Plot: What’s it about?
Luc Crash (David Boreanaz) is the leader of a gang of bikers, but these gentlemen like to do more than just ride choppers. Luc’s crew is a hardcore squad that doesn’t dress in black for fashion purposes, instead as a tribute to the Lord of Darkness himself, Satan. Luc and his followers all get on bended knee for pure evil, but Luc doesn’t want to just to worship. No, he wants to become an immortal demon himself and to do so, he needs some humans to sacrifice. At the same time, Jimmy Cuervo (Edward Furlong) is starting to get his life back on track, after a spell in prison. Before he can make peace however, he and his girlfriend Lily (Emmanuelle Chriqui) are murdered by Luc and his Satanic bikers of doom. But as Luc soon discovers, sometimes lost souls are given a second chance and Jimmy is back, as The Crow. Can Jimmy stop Luc’s devious plan to become a powerful demon, or will Luc be granted these immense powers of evil?
The Crow was an intense movie. A dark, atmospheric film made even more bleak by the tragic death of Brandon Lee. The sequels that have followed have been pale imitations, but at least The Crow: City of Angels had some moments. The Crow: Wicked Prayer is the third sequel and is even more worthless than the last one, The Crow: Salvation. Then again, Dimension is now infamous for pushing out lame sequel after lame sequel, so we shouldn’t be surprised. If I didn’t know better, I would think the filmmakers tried to create a surreal spoof on the original movie. This is just one of those movies where you can’t believe a greenlight was given, not to mention an eventual release. As if the laughable villains, terrible direction, and weak performances weren’t enough, this flick also has Tara Reid. Unless you have your own Mystery Science Theater 3000 nights with your friends, The Crow: Wicked Prayer is better left on the shelf.
Video: How does it look?
The Crow: Wicked Prayer is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The print is clean, with only a few small pops to mention and this looks like a theatrical release, not a made for video production. I mean that most direct to video titles have a less than refined visual texture, but in this, it looks like a theatrical project, as the image is crisp and slick throughout. This movie has a lot of darkness, but grain is minimal and contrast more than holds the line. So detail remains high at all times, which means no visual touches wind up lost in the shadows. No troubles with colors either, though the visuals often bathe the screen in certain hues, so expect lots of reds and blacks. So even by normal theatrical film standards, this movie looks damn good.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not to be outdone by the visuals, the audio is also quite impressive, thanks to a well crafted Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. As you’d expect with a film loaded with cheap scares, there’s ample instances to spook the viewer and this track delivers. I was surprised by the amount and power of bass in this mix, as the subwoofer gets an intense workout. The bass never drowns out the other elements, but man, this one has a ton of deep, rich bass. The surrounds also provide a lot of active moments, but the mix has a natural, immersive presence. So the audio is powerful and aggressive, but never hollow or forced, which is excellent news. I found dialogue to be clean and clear also, so in the end, this is one terrific audio presentation. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, just in case.
Supplements: What are the extras?
After I watched this movie, I felt like the Grim Reaper loomed over me, as I knew I had to suffer through not one, but two audio commentary tracks. I can honestly say the time I spent with these tracks was even worse than the time I wasted on the movie itself. The worst offender is producer Jeff Most, who tells the most dismal jokes and tries to be cool, but fails on all fronts. This guy couldn’t keep someone’s attention for longer than five seconds, yet he refuses to yield time to the others involved. Unless you are a masochist, avoid these two time wasters at all costs, please. The rest of the torture includes deleted scenes, additional interviews, a generic promotional featurette, production artwork, and some storyboards.
