THE CROW Review

“True love never dies.” A concept that has been synonymous with The Crow since its comic book creation, being solidified in the 1994 classic. Lionsgate looks to bring this tale of love and vengeance to a modern audience, delivering a brand new look to the character. The fact that we've reached this point alone is somewhat miraculous, with the project having been in developmental hell for well over a decade, with the likes of Jason Momoa, Bradley Cooper and Luke Evans all attached to the titular role at one point or another.

A tale of tragedy, the film follows Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård), a musician with an addiction problem who finds his soulmate, Shelly Webster (FKA twigs), whilst in a rehabilitation facility. The lovers' time together comes to an untimely end, with the demons of Shelly's past resulting in them being inauspiciously murdered. Unable to move on from this tragic fate, Draven is given the opportunity to right these wrongs, seeking bloody revenge against those that killed him.

Rupert Sanders is behind the camera for this remake, with the Snow White and the Huntsman director working off a script written by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. Now this alone should have set alarm bells ringing, with both of the director's prior projects having unfortunately fallen into mediocrity. What we get in The Crow is a new spin on a classic, with the director, for the most part, doing a solid job of modernising its faithful concept. Where this all falters is in the film's pacing, with overambitious script feeling bloated and drawn out.

This is most noticeable in the film's first act, with Sanders spending a lot of time fleshing out Draven's past. Now on the surface this isn't a bad thing, as it allows the romance between Eric and Shelly to manifest, whilst subtly transitioning into the consequences of her chequered past. Unfortunately it goes on a lot longer than necessary, proving detrimental in the long run. As for the romance between our ill fated couple, it too proves a little questionable at times with the edgy direction making this feel more like a relationship built from lust rather than love.

Having been immortalised by Brandon Lee in the 1994 classic, Bill Skarsgård found himself with big shoes to fill as Eric Draven. What we get in this film is a more contemporary look to the character, being covered in tattoos and having a carefree attitude. This change in direction not only allows Lee's performance to stand on its own, but also afford Skarsgård the opportunity to make the character his own. Giving a level of intensity that we've grown accustomed to in prior roles, the actor does an amazing job of evoking emotion. Whether it's the chemistry he shares alongside FKA twigs or the character's transition into the supernatural Crow, the actor more than fluffs his feathers.

One area in which the film excels from start to finish is in its visuals, with cinematographer Steve Annis capturing the dark and dingy tone of this world. Whether it's an early scene in which our protagonist witnesses a gruesome injury to a horse or his time in limbo, the film delivers a colour palette that proves eye catching to say the least. The way this effortlessly blends betweens scenes also makes for a consistent visual experience, with the lighting always feeling flawlessly cast. This is all taken into a higher gear whenever the film enters its more intense action sequences, with the tone complimenting the tension perfectly. 

Danny Huston takes on the role of antagonists in  flick, playing the demonic crime lord, Vincent Roeg. Being a natural fit as a villain, the actor proves to be a sinister foe for our protagonist, capturing Roeg's lack of remorse or empathy perfectly. Unfortunately the character's overall presence in the narrative proves to be extremely lacklustre, utilising an army of goons to enforce his will. Now as much as I'm usually an advocate of less is more, this is an occasion where the sentiment doesn't fit, with the character feeling more like a means to an end.

Where the film truly comes into its own is during its final act, with Eric embracing both his destiny and the supernatural powers of the Crow. What we get from this is an epic conclusion to proceedings, with the violence being both bloody and intense. The way Skarsgård portrays our protagonist during this also entices, soaking in all the pain and torture and using it to inflict vengeance on those that have wronged him. As much as all this left me wanting to love every moment of this remake, it unfortunately proved to be too little, too late, feeling like a necessity rather than the gripping climax that it should have been. 

Verdict 

The Crow is a contemporary take on a classic that for the most part fails to deliver. Having a somewhat convoluted plot and a drawn out run time, the film takes what made the original so memorable and stretches it beyond its limitations. What makes all this worse is that when the credits rolled I wanted to love this movie, with the final act being truly epic. Unfortunately the build up to this point and the questionable take on “true love never dies” detracted too much to make it a must see movie.

