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A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.
Bruce Campbell: Ash
Army of Darkness is a perfect rendition of a cult classic. If you go anywhere and ask if anyone has heard of it, they'll give you a puzzled expression. But search the web or meet any Horror enthusiast and you'll see that there are Evil Dead maniacs lurking out there, and I am proud to say that I am among these individuals.
Most trilogies tend to turn sour by the third film, Godfather 3 and The Mummy Series to name a few, but here Darkness manages to make itself a stand alone film and a fine damn one at that. It still has it's nods to the original Evil Dead, but if you're looking for the ultimate horror experience, then this film may not be it. Instead Darkness is full of comedic dialogue and antics. Our hero Ash spits out classic one-liners that so many people try to copy today...I'm looking at Austin Powers here.
Bruce Campbell is ASH. His character evolves throughout the trilogy and it's in this third installment that he is the ultimate kick ass hero. It's in this third installment that everyone remembers him from. It's in this third installment where he has the chainsaw, the boomstick, the one-liners, the sugar, the hot damsel. Campbell will always be known for this one character. He's such a coward and yet we still feel the need to cheer him on. Campbell is the master of physical comedy and he uses it to his advantage here, fighting an army of mini Ashes, splitting away from his evil self and getting his face sucked down an unknown demon hole from a book.
''Oh you little bastards! All right, I'll crush each and every last one of ya! I'll squash you so hard you'll have to look down to look up!''
Speaking of which, that's what makes the film even more enjoyable. It's insane bizarre comedic tone. Whether you like slapstick comedy or have a dark funny bone, this film is delightful for all. I never thought I would laugh so much at someone pouring boiling hot water down their throat. Then to have the thing grow inside of you and try to detach itself from your body, only in a movie like this can you watch that and laugh with it. Granted, it would help if you've seen the first two films and in order as well. The opening does give you a recap of what's happened, but you feel more for the film and Ash if you've been through the horrors alongside him.
Much like Peter Jackson got his start in the horror movie genre, so did Sam Raimi, as stated in other reviews of Evil Dead. You know, the guy that went on to direct such big hits as Spiderman,Spiderman 2, even Dark Man. Army of Darkness has the little Sam Raimi magic touch. Once you see it you can tell that it's Raimi behind the lens. Raimi has his brothers scattered throughout the film, playing many different characters at that. As well as Three Stoogies get ups and the POV of certain objects, such as arrows being shot or forks being thrown.
''Into the pit with those bloody-thirsty sons of whores!''
The first movie was Evil Dead then came Evil Dead II and finally this little rare gem, Army of Darkness. The first one was almost pure horror, while the second interjected some humor here and there, but was still mainly a horror while this one has very little horror at all and is more of an action comedy. Once again this movie sort of picks off where the previous movie leaves off, sort of as we have our hero Ash transported back to medieval times where he is mistaken for a member of an opposing army. The previous movie had him hailed as a hero right away, but here he is taken prisoner and forced to fight the evil dead in a very cool pit fighting scene. He quickly wins the respect of the ones who tried to kill him and he is sent on a quest to fetch a book that has the ability to send away the evil dead and help him get back to his own time. What ensues are some very funny scenes and a rather big battle at the end which is also rather funny, lets face it seeing a guy picking up obvious fake skeletons and acting like they are attacking is just humorous. Bruce Campbell is great in this movie, however no one else in the cast really sticks out all that much except for the main villain who also just happens to be Bruce Campbell. Still he carries this movie and he is enough for one funny action horror movie.
One aspect saves Army of Darkness from being ridiculous, and that is it's fully aware of it's own flaws. Sam Raimi is by my opinion a genius in every sense, and manages to turn the sometimes terrible special effects into a vital part of the movies sick dark humour. It's not bad, it's just not taking itself very seriously because that is the point! This movie is far from a low budget blunder. It's got a great plot, a great cast and it's got countless laughs. Also an option for two alternative endings, my favourite being a futuristic twist one that is also Sam Raimi's preferred conclusion.
''Gimme some sugar, baby.''
10/10
