The Crow: Salvation

For a direct-to-video sequel to "The Crow," I could have imagined a much worse film than "Salvation." I would even say that it is a tad better than "City of Angels." The latter was a little more on point in terms of style, but this third installment has a story that is easier to follow. The surprisingly impressive cast is also noteworthy, though lead actor Eric Mabius is the weakest link in the chain. Ultimately, however, the film isn't really good, as everything is too generic for my liking. The villains centered around a group of corrupt cops are also super-flat, and the revenge story is ultimately just a half-baked rehash of the plot from the previous films. But at the very least, I wasn't all that bored this time, which is a significant improvement over the previous film.

Despite feeling split about 'The Crow: Salvation' for a decent chunk whilst watching, the more I think about it the more I recognise that I did suitably enjoy it. It took me a fair while to warm to Eric Mabius as the titular character, but by the time the end credits rolled around I got enough out of his performance - it's good enough. Kirsten Dunst is an interesting cast member, as is 'Prison Break' alum Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. Fred Ward gives a solid showing, probably the standout away from/alongside Mabius. It's a definite improvement on the unfortunately lousy 'The Crow: City of Angels'. The story here felt more in line with the original (if still far adrift in terms of quality and style), with enough differences but also a few callbacks of sorts. I do like how they explain the main character's facial features in this one. As for a rating, I was umming and ahing between 6/10 and 7/10. The latter just about wins out.