The Crow

Dir: Alex Proyas

1994

****

In 1989 James O'Barr wrote and published quite an astonishing and personal comic. After the death of his fiancée who was killed by a drunk driver, O'Barr joined the marines to get away from his life and ended up illustrating combat manuals for the military. He began to draw and develop The Crow as a coping strategy, and would continue to do so for the best part of a decade until it was finally published after sitting on a shelf for seven years. O'Barr admits that his comic was far from cathartic, with each page as full of rage as he has been since he lost his loved one. It was a phenomenal graphic novel that deserved a suitable adaptation. Alex Proyas was easily the best choice of director and his 1994 film was an instant cult hit. Its darkly Gothic noir style sparked a trend within the comic book and superhero genre. Tim Burton's Batman, made only a few years before, was seen as a noir masterpiece but The Crow made it look like a cartoon. It's far from perfect but it was heads above other comic book/superhero films of the time (see 1994's The Fantastic Four) with a much darker edge. Thirteen year old Goth girls went nuts. It was incredibly enjoyable, with some beautifully impressive special effects and creative characters. It's a tragedy that the film is and probably always will be, overshadowed by the fact that its star, Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, was accidentally killed during filming. The film gained notoriety for Lee's death but the film was seen as a fitting tribute and its success at the box office and popularity since isn't just down to morbid fascination. One of the best films of 1994 and it also remains one of the most faithful comic adaptations of the genre.