With a rumored upcoming reboot in the works, interest in the cult favorite The Crow has been steadily rising. While there are many fans of the original 1994 film starring the late Brandon Lee, the movie is actually based on the 1989 comic book series The Crow.  With a killer soundtrack and the spot-on casting of Lee in the titular role, the film enjoys a steady fan base that has only grown since its release in the early nineties.

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Like all movie adaptations of literature, there are a number of differences between the comics and the movie. However, the dark and macabre tone of the source material that readers know and love stays intact for the film version, something that is rarely accomplished in book-to-screen adaptions.

The Character of Albrecht In The Film Is A Composite Character

Albrecht in The Crow

In the film version, Albrecht is a combination of two characters in the book series. Albrecht is a mixture of the comics' characters of a nervous rookie cop who encounters the Crow, and Captain Hook, who was the officer that stayed by Eric's bedside in the hospital after the murder.

Another difference is that the movie's Albrecht stays by Shelly's bedside in the hospital before she dies after 30 hours, not Eric's.

Film Version Sarah Takes The Place Of The Novel's Sherry

The Crow Sarah

The change from the book's name of Sherry to the film's name of Sarah was most likely done in a way to reduce the repetition of the similar-sounding names of Shelly and Sherry, but otherwise the characters are extremely similar. In both versions, the character is a little girl who befriends Eric as the Crow while he enacts his vengeance.

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Also, in both film and book versions, she is the daughter of the character Funboy's girlfriend. Funboy remains a gang member that plays a part in Shelly's murder in both versions of The Crow.

The Book's Supporting Character Top Dollar Is A Main Character In The Movie

Top Dollar in The Crow

The literary version of Top Dollar is a gang member who has his own crew of drug pushers. But, the character dies in a way that is similar to the rest of the thugs who are responsible for the death of Shelly and Eric.

However, in the movie, Top Dollar is the main villain of the film rather than just another one of the murderous thugs, like in the book. In the theatrical version, Top Dollar is portrayed as an eccentric kingpin who runs the city. As Top Dollar is the main villain in the film, he gets his own climactic showdown with the Crow, another big departure from the book.

The Motives Behind The Murder Differ

Brandon Lee in The Crow

In the film, Top Dollar was the one who sent T-Bird and the crew to be where Shelly was on the night of her murder, but he was not there himself, making him responsible for Shelly's death but not directly. Shelly had been campaigning for tenant rights in a building that Top Dollar owned, so the gang was sent to rough up the tenants and scare them.

In the comic, this reason is not given. Instead, Eric and Shelly are killed and Eric goes on his revenge rampage, taking out each of the gang members who killed him and Shelly. One wild detail of The Crow is that the crime that happens to Eric and Shelly in the comics is based on a real crime the author read about when writing, which entailed a couple being robbed for their engagement ring and being needlessly killed in the process.

Movie Crow Experiences More Difficulties Than Book Crow

Brandon Lee in The Crow

In the book, Eric, now the Crow, manages to kill off every member of the villainous gang without any interference, setbacks, or difficulties. The only things that interrupt his revenge killings are his bouts of depression and grief over the loss of Shelly, episodes of self-harm, and reminiscing on better memories of the past.

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In the film, Eric struggles to accomplish his revenge. For example, when Eric tries to kill the character Tin Tin, he gets severely beaten up before eventually killing him, and there is a car chase before the Crow is able to kill T-Bird.

Film Eric Goes On The Run From The Cops

Eric Draven in The Crow

As the film version of Top Dollar is more like a kingpin who runs the city, film Eric faces more consequences than his book counterpart when Eric kills many of Top Dollar's men. As a result, in the film, Eric has to be on the run from the cops for a while until he eventually gets Albrecht's help to escape.

This occurrence is nonexistent in the book and Eric never has to evade the police in the comics version. Eric's hiding from the cops adds to the suspense and helps make The Crow one of the best horror movies inspired by a comic book series.

Sarah Is Given History With Pre-Crow Eric And Shelly In The Film

Eric Draven surrounded by crows in The Crow

In both versions, Sarah/Sherry befriends The Crow as he attempts to accomplish his vendetta. However, in the film, Sarah had actually known Eric and Shelly before Eric became the Crow and Shelly died. Sarah and Shelly were close as Shelly acted as a maternal figure to the neglected Sarah, whose real mother was addicted to drugs and canoodled with Funboy.

In the film, the Crow magically draws out the drugs in Sarah's mom's veins making her realize that she needs to be a better parent whereas, in the book, there is only a note left for the cops to take care of Sarah/Sherry.

The Book and Movie Differ In Their Focus

Eric Draven at Shelly's grave in The Crow

The book trains its eye more on the topics of what it means to love and lose and the pain and anger that follow. The comics still feature a vengeance-based rampage, but the focus is not on revenge but rather on grief. The character of the Crow is meant to act as a personification of grief, showing grief as a destructive force that must wreak its havoc until it has run its course.

On the other hand, the movie is more about the Crow's journey and it uses grief as a constructive force that motivates the Crow to finish what he started in order for him to be able to return to his own grave in peace. The movie's comments on grief help make the original The Crow the best of the franchise.

The Endings Differ

The Crow faces his enemies in the movie.

In the movie, Top Dollar and his girlfriend Myca deduce that the crow is Eric's guide, and that by killing the crow they will be killing Eric, who will no longer be immortal. Eric returns to his grave when he thinks his revenge is finished.

However, Sarah is kidnapped by one of Top Dollar's goons and Eric leaves his grave to rescue her. When face to face with Top Dollar and Myca, she shoots the crow guide, leaving Eric wounded, and tries to take the crow's power for herself. Top Dollar admits his part in Shelly and Eric's deaths. As a result, Eric gives Top Dollar the thirty hours of pain he absorbed from Albrecht which, overloads Top Dollar and sends him to his death. Eric returns to his grave and rests in peace with Shelly. In the book, Eric has killed all the gang members and then the book ends with Eric in his grave with Shelly.

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