ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992)
Blogtober qualifications: Medieval times, chainsaws, the undead, Bruce Campbell
*Spoiler warning for The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II, just to be safe*
Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell) is very confused.
At the end of Evil Dead II, Ash found himself sucked into a black hole, along with his handy chainsaw and shotgun, plus his sweet ride, the Delta 88. Also a tree.
He awakens to find himself somewhere in 1300s England, and is summarily clapped in chains and thrown into a pit filled with Deadites. Against all odds, he survives the pit, and before too long agrees to retrieve the evil book, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, for the local wise man. In exchange, Ash demands to be sent back to his own time, and with that, his latest adventure begins.
And then things get weird.
So, full disclosure: I was late to the Evil Dead bandwagon. I've never seen the original (mainly due to one scene in particular), and I only saw the sequel (the first act of which serves as a remake of the original) within the last couple of years. As such, I'm being exposed to a lot of it for the first time. I know the memes and the jokes, and it's been built up as a must-see for a long time. So, with that in mind, did it live up to my expectations?
Honestly, yes, for the most part.
For one thing, and I'll just get this right out of the way, Bruce Campbell is awesome. I know that's nothing new, but Ash has been built up as this amazing character for so long that it's amazing it didn't disappoint. Like I said, I've seen Evil Dead II, but he had not quite acquired all of the traits that people love about him. You might say he wasn't fully aged yet.
But no, he does a great job with everything he's given here, and he goes through a lot of crap. It's all completely ridiculous (I'll get to that in a minute), but he plays it just straight enough so that you can both take him seriously and deride him at the same time. It's a perfect example of the "lovable jerk" character.
And yes, the story is completely ridiculous, but it's supposed to be, and most of it is the right kind of ridiculous. The horror here is wacky, and the humor is dark, so that the line is often blurred as to which you're seeing at any given point. There was maybe a bit too much slapstick for my tastes, as I felt that those scenes sometimes went on a touch too long, but that's the worst I can say about it. I wasn't laughing constantly, but I was laughing, so it did its job well. Again, a lot of this comes down to how well Ash carries the movie, so that even the parts that may not be perfect are still enjoyable.
Of course, this is a horror movie, so there's plenty of ghouls and monsters to see, and I'm happy to report that the special effects hold up very well, for the most part. Virtually every major type of practical effect makes an appearance, from stop motion to complicated make-up jobs, and all of it still looks great.
There is, however, one glaring exception to this rule: any effect made possible with rear projection. The chroma keying isn't great either, but it's uncommon. The rear projection, on the other hand, pops up quite a bit, and it's obvious whenever it does. I understand that this is just a limitation of the time and the budget, and it's not something that ruins the movie. It's just something I found myself noticing, a lot.
I'm going to try not to give away too much here, but there are two endings to the movie. Everyone has their favorites, but the one I saw today was the "S-Mart ending." They both have their merits, but ultimately I think I enjoy this one more. Besides, it's this ending that leads into the new "Ash vs. Evil Dead" TV series, so there you go.
Overall, I enjoyed myself quite a bit, and I understand why this movie, and certainly the character of Ash Williams, is so beloved. I don't have any plans to review the new series, but I do plan to watch it, and I honestly can't wait.
Monday is Thanksgiving in Canada, and to celebrate, tomorrow will be the beginning of a two-part special review I hinted a few days ago at what it's gonna be, but let's just say it was too magical to be contained in just one movie.
Until next time!
Current interests:
Listening - Pink Floyd: The Final Cut (1983)
Playing - Culdcept Revolt (2017)
Reading - B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Pickens County Horror and Others (2013)
Watching - Thunderbirds Are Go! (2015)
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