MovieChat Forums > The Crow: City of Angels (1996) Discussion > The Crow movies are horribly dated by Gr...

The Crow movies are horribly dated by Grunge and 90's influence


The movies were created when Grunge was at its peak. So it's no surprise to see the music and the "Grunge-look" throughout the films (mostly the first two movies). I know I may be nitpicking here, but the art direction and style were pretty bad and mixed Grunge with some odd punk influences. It's the same thing you see in the movie "Strange Days" (Juliette Lewis' singing and the club scenes--ugh). The creators of these movies tried to take the music of the day and sort of predict what the world was evolving into. In other words, setting it in a near-future look and feel.

They missed the mark, because they took Grunge and other 90's music and tried to make it darker and more industrial. If you watch the films today, it's almost laughable when you hear some of that music and look at the clothing. Try listening to the Crow soundtrack and you'll see what I mean. It's like going back and watching Escape from New York with all of its Punk styles.

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Your own post says they used the "music of the day." They didn't do a thing to make the songs more "dark and industrial" - a lot of the songs came that way, and they didn't do a thing to make tunes like "Big Empty" darker. Industrial/Goth was a big deal in the alt music scene when the movies were made, and songs like "Darkness," "Burn," "Dead Souls," and "After the Flesh" hold up pretty well - Tool and similar bands are still putting out tunes with a lot of Industrial influence.

The Crow world is a grungy dystopia set in the near future. It's not our reality. They didn't model it after the music, they just picked songs that they thought would fit in.

Every film is "dated" a year after it comes out. Styles, music, and film techniques evolve. So I guess you're right. Here's your "Captain Obvious" award.

"Just five bucks to see the dancing freak!"

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'The Crow' soundtrack is one if the best soundtracks I've heard, but that's just me of course. One of the main reasons why this film is ingrained in my head is because of the music and how they used it. The scene with The Crow riffing on top of a building with an amplifier is a good example. Maybe it's because I grew up around the time this movie was released, but the tune he plays was just...gut wrenching (in a good way).

Masterjedi-2, what kind of music would you have preferred?

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I would say your review missed the mark.
I don't think you can comment on film-making when you know nothing about it.
You should stop trying to be an amateur critic and just enjoy movies instead of always trying to find fault with them. You will have more fun that way.

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go listen to lady gaga and justic bieber and hang yourself while watching micheal bay movies


Joinking it!

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It wasn't grunge. It was industrial and metal mostly.

Coming Soon... The December Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qj7fRpcXRI

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The First is still a classic and one of the best revenge flicks of all time.

We should learn from our past mistakes, so that we can make new ones.

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Alright dude. Here's your problem. If you're going to nitpick on this film, nitpick also on Clerks, The Graduate, Pulp Fiction, and any other movie soundtrack. Almost every soundtrack uses what's popular and what's been popular before it. Soon enough, soundtrack selection like those of The Crow will be gone and you're left with just crappy outtakes and what not from mediocre bands, as well as covers so the royalties of the original don't have to be paid.

Yes, I realize the Crow soundtracks actually contain covers, as well as Clerks and Pulp Fiction. But still dude.

Also, there was 2 and a half grunge songs on the Crow soundtrack: Big Empty by STP, Snakedriver by the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Time Baby III by Medicine. And even those were hard rock songs. The Crow: City of Angels doesn't use a lot of grunge; more along the lines of alternative metal and rock, with some nu-metal and nu-punk thrown in. The third soundtrack is all over the place: industrial rap and metal predominate, with some basic electronica, hard rock, and metal thrown in.

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