This movie, starring Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, turned out to be a lot better than I expected. When you die, your soul is transported by a crow from the world of the living to the world of the dead. However, if there's any unfinished business, then sometimes the crow can bring the soul back to finish whatever task there is to be done.
When guitarist Eric Draven (Lee) and his girlfriend are brutally killed by a gang of arsonists whose main goal is to create chaos and destruction the night before Halloween (aka Devil's Night), there is an obvious task for his body that manages to dig itself out its grave: revenge against the murderers. Gifted with healing powers and the company of the crow, Draven sets out to kill each and every one of the people involved in his killing and the rape of his girlfriend.
Given that Brandon Lee died during the making of this movie, it should be quite a crowd-puller. The special effects are well done and it's worth to go catch it on the big screen, especially if you are into the horror genre.
Generally speaking, sequels usually don't come close to capturing the spirit of the original film, and unfortunately The Crow 2: City of Angels is no exception. Given the cult-like status of its predecessor, it would have been nice if the filmmakers had decided to come up with a decent plot, but here the plot's all too similar, and the entire movie simply doesn't gel together.
At times, it appears as if this movie vacillates between an artsy endeavour and one that pleases mainstream audiences. It is the latter part, which resides in the rehased plot (good guy is done wrong - good guy comes back from the dead to gain revenge - good guy wins) that is detrimental. There're times when the continuity is really awkward, and the way action occurs, mostly unchallenged, is unsatisfying. While the plot leaves a lot to be desired, visually the movie takes a darker (more gothic) look at the City of Angels, and the art/cinematography is amazing at times.
As in the sequel, the music has its moments. If you liked the first one, you may enjoy this as well, but there's nothing new here.