10 Biggest Differences Between The Crow 2024 & The Original Movie

The following contains spoilers for The Crow, now playing in theaters

Summary

Shelly plays an enhanced role in the 2024 remake, providing deeper characterization and motivation for Eric’s rampage.
The 2024 version explores the origin of Eric and Shelly’s romance, showcasing their early days and deep love.
The new film introduces Kronos, who was absent from the original, shaping the lore and providing exposition.

The 2024 version of The Crow makes a lot of changes to the story that weren’t present in the 1994 film of the same name. At their core, both versions of The Crow follow a similar trajectory. Both films focus on Eric, a troubled young man who is killed alongside his lover, Shelly. Because of the sheer tragedy of the loss, the young man is given the chance to take revenge and resurrected as the nearly immortal vigilante known as the Crow.

However, both films take very different approaches to the story. The Crow’s powers, central romance, supporting characters, villains, and lore of the universe are changed between versions, with the new movie’s approach to one central character standing out as a serious deviation from the previous version of The Crow (and even the source material that inspired both versions). Here are the biggest ways 2024’s controversial remake of The Crow differs from the 1994 version starring Brandon Lee.

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10 Shelly Has A Far More Important Role In 2024’s Version Of The Crow

The Crow‘s 21st Century Remake Gives Shelly Way More Screentime & Personality

Perhaps the most important distinction between the original 1994 version of The Crow and the 2024 remake is the way both films treat Shelly, Eric’s lost love, and the motivation behind his rampage. In the original movie (as well as the comic from James O’Barr), Shelly has very little impact on the actual story. Shelly is killed off early in the original film, the victim of a gang assault that also kills her fiancee Eric. However, the film doesn’t spend any additional time fleshing out her as a character.

This is something the 2024 version amends by spending far more time on the couple than in the original. Shelly is given far more characterization, including a passion for music that the original seemed to lack. Her relationship with Eric is a larger focus, and the film also spends time introducing many of her friends. The Shelly of the new version of The Crow feels like a far more fleshed out character than the one who was merely a motivating death in the original.

9 The 2024 Crow Gives Eric & Shelly’s Romance A New Origin

The Original Version Of The Crow Didn’t Delve Into Their Early Relationship

One of the key ways the 2024 version of The Crow fleshes out Shelly and Eric’s relationship is by delving into the early days as a couple. By the opening of the original version of The Crow, the romance between the pair was long-established. This relationship was largely off-screen, however, with much of the film instead dedicated to Eric’s efforts to avenge her. By contrast, the new version of The Crow is far more focused on their relationship and actually delves into how the pair met.

After being arrested for some unseen crime, the present-day Eric is introduced inside the same rehab center that Shelly finds herself sent to while trying to flee Roeg. After escaping the prison, the two spend an uncertain amount of time falling deeply in love. This is done to help enhance the tragedy of their eventual fate, and is a big part of how the film further develops the central characters before the film’s somber elements take effect.

8 Eric & Shelly Are Targeted For A Different Reason In The Crow Remake

Shelly Is Targeted By An Immortal Villain In The New Film

One of the key elements of Eric and Shelly’s deaths in the original comic version of The Crow was the way it was treated as a random act of violence. The pair were killed for no real reason, speaking to the chaos of life and death. The 1994 version added a wrinkle to this by making the attack motivated by Top Dollar’s frustrations with Shelly’s protests about tenant relocation. The 2024 version of The Crow creates an entirely new reason for Shelly and Eric to be killed, and ties it directly to Danny Huston’s Roeg.

In the new film, Roeg discovers that Shelly and her friends have video evidence of him using his powers on her, forcing her to murder another woman. While Roeg does use his powers to condemn people to the afterlife meant for him, Shelly escaping his grasp (with evidence that could damage Roeg’s public image) prompts him to send his minions after her. This gives Eric’s revenge mission a more personally driven element that comes into play in the 2024 film.

