The Crow: run time, rating, cast, storyline and what have the creators of the 1994 film said about the remake?

• The classic tale of revenge from beyond the grave, “The Crow,” is released in UK cinemas this weekend.
• The film sees “It” star Bill Skarsgaard take on the role played by the late Brandon Lee in 1994, with FKA Twigs in a supporting role.
• Ahead of the film’s release, here’s a look at the BBFC age rating, run time and thoughts from those who worked on the 1994 original.

It’s been a movie that has been in development hell for almost a decade, but this week cinema goers will finally get to see “The Crow” reimagining starring Bill Skarsgård. 

Skarsgård takes on the role of Eric Draven, a former rock star who on Devil’s Night is killed alongside his fiancee, Shelley, leading the character to rise from the dead to take vengeance on those who wronged both his fiancee and himself. 

There is a lot of trepidation surrounding the film though when its release date was announced alongside first images from the Rupert Sanders-directed work. Those images showed Skarsgård as the film’s protagonist swapping the gothic attire popularised by Lee for a more “modern-era” take on a music superstar - or as I once called him in character, “Machine Glum Kelly.”

But more importantly, the film marked the last on-screen appearance of Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Tragically, Lee died on set after being accidentally shot by a defective prop gun that was supposed to fire blanks. For many, the role of Eric Draven and the original 1994 “belongs” to Brandon Lee, with those sentiments echoed by the film’s original director (more below.)

There are also pop culture analysts who will tell you how important the original film was to the overall aesthetic of action movies leading into the new millennium. Perhaps the most striking example I can give you is this - would “The Matrix” still look like the film we all grew to love without the success and “grungy” look that “The Crow” extolled five years beforehand? 

As you can imagine, there’s an awful lot of discussions this week ahead of the UK release date for “The Crow.” But what’s it all about and is it suitable for young adults before school starts up for the 2024/2025 semester? 

What is the 2024 reimagining of “The Crow” about? 

The details over the precise storyline of the 2024 “The Crow” reimagining have been quite closely guarded, but what we do know comes from the synopsis for the film: 

“Soulmates Eric (Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.”

It would appear that the film will still follow the narrative that James O’Brien’s original graphic novel that Alex Proyas stayed faithful to, although during pre-production there was discussions from moving it to a realistic, hard-edged, and mysterious, with a style closer to a documentary rather than the gothic, stylized tone of the original 1994 film. 

What have the cast and crew of the 1994 “The Crow” said about the remake?

It depends on who you ask - for Alex Proyas, the director of the original film that starred the late Brandon Lee, he feels the new movie is almost sacrilege to the memory of the late actor. “Brandon Lee made that movie what it is. He made that movie, he made that character. That character was not taken from a comic book, that was Brandon.” 

“And Brandon Lee died making that movie, he paid the worst price anyone could ever pay making a movie and it's his legacy... I finished it for Brandon... It's not just a movie that can be remade. It's one man's legacy. And it should be treated with that level of respect.”

However, the original creator of “The Crow,” James O’Barr, was initially sceptical about the idea of a remake but later became involved as a consultant in some of the reboot attempts, which he hoped would honour the original comic book more faithfully than the 1994 film. 

He emphasised that the remake should not be seen as a redo of the original film, but rather as a new adaptation of his graphic novel. O'Barr has also pointed out that the story's universal themes of love and revenge could resonate with new audiences if done correctly.

Who stars in the new “The Crow” film?

Alongside Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs and Danny Huston, both IMDB and Wikipedia have listed the following performers in lead roles in “The Crow.”

• Bill Skarsgård as Eric / The Crow.
• FKA twigs as Shelly.
• Danny Huston as Vincent Roeg.
• Josette Simon as Sophia.
• Laura Birn as Marian.
• Sami Bouajila as Kronos.
• Isabella Wei as Zadie.
• Jordan Bolger as Chance.

What is the run time for the new “The Crow” film?

According to both the BBFC and IMDB, the run time for the new “The Crow” film runs at 110 minutes, or in Lehman’s terms - one hour and fifty minutes. 

What is the age rating for the new “The Crow” film?

It looks like the violence levels for “The Crow” have been ramped up for the 2024 reimagining, with the British Board of Film Classification rating the film as an 18 for “strong bloody violence (and) injury detail.”

In their summary for the rating, the BBFC wrote: “A man with a troubled past resurrects from the dead and seeks bloody revenge against his fiancée's murderers in this brooding US fantasy action thriller. Gory, brutal violence distinguishes it from its 1994 counterpart.”

Out of interest, the current rating for the Brandon Lee original film is a 15, for those who feel like they’re going to miss out. 

When is “The Crow” released in UK theatres? 

“The Crow” is released in UK cinemas on Friday August 23 2024 nationwide, including at Odeon cinemas, where those who have a “myLIMITLESS” membership will be able to watch the movie and many more releases this year as part of their monthly membership fee. 

Are you interested in seeing the new “The Crow” film or have fond memories of the original film when it first came out? Let us know your thoughts and feelings on the “modern reimagining” starring fka Twigs by leaving a comment down below.