Army of Darkness
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.98 You Save: $6.00 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.04 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Army of Darkness
Movie Review: Army of Darkness is the king of horror-comedies!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you thought the best horror-comedies were The Return of the Living Dead, Re-Animator, Dead Alive, or even Evil Dead 2, then you haven't seen Army of Darkness! It's the most outrageous, hilarious, and special effects oriented laugh fest you'll ever see.Ash is back after he took care of some demons in a cabin in the Tennessee woods. Now, he's been blasted to the medieval ages and must retrieve the ancient Necronomicon and fight his clones and the army of darkness to get back home.
In my opinion, Army of Darkness is the best and the funniest horror-comedy yet. What makes it better than those four other horror-comedies (Re-Animator is a close second because of its creativity) I mentioned is becaue it doesn't need abundant gore to make people laugh. Instead, it spoofs the demons and evil forces, making them equally as clumsy and lame-brained as our hero, Ash. For those of you who have never seen the Evil Dead movies before, Ash (played by the hilarious Bruce Campbell) is basically ordinary guy (at least in the first film) who goes to this cabin with his friends. One by one they're turned into demons and he must battle the ones he loves. By the second film, you could call him an amateur demon slayer. In Army of Darkness, he's for demons what Blade is for vampires. Not to mention AOD's special effects are spectacular. (Once again, Re-Animator comes in at a close second in f/x) Another thing that makes this film better than ROTLD, Re-Animator, and Dead Alive is the star of the film (Evil Dead 2 also has Bruce Campbell although AOD is still the better film). Bruce Campbell is incredible and hams up his performance, stealing the show like no other actor can these days (And once again, Re-Animator is a close second as Jeffrey Combs offers an outrageously deranged and fun performance) There are so many hilarious situations in this film such as Ash having to fight off the witch and the monster in the pit, Ash fighting his clones, a couple of fake but dangerous Necronomicons, and a graveyard scene a lot like the introduction to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Plus, a huge battle with an army of skeletons, led by one of Ash's own evil clone. I seriously recommend you watch Army of Darkness. You don't even have to be a fan of horror films to like it. Just don't try to take the movie seriously.
Movie Review: Hail to the King, baby
Summary: 5 Stars
I hadn't watched AOD in years, and after another viewing, I'm kicking myself for not making it a weekly ritual.
Think of your favorite sci-fi, medieval, slapstick comedy, or fantasy movie of the last 20 years. Guess what? AOD is not only probably a better movie in that singular genre, but it also includes all the other genres. Imminently rewatchable, it's the perfection of an otherwise unsavory blend of King Arthur, Leslie Nielson, the combined might of a zombie and skeleton army, the special effects of Clash of the Titans, and a final showdown between good and evil that has paved the way for countless others since. In fact, it could be argued that AOD has been the inspiration for more scripts, concepts, and subplots since its creation than is even worth mentioning.
Aside from the aforementioned special effects - which are admittedly bad - the rest is perfection. The homage to the Three Stooges, the trash-talking during sword fights, the hokey skeleton army storming the castle, all perfect. Comedic timing that would make even a headliner jealous, there are numerous moments throughout the movie that illicit snorts. Even the musical score, which blends seamlessly with the action as well as the romance, is nearly without equal. A person going back in time several hundred years and immediately being the smartest, most powerful person is a hilarious concept because it's cemented in probability. Not only smarter, but more than likely stronger, craftier, and better suited for an actual battle in nearly every way. Which brings me to Bruce Campbell.
He's absolutely untouchable as far as I'm concerned. The fact that he doesn't placate the armor-wearing simpletons by changing his word selection, using slang that would obviously confuse and amaze all, is brilliant. Every sword swing, shotgun blast, and taunting laugh is the epitome of entertainment.
If you haven't seen this movie...WHAT is wrong with you?! If you have, do yourself a favor; watch it again. This is still one of the most enjoyable movies of all time.
Jason Elin
Movie Review: A Classic Movie, Give Us Some More Sugar Baby.
Summary: 5 Stars
I hope director Sam Raimi is not finished with the Evil Dead series. Sure his Hercules and Xena Warrior Princess shows are doing great, but nothing is quite like his Evil Dead Series.Army of Darkness takes us to medieval times (a continuation of where Evil Dead 2 left off) where Ash has become known as the promised one who will rid the people of this time of all the dead that have risen from the grave.
