REVIEW DATE:10:11:9:9
Not many people like sequels. Most consider them pointless exercises in tedium and/or masochism was they watch a good movie's concept either hyped to infinity (and beyond) or butchered like a lamb.
Most hold up The Crow: City of Angels as a prime example of this. Riding high on the tail feathers of its predecessor, some bemoan the fact that this movie doesn't star Brandon Lee. He may be dead, but the masses still clamor for him.
I don't belong to those masses (could you guess?), but even I was slow to like City of Angels. Even now, it's only a moderate form of like. The kind that just sits there, going, "Eh, if it were a choice between this and porn, I'd chose porn."
Of course, I probably chose porn anyway, regardless of the other choice. But that's way off the subject.
And even though I do almost like this movie, I'd have to be crazy to put it anywhere close to its prequel.
"But, Dr. Psy," you say, "I thought you were crazy?"
Hush. Just read the rest of the review, or they'll be no more Scooby snacks for you.
"I'll be good."
We open with a dark, gritty, dusty, suitably surrealistic version of Los Angeles. It's about as different from the rain soaked; darkened Detroit of The Crow as you can get. But some things don't change no matter where you go. Take Ashe (Vincent Pérez), for example. Ashe is a single parent, living with his son in the gettos. One night, he and his son witness an execution, and are similarly executed; their bodies tossed off a pier. Such nice people, these Los Angolans; always cleaning up
after themselves.
This being the crow's world, such things just can't happen. So, one night, Ash rises (quite Jesus like) from the water, and walks back home, followed by an adult Sarah (the kid from the last movie, this time played by Mia Kirshner) who was also guided there by their mutual black feathered friend. Sarah, remembering her little experience with Eric, outfits Ash with the Crow war paint, sos he can go forth and kick ass in style!
And so he does, killing the various unsavory individuals responsible for his death in various unsavory ways. This really pisses off crime boss, Judah (Richard Brooks). He really hates it when his inforcers die without permision. Lucky for him he has a Mystic Chick to walk him through the plot line. Just like last time, Mystic Chick tells him (a) Ashe is dead and can't die by natural means and, (b) the crow is the source of his power. Kill it and he'll be human again. Can we all guess what Judah does?
Well, yes, he does do that. But this time there is a twist. A very special one that transforms Judah into a sort of anti-Crow. Unfortunately, at this point, Ashe is running on fumes, so the fight between the two of them isn't nearly as good as it could have been. Personally, I'd have loved to see a fight between a full powered Crow and and creature that Judah became. Maybe bring in the fight coordinators from The Matrix and really bring the house down.
Hey, Hollywood types: feel free to use that idea. It's completely exempt from the legalities that apply to everything else on this site.
As mentioned, this movie shares a lot with its prequel. The dude murdered by gangsters working for a powerful kingpin, the Mystic Chick, Sarah. These similarities, more then anything else, probably contributed to the harsh feelings felt towards this movie. Most sequels get accused of not capturing the magic of the first movie. City of Angels went so far in trying to avoid this trap that it ran smack dab into another one: Lack of originality. No matter how you slice it, this is basically The Crow's plot line, acted with a new set of characters. If it weren't a sequel, it would be a rip-off.
Plus, though it borrows heavily from The Crow, it leaves out the two things that I liked most:
1. Dark Humor. When Eric Draven stood in the path of Funboy's gun he told a joke that began with, "Jesus Christ walks into a motel . . ." Lines that that, and, "And I say, 'I'm dead, and I move'" are sorely missed here. Sure, Ashe does get in a few good lines, but none are up to the same darkly gothic quality. I think that's because of the lack of a comic book inspiration for this outing. If you've ever read the book and seen The Crow, you know what I'm talking about. They share some really great lines.
2. Flashbacks, flashbacks, flashbacks. We got to see tons of well directed, loving scenes between Eric and Shelly. Here we have about 2 flashback scenes used over and over again. I don't know, it just doesn't get the same reaction from me. There just aren't enough of them. I need more, more, MORE!!!
Of course, this is the same scriptwriter who wrote The Pupetmasters, so what can I expect? Then again, David S. Goyer also wrote Blade, so shouldn't I have high expectations?
Acting, for it's part, is okay. No major complaints about Judah, but he's no Top Dollar. Sarah is hardly there, and really doesn't have much of a personality. Pérez really needs to lose that accent, though, as he often turns his dialogue into an unintelligible fog of syllables.
In the end, it's easy to see why this movie got (and continues to get) as trashed as it did. The plot borrows to the point of stealing, the characters seam to be nothing more then counter parts of the first movie, and, in the end, it just doesn't pack the kind of emotional punch that The Crow had. If anything, this movie shows what happens when a sequel to a hit movie is made without that hit movie's writer or director. David J. Schow and Alex Proyas had a good thing going which they either didn't want to, or weren't allowed to continue. Why is beyond me.
Gs
THIS CLOSE TO A RIP-OFF.
MOCK O' METER
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