6/10

JOHN WICK 5 Reportedly in Development

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4

Since arriving on the scene in 2014, John Wick has become one of the biggest action franchises in recent years. Having grossed over $1 billion at the box office over its four instalments, with various spin-offs in the pipeline, the series has proved very good to both Lionsgate and its lead actor, Keanu Reeves. Despite this, it looked as if things had come to an end, at least for John Wick himself, with the former hitman appearing to have died at the end of Chapter 4.

It looks as if the studio is about to make a u-turn on this decision. Coming from ScreenTime’s X account, via film insider Daniel Richtman, John Wick: Chapter 5 is apparently in development, with Reeves also set to return in the titular role.

'JOHN WICK 5' is reportedly in the works

▪️ Keanu Reeves returning
▪️ Production will begin sometime in 2025

(via: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/iIfQSCffoD

— ScreenTime (@screentime) August 17, 2024

Now if this is indeed true, it shouldn't come as any real surprise with death never being permanent in fiction. How the franchise will explain Wick's supposed death will, however, be something that fans will be intrigued to see, with his re-emergence being something the studio will need to spend time on. In addition to the return of Reeves, the post would also state that production will commence sometime in 2025.

Whether this all comes to fruition or not, the franchise will continue to have a presence on the big screen. Not only is a spin-off focusing on Donnie Yen's Caine in the works, but next year will also see the release of John Wick presents: Ballerina. Set between the events of Chapter 3 and 4, the latter will follow Rooney, a ballerina seeking revenge on those that murdered her family. The film will star Ana de Armas in the lead role, with Anjelica Huston (“The Director”), Ian McShane (Winston) and Reeves himself all reprising their respective roles in some capacity. 

BORDERLANDS Review

When it comes to video game adaptations, the end product is very hit or miss, with the studios behind them having subjected us to our fair share of stinkers over the years. The latest up to bat is Borderlands, with Eli Roth’s interpretation of the Gearbox Software game looking to bring Pandora to life in an explosive manner. Having given us an enticing ad campaign leading up to its release, Lionsgate has certainly done their best to generate hype. But now that the film has arrived in cinemas will it live up to it?

The film's narrative focuses on Lilith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous outlaw and renowned treasure hunter, as she returns to her home planet of Pandora. Bringing together a band of misfits, the reluctant vault hunter goes in search of the missing daughter of Atlas (Édgar Ramírez), the most powerful man in the universe. On their journey our unlikely group find themselves opposed by merciless bandits and alien monsters, with the safety of this missing girl quite possibly being crucial to the fate of the universe.

Eli Roth is at the helm of this adaptation, with the Hostel director delivering a product that is questionable at best. Blending various aspects of the Borderlands lore into one narrative, the script written by Roth and Joe Crombie ultimately proves to be over simplified and uninspiring. This leads to a vastly overambitious plot, that despite having an intriguing premise, delivers too little in return. The director also fails to produce any real excitement or drama, with the various twists and turns throughout this flick's 102 minute runtime feeling way too coincidental.

Cate Blanchett heads an ensemble cast, starring as the bounty hunter Lilith. On the whole the actress does a solid job of portraying a conflicted character, as despite differentiating from the source drastically, we still get a somewhat complex character. Joining Blanchett we have Kevin Hart as a former soldier, Roland, Ariana Greenblatt as the explosive daughter of Atlas, Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Tina's musclebound bodyguard, Krieg, Jamie Lee Curtis as vault scientists, Dr. Patricia Tannis and Jack Black as the wiseass robot, Claptrap. Despite once again wavering from the source material, the rest of the cast does a decent job of bringing variety to the film, with the overall dynamic between them for the most part being enticing.

Now it does feel harsh to point too much criticism towards the cast, with the simplistic plot and underdeveloped character profiles being the main source of negativity. Nonetheless there are unfortunately a lot of moments throughout the film where more than one member of the cast looks lost, if not unnecessary to the story development. This leads to several one-dimensional performances, with Hart in particular feeling very much like the same character we've seen in all his other films (albeit toned down). Curtis also falls into this unfortunate pitfall, with it feeling like we don't spend enough time exploring her character. Despite all this negativity, there are a couple of gems within this film, with Greenblatt's dynamic portrayal of Tiny Tina, and more so Black’s hilarious voice work for Claptrap being entertaining to say the least.

