The Crow: Stairway To Heaven - The Complete Series

Stairway to Heaven is often unfavorably compared to the original Crow movie, in part because it uses the same characters and in part because, let's face it, that movie is a masterpiece. That said, you can't do the same things in a TV series that you can in a movie. For instance, at the end of the first two hours, there still has to be a plot left and characters still have to have room to grow. In that, Stairway more than succeeds. It creates a whole new world in the Crow mythos, a kind of "what might have been" that just gets better with every episode. The music in this series is great, too. And it's about time it got released on DVD.

The short-lived television series `The Crow - Stairway To Heaven' is yet another incarnation of the popular movies chronicling the exploits of the tormented Eric Draven on his unending battle against the forces of darkness and his quest to join his beloved Shelly waiting on the Otherside. Building on the foundation established by the '94 cult classic `The Crow' starring the late Brandon Lee, this serialized retelling and extension of the Crow's ongoing saga stars Mark Dacascos in the role of the black garbed, supernatural avenger.

Mark is perfect for the part, succeeding in both emulating and expanding on the role and persona so vividly portrayed by Brandon. The television series also did an admirable job at duplicating the overall gothic atmosphere and morose melancholy that permeated the original film. Someone definitely did their homework before going into production of the series.

In my opinion the glue that holds the saga together while adding depth and dimension to the storyline is the tragic love story between Eric and Shelly. It's their ethereal, intermittent meetings between this world and the next that constitute the soul of the Crow mythos and validates his reasoning for battling on. This romantic, gothic essence is beautifully recaptured in this television series and should help to draw more female interest to an otherwise male dominated audience.

"The Crow: Stairway to Heaven" takes its place on the "Canceled To Soon" list. It really was a wonderful story that put a new perspective on the "Crow" mythos. In this show, Eric Draven's story became one of redemption and Mark Dacascos played him beautifully. The show also featured wonderful performances by Marc Gomez (as Albrecht), Katie Stuart (as Sarah), and Sabine Karsenti (as Shelly). People have been waiting for this show to come out on DVD for a long time (the show ran for one season from 1998 to 1999), so it's great that it's finally here. I look forward to revisiting the episodes and seeing what extras come in this 4-disc set.