The Crow Re-issue DVD
Sound and Visual Quality
Fans have not been able to see and hear "The Crow" like this since its initial theatrical release in 1994. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound & DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound further enhance the impact on the senses (The movie is viewable in Widescreen 1.85:1 or full screen Enhanced 16x9). You do not fully appreciate just how much the movie has been enhanced until you view it on VHS and then view the re-issue DVD. There is no comparison. The picture is flawless and the soundtrack gloriously springs from the speakers with added power. The quality of the video and audio alone make owning the re-issue DVD a must.
DVD Features
Commentary Track
Jeff Most and John Shirley present an in-depth commentary on the pre, during and post production of the film as well as valuable insight into the story itself.
"Making Of" Featurette
The "making of" featurette is over 16 minutes long. It is broken down into 6 parts:
1. Inception - Talks about how the comic came to be and how it became a movie. James O'Barr, Edward Pressman, Simon Murton (art director) and Alex McDowell (Director of Production) offer commentary during this segment. The Brandon comments are taken from the famous last interview, although they are ones to which we have not been privy.
2. Eric Draven - The essence of the character is discussed in this part. Jeff Most, Brandon and O'Barr offer commentary.
3. Themes - Inspiration for the movie images and words are discussed by David Patrick Kelly (T-bird) and Ernie Hudson (Albrecht).
4. Supporting cast - The nuances of the supporting cast characters are discussed by Ernie Hudson, Tony Todd (Grange) and Bai Ling (Myca).
5. Violence - The issue of the glorification and rationale of the violent themes in the Crow are discussed by O'Barr, Brandon and Jeff Imada (stunt coordinator).
6. Catharsis - How the movie is an escape from the rigors of real life is discussed by Tony Todd and Brandon. The famous "because we do not know when we will die" part of the Brandon interview is repeated here. The quote is preceded by Brandon commenting that the quote is from the book "Sheltering Sky", a comment originally edited out of the versions we have seen before and clearing up for many the misconception that the quote was originated by Brandon.
James O'Barr Interview
In his dark basement on October 23rd of 2000, O'Barr sat down for his first full length, on camera interview that would later be seen by all Crow fans. While he is being interviewed, he sketches a figure and speaks to the influences and stories behind his emotional creation. The interview is 30 minutes long.
Extended Scenes
There are three extended version scenes that are available for viewing:
1. Arcade games bombing - Fans get to see the deleted character Allison, an employee of Arcade Games, as well as extended dialogue between T-bird and his gang. Eric is shown walking up to Arcade games just as it blows up. He is in dazed state and is confronted by Allison. When he touches her he gets a memory flash of T-Bird and his gang. Also, Eric sees a promo for Hangman's joke on the alley wall and has a strange reaction to it.
2. Funboy attack - This is the infamous scene where Funboy gets up out of the tub and attacks Eric with the razor.
3. Top Dollar Shoot Out - We get to see more of the gore and violence of this scene. Also, there is dialogue from Brandon never before heard except in the bootleg workprint copy of the movie. It is understandable, given the bloodshed, why the scene was trimmed down to enable the movie to get an R-rating.
Deleted Scenes
Many scenes (actual moving scenes, not still photographs) are spliced together in a very nice 5½ minute video montage. Some of the scenes included in the section are: Albrecht and Torres discussing whom the "victims" are at the loft, alternate shots of the scene at Funboy's apartment, Darla asking Eric how he healed her and his response, "magic", Eric hanging on the tree limb after his resurrection and looking across to the church and seeing the Skullcowboy on the steps, SkullCowboy sending the Crow toward Eric and more flips during the Top Dollar shoot-out scene (you can actually see that it is not Brandon). Also shown is the original idea of the police car chase scene where Eric is hanging on the top of T-Bird's car. Along with the scenes mentioned, there are also others.
Original Movie Poster Concept
Over 20 posters were designed but not used. Some very interesting ideas were tossed around.
Production Stills
Over 10 drawn conceptual stills are found here. You see early ideas of how Gideon's place should look and other architecture from the film.
Storyboards
Viewers are given access to the storyboards for the SkullCowboy scenes, Arcade bombing, Liquor Store robbery and the Shoot-out at Top Dollar's.
DVD Rom Features
Script Viewer
Fans are able to read the script while playing the movie. The original concepts and characters compared to the final film version can be seen. The viewer can be manipulated to access specific chapters.
Devil's Night Trivia Game
You get to choose the level of questions and pick a game piece. Next, you answer questions that take you through the resurrection of Eric and the dispatching of the villains (clips from the movie are shown to represent each completed task). Each correct answer takes you are one step closer to being reunited with Shelly. The fun here is not so much the game itself, but the way in which it challenges your Crow knowledge.
Advanced Text Commenary Playback
As the movie is played, a commentary text box below the screen posts trivia and insight into the scene being shown. It gives in-depth knowledge of the production. In some cases, more information about a character or the scene can be accessed when an icon appears to the right of the text box. A click on the icon gives a wealth of information. One negative aspect is that some of the text is long and not enough reading time is allotted. This can be remedied by utilizing the pause and/or rewind button.
Overall Rating
Though this is not the definitive DVD edition that many fans require, it is more than satisfying for the fan that has clamored for more information on The Crow. Perhaps the issues that kept Proyas and those loyal to him from participating in this DVD can be resolved in the future. The standout features are the James O'Barr interview, the DVDrom game and the commentary playback. Fans can now hear, from O'Barr himself, the influences behind The Crow comic, his ideas on the process of drawing comics and much more. As for the commentary text and trivia game, many hours of painstaking research and time were put into these two features and it is obvious. The deleted scenes montage and the extended scenes are fantastic glimpses into what we have, to this date, only heard of in post rooms and chat areas. The "making of" feature is unique in that it has interviews taken from the 1992/93 time frame. It was all filmed before the tragic events of Brandon's death and before the film was a runaway success. It is of interest to see the love and enthusiasm for the film prior to these events. It is evident that the love and dedication for the film was there all along. The commentary track is very informative, but lacks the balance that commentary from Proyas, Revell, and McDowell would have given it. Jeff Most obviously has passion and extensive knowledge in the Crow arena. However, it just would have been nice to have all the primary creative crew involved. They have put the advertisement for other movies in a section of its own and you can choose to view it or not. Many DVDs today force you to view these and it was nice not to have to sit through them to get to the movie.
All in all, I would rate the DVD 7 out of 10 crows.
