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Young musician Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) is brutally murdered alongside his fiancée by members of a violent gang.  On the anniversary of their death, Eric rises from the grave and assumes the gothic mantle of the Crow, a supernatural avenger.  He then sets out on a macabre mission to mercilessly hunt down everyone responsible and make them answer for their crimes. – Synopsis via Paramount Pictures

THE CROW is directed by Alex Proyas and based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr.  The film is incredible in its own right and, at its core, it gets a lot right from the book.  My only gripe and maybe my opinion is controversial but I wish they took more from the source material.  I get it though, it’s a movie and they needed to streamline it to fit better.

When it comes to directing, Proyas was the right person for the job.  Another trip into noir that he put to film is DARK CITY.  He thrives in darker movies that may have tough subject matter or tragedy.  

Not only is there tragedy in the writing/source material but, for those who don’t know, it was also in the production with the death of Brandon Lee.  He was 28 years young and was perfectly cast for the lead, Eric Draven/The Crow.  He had a promising career and was taken far too soon.  The production feels like a nice tribute to someone who was really into making the movie.

With his crew, they created a stylized Hellscape on this violent holiday: Devil’s Night in Detroit.  The city is a mess and filled with crime.  The Crow is like an avenging angel or devil depending on your point of view.  Detroit was created mostly with miniatures and on various sound stages.  It was wet, gritty, sometimes on fire.  Like I said, hell.

Lastly, the soundtrack is killer.  It starts with The Cure and on the tracklist are Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine, Violent Femmes, and more.  Even the lesser-known bands on the soundtrack fit completely.

Cast
Brandon Lee as Eric Draven / The Crow
Rochelle Davis as Sarah Mohr
Ernie Hudson as Sergeant Daryl Albrecht
Michael Wincott as Top Dollar
Bai Ling as Myca
Sofia Shinas as Shelly Webster
Anna Levine as Darla Mohr
David Patrick Kelly as T-Bird
Angel David as Skank
Laurence Mason as Tin Tin
Michael Massee as Funboy

VIDEO QUALITY 5/5

The video is a 2160p HEVC that has a superb transfer.  The Blu-ray had some inconsistencies that were remedied in this remaster.  Scenes have the brightness corrected and it creates a more seamless viewing experience.  The Dolby Vision does wonders for the shadow details due to the majority of the movie being in the dark.  The contrast is clean and the HDR adds some depth.  Dark and black clothing doesn’t get lost in the background.  Also, Lee’s face paint is a crisp white against the dark and might make him look more intimidating.  

Throughout the film, there is a nice grain and it looks beautiful.  Details in the images are excellent down to the facial imperfections.  One intricacy that I never noticed is the scuff marks on Eric and Shelly’s sample invitations.  

One thing with a cleaner transfer that some might consider a negative is some of the visual effects look dated.  It just says that this is a film from 30 years ago.  

Again, being that this is a visually dark movie, there are punches of color in flames, flashbacks, memories, and some clothing.  The flashbacks and memories in particular are over-saturated in reds like a jolt to the system.

Note: The screens were taken from the 2016 Japanese Pony Canyon 4k remaster on Blu-ray.

AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
The audio is a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix.  After a lot of back and forth, I have concluded that I think this mix is the same as the Lionsgate Films release.  It is strong with bold effects and superb layering.  Like the darkness in the film, the rain is practically a character in the movie and doesn’t get lost in what’s happening onscreen.  Many of the effects like gunshots and explosions are tame but do make their presence known.  Gunshots use a bit more treble rather than bass.  

Over everything, I feel like the music is the strongest part of the track and you can usually hear whatever song is playing.  To me, this film and its mix is like sitting on a comfy couch and the music is warm like listening to vinyl.  Also, the dialogue is clear and prioritized.

SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING 4.5/5
-Audio Commentary: with Director Alex Proyas

-Audio Commentary: with Producer Jeff Most and Screenwriter John Shirley

-Shadows & Pain: Designing THE CROW: This three-part extra goes into depth of the production and casting of the characters.

• Angels All Fire: Birth of the Legend: This is with Production Designer Alex McDowell and he remembers how the production came together.
• On Hallowed Ground: The Outer Realm: Alex McDowell discusses Dariusz Wolski’s camera work on the film and creating Detroit.
• Twisted Wreckage: The Inside Spaces: This has McDowell discussing Brandon Lee and the creation of sets.

–Sideshow Collectibles: An Interview with Edward R. Pressman: Sideshow employee Paul Hernandez discusses the film and the current collectibles available of the character.

-Behind the Scenes Featurette

-A Profile on James O’Barr: This is a discussion with O’Barr discussing his process.

-Extended Scenes

-Deleted Footage Montage

-Trailer

Disc Details
1 4k UHD 
Digital Copy
Steelbook Edition with clear slipcover

Running Time
102 mins

Edition Ratings
Rated R

Region Coding
Region Free

4k UHD
2160p HEVC / H.265
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

HDR
Dolby Vision & HDR10

Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Spanish
Danish 

THE BOTTOM LINE
THE CROW has a special place in my heart for personal reasons that I don’t want to get into but I can say that I caught this film in the theater in 1994 when I was 14 years old. It is a comfort film for me in that I know it incredibly well.  It is one of those movies that if I happened across it in the middle of playing, I would sit and watch it to the end or just watch it from the beginning.  

The remaster is a notable success with a superb video transfer that is a needed and welcome improvement from the Blu-ray.  The audio is solid and works well for the film.  I was hoping for a new mix with overhead channels because the rain would come from overhead.  The extras, especially the new ones round off this exemplary release.  I highly recommend adding this one to your collection.