Review: Army of Darkness (1992)

Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam and Ivan Raimi
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie and Richard Grove

With even the greatest sequels it's almost a certainty that the third film won't live up in some way. This rule of course isn't universal, but I think that when we have three consistently good entries it's worthy of discussing movies by their own individual merit. Taking 'Evil Dead' out of the title of Army of Darkness certainly indicated that the marketing team wanted this movie to stand on its own to some extent, and it does. Some regard it as superior to Evil Dead II. I honestly can't choose between the two, but the two make for perhaps the ultimate double feature of sequels better than the original.

At the climax of Evil Dead II, Ash Williams is transported back to the year 1300 A.D. He's immediately taken captive by a Lord's army who believe him to be in league with their enemy, but earns their respect after he defeats a deadite in what was intended to be a sacrifice. Believing Ash to be a prophesized hero, he's sent to retrieve the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the demonic book of the dead that has both the power to return him back to his own time and unleash a horde of deadites on the world.

Army of Darkness takes a starkly different approach from the prior entries in the trilogy. I must confess that I do miss the cabin in the woods setting. It was perfect for creating that atmosphere of isolation and really prompted us to understand the unknown entities lurking within. That's all lost with this film, and I didn't think the Medieval setting was particularly unique. While this does mean that Army of Darkness isn't as terrifying as its predecessors, it thrives in a very different way and I think we should all be glad for it. I think of it as more of a comedic fantasy with dark, horrifying elements. It's a really impressive merging between genres that unlike Evil Dead II favors humor first. I don't know how to describe how awesome it is to have this explosive violence share the screen with what seems like it came out of a Three Stooges short, so I'd implore you to check out the scene where Ash first battles his evil clone instead.

Bruce Campbell had established himself as a cult icon by this point, but it's clear that over a decade after working on The Evil Dead his abilities as an actor had expanded. Playing Ash was not just a role in a movie anymore, he was able to become that character like nobody else. Only with his charisma and gift for spouting off one-liners with such energy could we get behind a hero that is so incompetent and selfish. In a sense, Campbell has had to learn to play his character twice, taking into account his portrayal of the villain Evil Ash, which is also pretty great.

The final battle between Ash, the medieval-era people and the army of darkness may very well be the greatest moment of the Evil Dead trilogy. There's no real horror here, just an all-around kickass showdown in the spirit of Ray Harryhausen. Any film nut will see the stop-motion skeletons as a heartfelt throwback to Jason and the Argonauts, and in the most amusing way it paints Ash Williams as the hero of a modern day Greek mythology.

We have two Evil Dead sequels and they both absolutely rule. Which one is better? Anybody could make a compelling argument for why they prefer one over the other, and what's so fascinating is that it's so dependent on where your tastes lean. Do you prefer horror or comedy? Either way the Evil Dead trilogy has always been about playing with the two genres in unconventional ways and Army of Darkness is no exception.

My Rating: 8.5/10