its own. As a viewer, I dislike spending my money and sitting through two hours only to be left hanging with ‘To be continued’… I won’t wait two years for the next installment.”
As a devoted fan, I can share that Sanders isn’t entirely on board with Skarsgård’s interpretation of the movie’s open-endedness, but he does have thoughts about a potential sequel. In an interview with Forbes, he expressed, “The Crow’s deities will guide us as to whether I believe there’s a fantastic chance to witness Eric traversing realms… and exacting vengeance.” This, he mentioned, would shift the tone of the movie significantly. However, if a sequel doesn’t materialize, that’s alright. He’s incredibly proud of how ‘The Crow’ concludes emotionally, and we’ll just have to wait and see if audiences share his sentiment.
Is there a sequel in the works?
Presently, there’s no planned sequel for “The Crow” yet, but director Rupert Sanders has expressed interest in making another film that continues Eric’s tale. While previous installments focused on Eric, none of them picked up where the 1994 movie left off. The only screen adaptation that followed Eric’s story is the obscure TV series “The Crow: Stairway to Heaven,” which ran for just one season. Therefore, a potential sequel could offer a fresh perspective on Eric’s ongoing narrative.
If there’s enough enthusiasm from viewers for another installment, Sanders aims to bring Eric back as a character who traverses both the living and dead realms. However, Bill Skarsgård, who played Eric, appears hesitant about reprising his role. Consequently, Sanders faces significant obstacles in greenlighting a sequel; chief among them is whether the audience will embrace the world that Sanders has created.
What the end of The Crow could mean for the franchise
If “The Crow” film series proceeds with another installment, the ambiguous ending of the movie may significantly shape the course of subsequent sequels. This interpretation of “The Crow” introduces a supernatural twist to the narrative, a detail that director Sanders can further develop in this rendition of the tale.
As a gamer, I find myself immersed in this captivating narrative where the antagonist, Vincent Roeg, strikes a pact with the devil to attain eternal life. Pondering potential storylines for our protagonist Eric, I muse over two possibilities:
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2024-08-23 03:00