This film was called 'Army Of Darkness' because this was the first Evil Dead movie that had a wide theatrical release. They didn't want movie goers skipping it because they hadn't seen the previous two. It does stand by itself, but I would recommend following the whole series. They changed the beginning of this film a bit from the ending of the Evil Dead 2. Where in Evil Dead 2 Ash falls through the rip in time, and is instantly saluted as the promised one, he is now thought to be an enemy. He has to prove himself to the population first. Unfortunate, but I'm sure it made a better storyline.
The rest of the movie is a classic horror/comedy. Sam Raimi has invented an entire new genre with the Evil Dead series. It's a fun movie that has clever little things inside. For instance the chant 'Klaatu Verada Nicto' taken from The Day The Earth Stood Still. H. P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon, and copies of Fangoria magazine are all little things that made this movie fun for me.
This is the American version however, and was altered. The main difference was the ending. The ending was too depressing for U.S. audiences according to the movie studios, so they changed it. That is unfortunate. Hopefully they will release the international version.
The DVD's features are limited. I don't like the little webpage text included on DVD's too much. The Production Notes, Cast and Filmaker's Bios and Film Highlights are just that. While some content can be interesting to read, overall I find that boring. The Theatrical Trailer is the only intersting extra.
Movie Review: "And this is my *boomstick*!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite my dislike for Evil Dead 2, I have to admit that Army of Darkness is actually a successful film. Unlike Evil Dead, the acting pulls off the comedy smoothly, and there is never even a gesture towards being a serious film. From the moment Ash (Bruce Campbell) is sucked into the infinite and plopped down in a medieval world, chainsaw, shotgun, and all, everything is played for gags, and this time it works.
Take a dab from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, through in an entire host of the undead and you pretty much have the story line. Ash is dripped into the middle of a battle between Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert) and Duke Henry (Richard Grove). Arthur, the victor, promptly drops Ash in a pit where the undead roam. Ash gets royally ticked off and makes tiny little pieces of the opposition. As he crawls out from the hole, the local wiseman (Ian Abercrombie) pronounces him The Promised One, and we are off to the races.
Or rather, off to the graveyard, where the local copy of the Necronomicon has made its home. Managing to forget the words of the releasing spell (klaatu barada nikto) and manages to release the entire deadite army. But Ash is not to be undone - he wants to go home to his job managing the sporting goods section and it is going to take a whole lot more than a few 1,000 ugly corpses to stop him.
As I've said, this film works the best of Director Raimi's series. In part, I think, because Ash starts out mad, and plays the maniacal cowboy knight to a tee. In addition, the choreography for the final showdown is excellent, and the script actually has a number of good lines in it. None of that bad film makes good nonsense here, this was written to be a good film, and it really turned out that way.
Movie Review: Bruce Campbell, a boomstick and a chainsaw.... Need I say more?
Summary: 5 Stars
By most standards this final entry into the Evil Dead Triology is the lowest. But you can't overlook the films hilarious moments. Come on, who doesn't love Bruce Campbell's Slapstick mayhem, even if Sam Raimi is filming his torment for our pleasure.
I love this film as campy as it is, even if some of the versions of the film aren't their best looking. The plot may not make sense and the slapstick mayhem may wear on people's nerves, but it's the final battle sequence that makes the film for me.
Chock full of Sam Raimi's inventive camerawork, the gadget-building montages will make any gearhead sit up in wonder. I especially love that steam-powered truck near the end, with the big propeller blade on the front mowing through an army of rubber skeletons. Yeah, it's on my wishlist for next Christmas along with the Dead Reckoning, lol.
Even when Bruce Campbell is fighting against his evil-possesed self, the one-liners like "I'll spoil those good looks" since evil version is ugly as sin and "Backstabber!" when the Evil Ash tears the sword from his back keep coming.
The special effects are relatively tame and dated compared to today's CG blockbusters. Fans of classics like "Clash of the Titans" and "Jason and Argonauts" (this one included:))will enjoy the stop-motion skeleton battle a la Ray Harryhausen. Even so the newly-budding KNB (Kurtzman, Nicotero, and Berger) effects group, responsible for the masterful effects of "Chronicles of Narnia"," The Mist" and the zombies of "Land of the Dead" among many other films, shows their incredible standard of cartoony yet horrifically real monsters.
In all, I recommend this film for any fan of Evil Dead or Bruce Campbell. It's definitely worth it.