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7 Top Dollar And Roeg Are Very Different Villains For The Crow

The Two Films Take Very Different Approaches To Bad Guys

In both cinematic versions of The Crow, a dangerous crime boss with deep connections across the city turns out to be the central cause of Eric and Shelly’s suffering. However, Top Dollar and Roeg are very different villains. Top Dollar is established as a overt criminal, whose efforts to further take control of Detroit prompt him to order several deaths across the city. He’s a young man who even shares a passing physical resemblance to Eric, making their eventual confrontations feel like a dark reflection of one another.

By contrast, Roeg is a far older character. His criminal conspiracy has seemingly worked far more effectively, with the police largely following his directives. He’s even seen as a high-standing figure in society, capable of hosting major events with little suspicion of his true nature. While both of them share a similar place in the world, their operations couldn’t be more different.

6 Other Supernatural Forces Are At Work In The New Crow

The 2024 Version Of The Crow Teases A Much Wider World Of Supernatural Forces

One of the most memorable elements of 1994’s The Crow is the way it positioned a supernatural force of revenge against a horde of villainous but grounded threats. Top Dollar and the criminals working for him were regular people, unprepared to confront an immortal figure like the Crow. Although they steadily adapted and tried to hone in on the character’s unexpected weaknesses, they remained mortal throughout the film.

Movies In The Crow Franchise	Star	Year Of Release
The Crow	Brandon Lee	1994
The Crow: City of Angels	Vincent Pérez	1996
The Crow: Salvation	Eric Mabius	2000
The Crow: Wicked Prayer	Edward Furlong	2005
The Crow	Bill Skarsgård	2024

The 2024 version of The Crow doesn’t go that route with Roeg, who is established as a supernatural threat himself. Having made an unseen deal with the devil for immortality, Roeg is also revealed to have the power to compel others to act on his orders. This makes Roeg a direct contrast to Eric after he gains his powers. Roeg’s apparent pursuit of immortality even sets up his efforts to capture the Crow, as he seeks to live forever but outside of the parameters of his prior bargain. This expands the supernatural influence and impact on the world of The Crow.

5 The New Crow Doesn’t Share The Same Weakness As The Original

The Brandon Lee Crow Had An External Weakness, While Skarsgård Has An Internal One

Both cinematic versions of The Crow introduce the revived Eric as a nigh-unstoppable force. Their healing factor makes them unstoppable in a fight, and allows them to withstand great amounts of punishment while on their respective quests for revenge. However, both of them are given a weakness that removes their abilities. In 1994’s The Crow, Eric is revealed to get his powers directly from one of the mystical crows that helped ferry his soul to the afterlife and subsequently allowed him to return.

When Top Dollar’s forces realize this, they’re able to wound the crow and depower Eric. In the 2024 version, the crows are never a target of Roeg and his men. Instead, Eric loses his powers when he doubts his true love for Shelly, as that love was what fueled his resurrection in the first place. Notably, the 1994 version of the film used this weakness to target Eric mid-climactic battle, while the new film reveals it earlier in the film’s pivotal emotional beat for Eric.

4 The Original Crow Was Far More Theatrical With His Kills

The Crow Plays With The Style Of The Lead Character’s Kills

One of the more interesting differences between the two versions of The Crow is the way the two films personify and showcase the titular undead vigilante, especially once he’s gone on his rampage. In the 1994 version of The Crow, Eric became a far more creative and theatrical killer. He targets the gang that assassinated him and Shelly with ironic punishments (such as riddling the knife-wielding Tin Tin with blades or forcing the drug-using Funboy to overdose).

Overall, the version of the Crow played by Brandon Lee was a far more theatrical character, delivering quotes to his victims and taunting them before killing them. The version of the Crow played by Bill Skarsgård is a far more dopey character, often in a greater scramble and far less prepared to kill his victims than the original version. His earliest kills are far more unexpected, and even his slaughter of Roeg’s men feels less over the top than the 1994 version. It showcases Eric as a far different character in the new film, even as he follows the same general plot.

