--- title: "The Crow: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-crow-1994/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-crow-1994" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Crow (1994): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 12 reviews: 7 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Crow, with praise clustering around Brandon Lee’s performance and the rain-soaked gothic cityscape. Lee’s screen presence is a recurring strength, but the reviews also value his warmth and vulnerability: he gives the revenge story an emotional weight that its plotting does not always supply. The energetic camerawork and action draw approval too, particularly from critics who enjoy the film as gloomy, stylised pulp. The reservations concern how much substance supports that atmosphere. Several critics find the story slight or overly straightforward, though they differ on how seriously this limits the film. The Los Angeles Times finds it excessively grim and overwrought while still admiring Lee; Eye for Film objects more sharply to weak dialogue, an overbearing soundtrack and insufficient emotional payoff. The spread runs from enthusiasm to mixed responses, with even the more doubtful assessments finding something persuasive in Lee’s performance. ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 1994. McCarthy praises the film as a visually dazzling and commercially compelling revenge fantasy, despite its simplistic, overly linear story. He singles out its carefully designed, rain-soaked cityscape and Brandon Lee’s magnetic performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/the-crow-1200436537/) ## Vulture — Roxana Hadadi Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 August 2024. Hadadi argues that the film’s lasting strength comes from Brandon Lee’s performance. She especially praises how his warmth and vulnerability deepen the story’s gothic action. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/without-brandon-lee-the-crow-doesnt-fly.html) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. Jones finds the film gripping and thoroughly entertaining despite its sometimes-obvious comic-book origins. He particularly praises its dynamic action and Proyas’s kinetic style. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-uscyg3/the-crow/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 13 May 1994. Ebert finds the film’s visual style impressive but its story comparatively slight. He singles out the striking visual presentation as its chief strength. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-crow-1994) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2024. Bradshaw finds the film’s violent, cartoonish revenge fantasy still potent. He praises Proyas’s energetic camera work and goth atmosphere, while noting that Eric’s motivation is less compelling than the film’s mood. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/may/30/the-crow-review-brandon-lees-heavy-metal-horror-is-still-a-potent-goth-fantasy) ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Smith finds the film a satisfyingly gloomy, stylish piece of pulp with an appealingly bleak worldview. He singles out Brandon Lee’s performance and screen presence as a particular strength. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-crow-review/) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 1994. The issue archive identifies this as a review of “The Crow,” but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no details about what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/05/23) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 1994. The page identifies this as a review of The Crow, but its text is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/11/movies/review-film-eerie-links-between-living-and-dead.html) ## Time Out — SFe Fi1m's normalised score 62/100 (inferred from the text). The available excerpt does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. It highlights the film’s troubled production aftermath and US box-office performance. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-crow) ## Los Angeles Times — Peter Rainer Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 1994. Rainer finds the film effective on its own terms but excessively grim and overwrought. He singles out Brandon Lee’s commanding, almost operatic performance as the film’s genuine source of heart. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-11-ca-56162-story.html) ## Collider — Kelcie Mattson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 2026. Mattson finds the film’s wounded heart still ambitious, imaginative, and cathartic. She especially praises Brandon Lee’s soulful performance and the film’s striking Gothic visual style. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-crow-iconic-revenge-thriller/) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2010. Carty finds the film visually striking but short on substance, depth and emotional payoff. He praises its gothic atmosphere and Brandon Lee’s haunting performance, while criticizing the overbearing soundtrack and weak dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-crow-film-review-by-stephen-carty) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-crow-1994.md