The Crow: Salvation (2000)

I had missed seeing this movie back after it was released but now, thanks to Netflix streaming movies, I was able to enjoy it. A good old-fashioned revenge story.First I want to say this performance of hers is an example why some think Dunst is a terrible actress. She was probably 17 here during filming and most of her scenes have her using an unattractive "sneer" with her upper lip and it isn't very effective. I'd say it is the weakest part of this movie.In the opening scene we see families of a murder victim coming to witness the execution of the man convicted of her murder, her boyfriend. Kirsten Dunst is Erin Randall and it was her sister murdered.The one being executed is Eric Mabius as Alex Corvis, who we later in the story come to know as The Crow. (The Crow is an embodiment of someone who has returned from the dead, but not really alive.) He claims his innocence, he says he loved her, someone else used his knife, he was framed.The execution by electrocution goes as planned but it appears he did not die, but he actually became reanimated. He goes to a room with a mirror, sees his badly burned face and peels it off. What is left is a face that looks like designs have been painted on it. He takes off, searching out the real killer or killers of his girlfriend.Its IMDb rating seems appropriate, it cannot be classified as a good movie but it is fun to watch.SPOILERS: It turns out the murdered girl's father was in some shady dealings with the local police, including the chief, and she found out about it. The police dealt with it by killing her and putting the bloody knife with her boyfriend. The Crow systematically hunted them down and eliminated them, the penultimate scene the Chief was strapped in the electric chair and he was sent to the great beyond, vowing to return for his revenge.

The Crow: Salvation (2000) * (out of 4)The third film in the series succeeds at becoming not only worse than the second but also the first to go straight to DVD. This time out Alex Corvis (Eric Mabius) is put to death for killing his girlfriend, a crime he didn't commit. Soon after the electricity, the crow brings him back to life to seek out those who really did the crime. THE CROW: SALVATION is a pretty awful movie from start to finish but thankfully there are a few moments that get so campy that you can't help but laugh and this is what keeps the thing from becoming a total bomb. The majority of the problems can be blamed on an awful screenplay and some really bad performances. The screenplay offers up some of the worst dialogue that you're ever going to hear and this is where a great many laughs come from. Just check out the first scene where the revived Alex meets his girlfriend's sister (Kirsten Dunst) and just listen to their conversation. The dialogue is so bad at times one really wonders if it wasn't meant as some homage to Edward D. Wood, Jr.. The performances are another really bad thing with Mabius coming off incredibly awful with his line delivery and the entire way he acts the part. I'm not sure if he was trying to copy Brandon Lee from the first film but he fails miserably and I'd say that the lack of energy or excitement just brought the film down even more. At this point in her career Dunst wasn't the greatest actress in the world and I think this is the worst I've seen her. She appears to be bored out of her mind and constantly wondering to herself what she's doing in this picture. At least Fred Ward adds some nice touches as the crooked Captain. THE CROW: SALVATION is a very poor film that's clearly just attaching itself to a popular original movie in hopes of milking out some cash.

Some flaws, but a pretty well paced movie that's usually entertaining. The iconic bird helps a wrongfully executed man, who was framed for his girl friend's murder, return to exact revenge against those responsible.So it blends the horror theme of the franchise with a murder mystery story, and the mixture is accomplished reasonably well. The opening execution scene skillfully sets the mood. There are a few well used metaphors, but the bird's appearance may not make sense if you haven't seen the original film. The guilty conspirators and their motive is way too obvious and transparent, but the plot works in spite of this.William Atherton as the victim's father and Fred Willard as a militaristic police captain do the best acting jobs. The flashback sequences showing the ill-fated Romeo/Juliet style couple's back story are executed very poorly; the 360 degree pans are intrusive, and the girl playing Laura overacts painfully. These scenes, intended to be romantic, and establish pathos for the victimized characters, are just irritating. The copter explosion looks as phony as a politician speech and it doesn't even fit, given what the film spends so much time telling us about the main character.There are some routine clichés, such as shooting a guy a thousand times who won't die (lol), and the makeup on the vengeful Crow guy changes from scene to scene. But, if you can overlook these goofs, it's a good popcorn flick.

Much better. The budget was obviously smaller, and it went straight to video. It was kind of refreshing to see the story take on a different angle regrading the tragic and lone search for justice and vengeance against those that did them wrong. The material felt a little more fulfilling, not like the soulless attempt before it (Crow: City of Angels '1996'). However in the long run it's still nothing special, but competently made and told in an interestingly simple film-noir style. Visually speaking, it might not the have the kick but the world created seems based a little more in present reality (with the Gothic comic-book ambiance kind of losing out) and the industrial setting gives out a real seedy and crooked charge. Within the visuals are some brutal acts of violence and sleazy snapshots, but the story keeps the melancholy touch together. Director Bharat Nalluri gets the tone pumping with some intense and exhilarating sequences. It's flash, but concise. However it felt a bit overlong. The hard-rock soundtrack here isn't as noticeable, but still profitable when included and the special effects are adequately staged. Performances are good. Eric Mabius is effectively easy and sardonic as the revenging dead soul. Kirsten Dunst is fine and Fred Ward is perfectly smarmy as the shifty Police Chief. There's able support from William Atherton, Grant Shaud, and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe.