ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, August 31, 1996              TAG: 9609040010
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 12   EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT 

`CROW' SEQUEL LACKS SUBSTANCE OF ORIGINAL

Like most sequels, "The Crow: City of Angels" slavishly rehashes the most popular elements of the original.

In this case, that means lots of inky dark atmosphere, violent special effects and pop nihilism. The rest is nothing more than a second-rate revenge flick with a plot that lacks any complexity, and characters who have no personalities.

Press notes explain that Sarah (Mia Kirschner) is a grown-up version of the character who was a child in the first film, though that's never explained on screen. She's a tattoo artist in a dank futuristic slum (presumably Los Angeles, given the title), and she's somehow psychically tuned to a crow who leads certain dead people back to the world of the living.

It does that with Ashe (Vincent Perez), who was killed along with his young son by the sadistic drug lord Judah (Richard Brooks) and his henchmen, including Iggy Pop. Ashe sets out to get the bad guys, and because he's already dead, they can't kill him.

Writer David Goyer tosses enough gimmicks to keep the action moving, but the script lacks the poetic flourishes that add so much to the first film. Director Tim Pope relies on sophisticated computer-generated effects and models to keep the action lively and challenging in a strictly visual sense. His camera often swoops and dives to show the crow's perspective on the film's nocturnal world.

Given the transparent thinness of the roles, the actors do fairly effective work. Iggy Pop injects a sly sense of humor to the otherwise somber and self-pitying proceedings. Brooks might be an impressive villain if he didn't have to strut around bare-chested and wearing long, gauzy skirts.

Attitude and atmosphere are important to any cinematic escapism, but even the most frivolous entertainment has to offer something more when it comes to characters. Fans of the first film aren't likely to be happy with a simplified copy, no matter how slick it looks.

The Crow */2

A Dimension Films release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Valley View 6. 80 minutes. Rated R for violence, incessant strong language, brief nudity, sexual material.

LENGTH: Short :   49 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  Vincent Perez stars in "The Crow: City of Angels."