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The Movie: When faced with the idea of another "Crow" movie, one can be excused for asking the question, "is this trip really necessary?" Although a success, the original movie also suffered a very tragic loss when actor Brandon Lee was killed during filming. The second and third films were pale imitations, although each had a few moments that started to approach the kind of intensity of the original film. However, the third film went direct-to-video after sitting on the shelf for months. At that point, any observer could have easily noted that it was already past the point where things should have been wrapped up with the franchise. Yet, here comes another sequel that brings the whole enterprise another step down. "Crow: Wicked Prayer" is a bizarre, badly acted sequel that has to be seen to be believed. I can tell you it's terrible, but it's the kind of terrible that you almost have to see for yourself. I suppose that at least it's silly trash - capable of more than a few chuckles. Starting off with an incredibly inept opening that gives the bad guys whole text bios and barely an idea of what the heck is going on, the picture apparently involves a group of convicts lead by Luc (David Boreanaz, much better in "Angel" and "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer"), who break out and run across Jimmy Cuervo (Edward Furlong) and his Native American girlfriend (Emmanuelle Chriqui, who I always thought should have had more of a career than she's had), who are both offed in some kind of ritual with Luc, his girlfriend (Tara Reid, whose career continues its downfall) and the rest of his gang. Luc apparently wants to become a demon or something, and there's also some sort of barely-there bit about a mine being bulldozed to make way for a casino. A little bit later, Jimmy comes back to get revenge. There's much not to like about this picture, including the screenplay. It's an interesting idea to take a "Crow" picture out of the inner city and place it into an indian reservation, but the filmmakers have wasted any opportunities to try for something different, as the story is such a mess that not only is the whole thing bland and unoriginal, but underdeveloped and difficult to follow at times. To make matters worse, Furlong - despite being a pretty good actor at times, just doesn't feel like a right fit for the role. He's not bad, but he's not sleek in any way. On the other hand, his performance seems near Oscar-worthy in comparison to Reid, who seems like she's confused (see also: "Alone in the Dark") and/or reading off cue cards. Boreanaz does over-the-top, but he's nothing in comparison to Dennis Hopper as a cult leader, who delivers quite possibly the worst performance of Hopper's career. Singer Macy Gray plays Hopper's girlfriend. Director Lance Mugia, who did find cult success seven years ago with "Six-String Samurai", doesn't establish a consistent tone in the film and doesn't create much in the way of mood or atmosphere, like the prior films did at least somewhat successfully. Hopefully, this will be the last of the "Crow" series, which should certainly have ended three films ago. The DVD VIDEO: "Crow: Wicked Prayer" is presented by Miramax/Dimension in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Sharpness and detail are generally fine, as the picture appeared crisp and well-defined throughout most of the running time. Some wide shots and other moments looked a tad soft, but the picture was usually nicely detailed. Some minor edge enhancement and traces of pixelation were spotted at times throughout, but otherwise, the presentation looked clean and clear. No dirt or other print flaws were seen. Colors remained bright and vivid, with no smearing or other issues. SOUND: "Crow: Wicked Prayer" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Dialogue - unfortunately - remains crystal clear, and there are some mild surround effects to be found. Nothing of real note can be found here. EXTRAS: There are FOUR commentaries here. FOUR. That's five more commentaries than there should be (yes, I'm aware that there are four to begin with, but if there could somehow be negative one, that's what this film deserves.) We get a commentary with the director and actor Edward Furlong, as well as three different tracks with the director and various crew members. Beyond already having four commentary tracks, we also get a lengthy "making of" documentary, a couple of interview featurettes, storyboards, deleted scenes, galleries and promos. Final Thoughts: Incredibly cheesy, dismaying and sometimes unintentionally funny, "Crow: Wicked Prayer" is mis-cast and not well acted, directed or written. Fans of the series may want to give this one a try, but I'd only recommend a rental - and that would certainly be a light recommendation. The DVD offers fine audio/video quality, along with a ridiculous amount of supplements. 
Film Grade The Film D DVD Grades Video 91/A- Audio: 88/B Extras: 83/B |