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3 Kronos Wasn’t In The Original Crow

The Voice Of The Crows Is Original To The 2024 Film

Kronos is the most important character in the 2024 version of The Crowwho doesn’t appear in the original film. Kronos is a mysterious figure that Eric encounters once he dies. Finding him in a mysterious train station that seems to exist between time and space, Kronos is the one who speaks for the Crows and explains to Eric what has happened to him. He reappears later in the film, calling Eric out for failing to achieve his mission before losing faith in Shelly and ultimately helping restore his powers.

Kronos serves as the voice of the Crows that revive Eric, who are played with a more mysterious air than they were in the original film. Kronos is an invention for the new film, having been absent from the original comic and the 1994 film adaptation. He serves as an exposition dump in the new film, and helps establish the lore of the new film.

2 2024’s The Crow Is Missing Important Characters From The Original

There’s No Cop Or Young Girl Trying To Help The 2024 Crow

While Kronos is only in the new film, there are several other important characters from the 1994 version of The Crow who are absent in the new film. The two most important are Ernie Hudson’s Sergeant Daryl Albrecht and Rochelle Davis’ Sarah Mohr. Albrecht is the closest thing Eric gets to a firm ally in the 1994 version of The Crow, with the police officer coming through in the film’s final moments to help save the day.

Sarah is a young girl who had befriended Eric and Shelly while they were alive. Her safety ends up becoming a key motivation for Eric later in the film, especially after she’s kidnapped by Top Dollar and his men. Neither character appears in the 2024 version of The Crow, which roots Eric’s motivations entirely in avenging Shelly. In fact, the only cop that plays any major role in the film is actually a minion of Roeg and is Eric’s first kill in the film.

1 Shelly Is Resurrected In The Crow Remake

Shelly’s Final Fate Is Entirely Different In The New Film

One of the biggest changes the 2024 remake of The Crow makes to the original is the final fate of Shelly. In both versions, Eric eventually completes his mission for revenge and kills the people who arranged their murder. However, the 1994 version ends with Eric being brought back to the afterlife by Shelly’s spirit. This isn’t the case in the remake, in which Eric is attempting to reverse their deaths.

Speaking with Kronos, Eric discovers that completing his mission will seemingly restore the pair to life. When he almost loses faith and has his mission upended, Eric instead offers to remain in the afterlife while Shelly is revived. Kronos accepts this bargain, and in the end of the film seemingly revives Shelly (but not Eric). This gives the latest version of The Crow a bittersweet edge the original didn’t have, keeping Eric and Shelly separated but with the belief that the pair will be reunited some da

The Crow (2024) 18

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The Crow (2024) is a dark and gritty reimagining of the original graphic novel. It follows Eric, who is resurrected from the dead to avenge his and his soulmate’s brutal murders. Armed with supernatural abilities, Eric seeks justice against the killers responsible, navigating through a corrupt city that is as much a character as he is. This adaptation introduces new elements to captivate the modern audience!

Director Rupert Sanders Release Date August 23, 2024 Writers James O’Barr , Zach Baylin Cast Bill Skarsgard , FKA Twigs , Danny Huston , Josette Simon , Laura Birn , Sami Bouajila , Jordan Bolger , Karel Dobrý

The Crow

The Crow is a dark, gothic franchise centered on Eric Draven, who is resurrected by a mystical crow to avenge his and his fiancée’s murders. Originating as a comic by James O’Barr, it became a cult-favorite 1994 film starring Brandon Lee, known for its tragic themes and Lee’s on-set death. A 2024 remake of the film stars Bill Skarsgård.

Movie(s) The Crow , The Crow: City of Angels , The Crow (2024) Created by James O’Barr First Film The Crow Latest Film The Crow (2024)