WISE Score
Avg. Tomatometer
A supernatural hitman with too many tattoos spends two hours avenging a murder in a reboot that somehow feels both too violent and way too slow.
4.722%
30
If you are looking for the moody, rain-soaked magic of the 1994 original, keep looking. This version of The Crow is a grim, slow-moving revenge story that trades character development for a lot of aesthetic tattoos and jagged violence.
It’s a tough sell for a family movie night. Between the low critical scores and the generally depressing vibe, it’s mostly for completionists who want to see every version of the story. For most parents and teens, it’s a skip.
This is strictly for older teens (16+) and adults. The combination of nihilistic violence and drug themes makes it a poor choice for middle schoolers, even those who think they can handle horror.
The plot centers on brutal murders and merciless revenge. While it attempts a 'soulmate' core, the tone is overwhelmingly grim and focuses on trauma rather than healthy emotional modeling.
It attempts a modern, grounded take on the gothic source material, but critics and audiences found it derivative. It lacks the unique visual spark that made the 1994 version a cult classic.
This is a hard R-rated experience. Expect graphic violence, drug culture, and dark themes that are definitely not for younger audiences or sensitive viewers.
There are minor themes about the enduring nature of love and sacrifice, but they are mostly buried under a standard, hollow revenge-flick structure.
Rebooting a cult classic is always a gamble, but the 2024 version of The Crow feels like it lost the bet before the first frame. The original film is inextricably linked to the tragic death of Brandon Lee and a very specific 90s grunge-goth energy. This version tries to update that for the TikTok generation—think less 'leather trench coat' and more 'SoundCloud rapper aesthetic'—but it forgets to bring the soul along for the ride.
Bill Skarsgård is a talented actor who specializes in the 'weird and intense,' but here he’s trapped in a script that doesn’t give him much to do other than look pained and kill people. The romance between Eric and Shelly, which is supposed to be the emotional engine of the whole movie, feels rushed and thin. If you don't care about them as a couple, the next 90 minutes of supernatural murder feels pretty pointless.
Parents should know that this isn't 'action-movie' violence. It’s mean-spirited and graphic. There’s a sequence in an opera house that is technically well-shot but focuses so much on the mechanics of killing that it becomes numbing. If your teen is a horror fan, they might find it 'mid' at best; if they’re looking for a good story, they’ll likely be checking their phone by the halfway mark.
"The film is a joyless exercise in style that misses the emotional resonance of its source material."
If you want a dark, supernatural story that actually lands, you’re better off pointing your teen toward the original 1994 film or even the graphic novel by James O'Barr. This one is destined to be a footnote.
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