With a remake of The Crow once again resurrected and a legacy to live up to, it can look to The Batman for lessons about what works in a reboot. When a story is a beloved classic like The Crow, it typically has a high standard to match. However, The Batman proves that a reboot doesn’t guarantee disappointment, and perhaps it holds the secret to reimagining gothic superhero stories on the big screen.
Starring the late Brandon Lee, 1994’s The Crow is considered a classic of gothic cinema. Followed by a television remake and underperforming sequels, The Crow franchise couldn’t quite soar to the heights and popularity of the original movie. However, in 2008, director Stephen Norrington announced that a reimagining of James O’Barr’s comic was in production for the big screen. As The Crow remake passed from person to person, the reboot got trapped in development hell before finally being revived in April 2022 with the announcement of Bill Skarsgård in the lead role of Eric Draven and FKA Twigs as his co-star.
A reboot is always going to call into question what warrants a remake. Unless a filmmaker can improve upon the achievements of the film or do something different, it’d be a challenge to justify revisiting a film like The Crow. With its critical praise and success, The Batman rose above the previous collapse of Zack Snyder's Ben Affleck Batman saga as well as reminded audiences that new takes on classic characters can work. Noted for its stylized aesthetics, atmospheric soundtrack, and colorful cast, it established a new beginning for the Caped Crusader. With talent, originality, and maybe a few pointers from The Batman, The Crow could be a gothic return to form that made the Dark Knight’s comeback worthwhile.
The Crow Reboot Has To Embrace A Stylized Aesthetic Like The Batman's Gotham
One of the elements The Batman handled the best came in the form of Gotham City and just how much personality it radiated. Gotham’s hallmarks were all present, the towering buildings, the decaying infrastructure, and the gothic atmosphere, but the use of shadow, stylized architecture, and color palette distinguished Gotham from any seen on the big screen. The Batman visually felt like a comic book movie inspired by titles like Batman: Year One, but not a superhero film akin to its Snyderverse antecedents. From a simple change in scenery, The Batman created a new world that reflected a noir story and a return to pulp-detective roots. If The Crow wants to have a unique identity, a good place to begin is in its visual presentation.
The Crow movie was very much a product of its time and reflected the gritty gothic culture of the ‘90s. Meanwhile, James O’Barr’s comic book was a lot more surreal and dreamlike, using shadows and shades to help tell its revenge-driven story. In the past, movies like The Spirit and Sin City made great use of a mainly monochrome color palette to pull off a cinematic comic book look ideal for something like The Crow reboot. Not unlike The Batman, it’d be a wise idea for The Crow to reflect its source material in its presentation and reflect O’Barr’s art style.
The Crow Reboot's Soundtrack Has To Create A Specific Atmosphere
The Batman’s soundtrack also had the benefit of composer Michael Giacchino working on the score. Giacchino’s very much noir-inspired score, paired with Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” and a haunting recording of “Ave Maria,” helped to set the atmosphere as a detective story. Used appropriately, it made the action scenes feel pulpy, the Riddler moments tense, and other parts memorable. There’s no denying that 1994’s The Crow had an iconic soundtrack, but as heartfelt as Jane Siberry’s “It Can’t Rain All the Time” was, a reboot would benefit considerably by using a new score to help set the tone.
With Eric Draven’s profession as a musician, music is going to be vital in how the story is adapted. The Crow’s original soundtrack was well utilized, enlisting talent such as The Cure and Rage Against the Machine to complement violent, dark, and high-action scenes with a bold and spirited selection of songs. When discussing a more modern take on The Crow, newer bands could mirror The Batman’s example of using Nirvana to fill out the movie with memorable songs and recognizable talent. Additionally, in April 2022, singer-songwriter FKA Twigs was confirmed in the role of Draven’s love interest and assumed to be involved with the film’s soundtrack. Noted for her unique music and Afrofuturism influences, it’s unknown what Twigs could bring, but perhaps they’d be ideal for scoring a more otherworldly experience.
The Reboot Should Explore The Crow's Rogues Gallery Like Batman
The Riddler and the Penguin were characters seen before in Batman movies but are usually associated with the over-the-top performances of Jim Carrey and Danny DiVito. The Batman knew well that its heroes were only as good as their villains and that what made Batman’s rogues unique was in their psychology, motives, and bizarre gimmicks. The Batman reimagined the Riddler as similar to the Zodiac Killer and the Penguin closer to his comic book counterpart as a mobster. The Riddler’s gruesome murders and puzzles made for an interesting case study, and although not physically intimidating, his twisted mind made him an even match for Batman. Additionally, the Penguin made for a more fun villain that warranted a spinoff about his rise to power in Gotham’s underworld. The Crow’s villains aren’t as exotic as Batman’s, but personality and an equal match could make the difference.
With Eric Draven’s quest for revenge, he’ll naturally need an antagonist to face him at the end of his journey. In the original adaptation of The Crow, his main enemy took the form of Top Dollar, a twisted and deliciously operatic crime boss responsible for the deaths of Eric Draven and Shelley Webster. Although matching the energy and delivery of Michael Wincott’s Top Dollar would probably be a safe bet and make for a great villain, there are also other options to change things up. A more occult inclined villain like Judah Earl from The Crow’s sequel could make for a change of pace, or possibly even the snakes, the wicked souls of those killed by the Crow may provide an even match for the undead avenger. The Batman knew how to make their villains colorful as they were threatening, The Crow already has something to work off of, and it’s just a matter of figuring out how to match or surpass the original.
The Crow Reboot Needs Its Own Identity From The Original
A summation of everything The Batman did right as a reboot was that it had its own identity from all the previous DC films. The 2022 reimagining of the World’s Greatest Detective was recognizable as a Batman story, but the movie took its time to make itself feel different to avoid comparisons to previous adaptations. This Dark Knight story wasn’t quite as fantastical as Tim Burton’s and Snyder’s movies, campy as Schumacher’s, or as technical as Nolan’s. It was a mystery thriller that did something new by focusing on Batman as a detective more so than a superhero or a vigilante. Visually, audibly, and thematically, a remake needs to be able to stand out on its own, or else it risks a difficult comparison to the original and retreading previous territory. The Crow worked in 1994, and Hollywood is going to want to revisit that success, even when there’s no need. This is why, Eric Draven’s story is going to be retold, it has to find success on its own merits and be unique in its adaptation.
The first remake, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, managed to distinguish itself by being less of a revenge tale and more about justice. The mostly-forgotten TV series based on The Crow wasn’t as dark, but it did do something different by introducing consequences for Draven’s killing or disturbing the natural balance of life and death. Additionally, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven embraced more supernatural elements by incorporating the cut comic character the Skull Cowboy and introducing the snakes as a new enemy for Draven to confront. The original film was very grounded and gritty and light on the more fantastical elements; considering O’Barr’s comic, it wouldn’t be out of place to tell a more supernaturally inclined story for a remake and compliment a stylized aesthetic. Also, themes of justice vs. revenge, life, death, closure, and consequences could make for a different but equally compelling movie as 1994’s The Crow. The main lesson The Crow can learn from The Batman comes down to is respecting the past, embracing the future, and overcoming monotony by bringing something new to cinemas.
Regardless of whether they’re warranted or not, nostalgic movie reboots will always exist, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll fail. The Batman was a pleasant surprise for a franchise that’s been around for so long and revived so many times by being considerably distinct from previous DC films. The Crow set a standard and a legacy that’ll be tough to escape, but if the talent is there and the story is worth revisiting, there’s always a chance for it to take flight and find new life.