The Crow Christian Review
The Crow: Themes and Conflict
Other films that The Crow invites you to consider is one of those. From the moody atmosphere to the dark and twisted narrative of a love lost and vengeance sought: this game hooks you in. The story is centered around Eric Draven, a man who was resurrected to seek revenge against those responsible for the death of his fiancée. It all seemed like your typical revenge tale, complete with a gothic aesthetic and hints of the supernatural. And yet, as a person of faith(Christian), what is the sense in ignoring all red lighting just for this story?
Resurrection is itself a Christian theological idea, however — though the rebirth we witness in The Crow has nothing to do with the kind of hope and renewal that can only follow Christ’s resurrection. Ressurection in this sense is not the same as scheol; resurrection, here, also has nothing to do with eternal life or death’s defeat at all—just retribution. Eric does not rise from the dead to preach love or forgiveness, he rises with a sole mission: vengeance for betraying him in life by any means necessary.
I mean, come on: who among us wouldn’t feel bad for Eric?! Violence tore into his life and then ripped the heart from him. You can easily understand his lust for vengeance. However, as Christians, we are above revenge. Revenge is not an alternative, Gospel Here the bible speaks so clearly “Do not take revenge dear friends but leave room for God’s wrath God has said it I will attack; am going to bring about all international terrorism. —Romans 12:19 NIV Which means that, although Eric’s quest may seem humanly justified, it actually goes against Christian dogma.
The Darkness Within- Atmosphere & Imagery
The film’s tone also might leave a Christian audience somewhat hard to swallow with its story. The Crow is consumed with darkness — in both superficial and figurative sense. The world feels like a nightmare because of its gothic, almost macabre aesthetic. The city is forever dark, the rain neverending and our characters all walk a strange dance of lifelessness throughout its morose threshold.
There are people for whom this will be a feast of visuals…there is an aesthetic that revels in the morose and eerie. But for a lot of other people — most notably almost everyone who wants their entertainment to remain an escape, this could wind up being way too much. The visuals are thick, and oppressive as hell… next to no breathing room of anything that could pass for hope or redemption. Resurrection is meant to be about life, new life — light in the darkness. But here, resurrection brings only more shade and death, despair.
Plus, there’s all that mystical stuff. In The Crow, resurrection no longer involves divine intervention or a miraculous revival. It’s sort of mechanical in a way; Needy brings Eric back only to perform one cold, emotionless task for her. It is not grace, there is no ascension. It is bare-boned vengeance — it lacks any metaphorical weight or embedded spirituality. It feels to us like a thin, if not sinister take on the profound concept of resurrection for those in Christ.
For all its brilliance, ‘VS’ falls short elsewhere: Chemistry and Execution
One of the main weaknesses on this level is the absence or rather bad chemistry among leads. Eric and his fiancée are meant to be the beating heart of this tale, one responsible for once everything falls into place. Not if the chemistry is elusive, not to make their connection leap off the screen and suddenly this whole narrative becomes shaky for some.
This is too bad because this rendition of The Crow largely lacks that chemistry. Excerpt: Probably these two people were not so deeply in love, their ties forever knotted that they could withstand death. However, their connection is tepid and perfunctory…like it’s there because the narrative mandates them to have a relationship more than anything organic.
That weakness proves emblematic of the larger issue with the film: It looks great but isn’t all that deep. Sure, it looks good. The art is striking, and the tone of it all is thick with a mood that has a cool edge you just can’t look away from. But then there is what lies beneath the surface of all that…placeholders. Where is the substance, the impact, or a story that stays with you days after watching?
For a Christian viewer, that lack of substance is particularly troubling. It’s not a story with any moral value or higher purpose. Instead, it feels like a story idealizing vengeance, wallowing in its own darkness, and more concerned with looking nice than being profound. In conclusion, for a film with such an important central message to get across it is disappointing that the execution of said message has fallen so short.
The Final Grade: Style 0 Substance
At heart, this is a movie for fans of gothic visuals and grim tales of retribution – though its true origins are certainly less elevated. However, it is pretty much anathema to the Christian audience. For a film that is a tonal exploration of revenge with the world crumbling around it, and providing little else beyond such efforts to be something rather negligible.
I’m not saying The Crow is a shit movie. There are occasional flashes of visual beauty, and the dark mood is undeniably alluring. Take away the veneer and there is not much to grasp. It is not something that can be explained more deeply, for it does not echo any further and cannot go thematically deeper without directly crossing this theme with Christian values.
Therefore, as a result, If you have closed with fans of The Crow It aspirated the likelihood to triumph among Christian audiences. If you want a movie that will also speak to your faith, for anyone needing something deeper than superficial thrills: just stay home.
Rating: 4/10