One thing that the film does succeed in from time to time is fan service, with there being various Easter Eggs related to the games scattered throughout. Whether it's Lilith taking a ride on Marcus’ (Benjamin Byron Davis) bus, the Atlas Omega shield or Claptrap connecting to the ECHOnet, there are plenty of moments that fans of the game will lap up. Despite this, there are a few aspects of the games that are overlooked more than they should, with both the Psychos and more so Skags having a very limited role. Now the former does have a more extended feature in the film, being part of a rather comical scene involving Claptrap, but neither prove to be any real threat to our vault hunters.

The main threat on Pandora for our motley crew is the Crimson Lance, with the private military company working on behalf of Atlas and led by Commander Knoxx (Janina Gavankar). Despite having great numbers at their disposal, these disciplined foes provide little to no threat, with our heroes seeming to thwart them at every turn. The fact that Atlas has such a force at his fingertips also leaves the question of why he hired Lilith in the first place, with it seeming like a mute point. Talking about the business titan, Deukalian Atlas’ role in this venture proves to be extremely limited. This isn't entirely a bad thing, as if his forces gave any form of peril for our vault hunters then it would make the scenes he does appear in all the more prominent. Édgar Ramírez does, however, give a tremendous performance as the villainous arms manufacturer, with his lack of empathy making him a very dislikable character.

Something that I was eager to see was how the production team would build the world of Pandora, and how the looter-shooter style of the video games would translate to the big screen. On the whole the landscape proves eye-catching, with cinematographer Rogier Stoffers capturing the rugged beauty of this world perfectly. As for the action and overall character design, they unfortunately leave a lot to be desired. Feeling flat and lethargic, the action sequences do little to build any form of excitement, acting more like a means to an end. The costume department also fails to capture the intricate world of Borderlands, as despite Lilith and Krieg looking somewhat true to character, the likes of Tiny Tina look more like bad cosplay. This also translates into the action scenes, with our heroes always seeming to come out with barely a scratch on them.

Verdict 

Borderlands proves to be a subpar adaptation of a beloved franchise. Delivering an intriguing premise, yet failing to produce any form of drama or excitement, the film ultimately plods its way to its inevitable conclusion. The uninspired plot also proves a hindrance to the cast, as despite there being some humorous moments throughout, the film lacks the charm and carnage that the video games have been synonymous with.

3.5/10

Explosive FINAL Trailer for BORDERLANDS

 There have been plenty of video game adaptations over the years, with most of them unfortunately failing to deliver. The latest on the horizon is Lionsgate’s adaptation of Gearbox Software's Borderlands, with the studio dropping their final trailer late last month.

Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Kevin Hart, Cate Blanchett, Jack Black and Jamie Lee Curtis (just to name a few) the film looks to be as comically charged and explosive as the beloved Gearbox Software games. The film's plot is set to follow Lillith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous outlaw who brings together a motley crew of misfits to aid with finding the daughter of the most powerful man in the universe.

On the surface the film looks very promising, with the comedic nature and explosive action emulating the game perfectly. It does, however, do very little to embellish the narrative, leaving room for scepticism. Hopefully the film delivers on the overall promising premise, putting itself in the minority category of successful video game adaptations. 

Borderlands explodes into cinemas August 9th

Tantalising FIRST Trailer for THE CROW

Having been in development hell for several years, with the likes of Jason Momoa, Bradley Cooper and Luke Evans attached to the titular role, it was looking like we'd never get a new version of The Crow. Well we're soon to get one later this summer, with Lionsgate dropping their first official trailer a few months ago.

When it comes to classics, especially cult classics like The Crow, sometimes it's best to leave them alone. This looks like it might be the case with this upcoming remake, with this first official trailer leaving me with a lot of questions.

Set to the tune of Post Malone’s “Take What You Want” (featuring Ozzy Osborne and Travis Scott), this contemporary take on the 1994 classic definitely leaves an odd taste in the mouth. On the one hand it's nice to see a new spin on the character, with Bill Skarsgård sure to impress as Eric Draven, but at the same time it looks way too different from the original Brandon Lee portrayal. Despite this the trailer does certainly catch the eye, with it being a film sure to look out for when it enters cinemas later in the summer.

The Crow makes its way to a cinema near you August 23rd