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Army of Darkness: Special Edition

Army of Darkness: Special Edition

List Price: $44.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: May You Never Run Out Of Sugar, Baby!
Review: After the violent cult-classic EVIL DEAD and the ghoulishly hilarious EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell set out to make a third film in their "Dead" series. While the original film focused more on the horror aspects, and the sequel provided an equal balance between humor and horror, this third film was a straight-up comedy and a full-tilt blast! Like the original EVIL DEAD, there are many versions available on DVD, each of them slightly different from one another. This review is for the OFFICIAL BOOTLEG EDITION... a version whose keep case features a brown paper back with the hastefully written original title, BRUCE CAMPBELL VS. THE ARMY OF DARKNESS, and a cleverly designed DVD that's made to resemble a recorded disc.

The main thing that fans will want to know is how this edition differs from the original theatrical version, and there are many differences. There are particular scenes that run a bit longer, most notably in the windmill sequence and at the climactic battle. These scenes can be easily identified when the image slightly drops in picture quality. In addition to this, many different lines that were in the original film are missing or replaced by completely new lines (A very funny one-liner that Bruce Campbell gives about his gun has been replaced with regular dialogue and the hilarious "jet-pilot" voice-over near the end is completely missing). That being said, the inclusion of the extra scenes almost makes up for these small differences. However, the most controversial aspect of this DVD is the alternative ending. It's nice to have the film the way that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell initially envisioned it, although their alternative ending isn't as memorable and hilarious as the original one. It is, however, more in spirit with the rest of the film and, as Bruce Campbell points out on the back of the case, more appropriate. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal if the original ending was available as an extra but no... The famous epilogue of the film is missing from this DVD. It's the only major flaw in an otherwise great DVD.

As far as extras are concerned, you get a great commentary track, storyboards, and most importantly, the deleted scenes. The best of these deleted scenes is an alternative opening, which treats the subject matter as if it were from the original EVIL DEAD, with Bruce Campbell delivering his lines with particular menace while glaring at the viewer from within the shadows... very cool. The other scenes are fairly routine sequences, and it's very easy to see why they weren't included in the final product. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio but, unfortunately, the entire picture is a bit on the dark side. The audio is acceptable.

Fans of the series will want to get this edition of the cult-classic comedy, but the fact that it's missing the famous ending is a bit of a disappointment, and keeps this DVD from being the definitive version of this great film. Therefore, you're better off getting the DVD that has the theatrical version first and then updating to this later. Recommended for casual fans... Essential for series fanatics!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness"
Review: Army of Darkness is probably the funniest/wierdest/coolest movies I have ever seen! Directed & Co-Written by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead Series, Spider-Man, DarkMan) "Army of Darkness" has remained one of my most favorite films of all time. The film has every element of a great movie: Commedy, Action, Rommance, Horror, and a wonderful main character played by Bruce Campbell. This film is technically the third in the "Evil Dead" series although it doesnt require you to have seen the original two. That is always a good thing for a sequel. The story of "Army of Darkness" begins when Ash, a wise-cracking sales clerk from S-Mart accidentally awakens an evil force by reading passages from the Neconomican, also known as "The Book of thw Dead." Bent on getting rid of Ash for good, the evils from the book send Ash back to the Middle Ages along with his '73 Oldsmobile. Now he needs to find a way back to his own time and lead the people around him against the evil Army of Darkness. The music in the film is one of it's strongest assests. Composed by Joseph LoDuca, the scrore pulls you right into the atmosphere of the film. Also Danny Elfman composed the "March of the Dead" theme which adds some variety to the score. One this thats very unique about this film is how many different DVD editions have been released for it. There is the Theatrical Version, The Special Edition (with the original ending), The Director's cut (with 15 minutes of cut footage), and a Bootleg Edition which is the same as the Director's Cut just lower quality. Since the Director's Cut version was limited to only 40,000 copies, its pretty hard to find it anymore. If you are a real Army of Darkness fan I would suggest getting the Theatrical Version and the Bootleg Version. The theatrical version has the ending used in theaters and the Bootleg Edition has the original ending which is much more suitable for the film but not as fun. You can see both endings and all the extra features you can possibly find with these two Editions. So, if you've read this far you're probably pretty interested in this movie so get out there and buy it! ...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: klatu, veratu,...er...nik...uh...nickle...uh...nickers, uh..
Review: This is the final installment of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy. I'll be the first to admit that Evil Dead 1 and 2 are much better, but this movie has a certain charm to it. You have to keep in mind that Raimi and Campbell wanted a throwback to the older adventure movies (like Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans), and that they played up the comedy much more in this movie. Bruce Campbell's performance, is as always, excellent. And while this movie cost more than the other two, it still has that small, cheap look to it. You have to watch it several times to appreciate. The first time just to see it. Then a second to laugh at it and the incredulisness of it (and the continuity problems). And a third time to truly appreciate it. And it is great fun to watch Ash bumble through it all. And since they introduced a level of comedy in Evil Dead II, this movie caps off the trilogy quite well.

It's tough to decide which edtion to get, since there are several editions of the dve. I picked up the 'Official Bootleg Edition' which has the more fitting original ending. The alternate ending (ie, the theatrical ending) isn't included on the dvd under a different heading, which I think is a mistake. Yes, play the movie with the original ending, but under the special features they should have the alternate ending that everyone has seen. There are deleted scenes, with or without commentary, and you can see what has been removed. Most was a good idea to take out, but I really wish that they had kept the windmil/tiny Ash scene to the original length. The commentary by Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi (and later in the commentary co-writer Ivan Raimi shows up) is great. It's informative and you can hear the friendship between these men. Any fan of the Evil Dead movies should have this one, and definitely get an edition with the original ending.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The original cut of the film, but for fans only
Review: This release of 'Army of Darkness' is the original cut of the film, the way Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert intended it to be shown. Included are 15 minutes of footage that were cut for various reasons, including the original ending sequence. These additions alone are reason enough to own this release, as is the excellent commentary by the creators. However, if you want just one version of the film, I suggest buying the theatrical release version, also available on DVD. This version, although complete, is comprised of very rough footage, and you can definately see where original footage ends and added footage begins. The quality is definately worse for the added scenes. This version is good for the extra stuff, however, and is a definate plus for fans who are already AOD fans.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny and twisted, more dark fantasy than horror
Review: 'Army of Darkness' is the great follow-up to 'Evil Dead 2', and throws the hapless character of Ash into the past to fight more evil...dead. This film remains my favourite of the 'Evil Dead' movies. This one is far more lighter than the first two films, mixing comedy with the gore and monsters. Heck, even the gore isn't really that bad.

Bruce Campbell wears the one-liner throwing Ash like a second skin. This is the role he will always be remembered for. Ash is quite the contrast, switching between hero and coward and back again as the movie rolls on. The other cast members are good too, treating the material in the film as a serious threat, and not as camp. Embeth Davidtz especially is a pleasure to watch.

This film is also one of the first to really depict the true Sam Raimi style, and would the set the stage for some of his other projects like 'Darkman' and 'Quick and the Dead'.

Sure the effects are cheese, and the story isn't that great, but the action is fun and the actors are funny. This film is just one of those guilty pleasures to have.

This version of the DVD contains an excellent little featurette, 'The Men Behind the Army of Darkness'. It's a good look at the lovable goofs who were responsible for this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Which one should you buy?...
Review: Without a doubt, this is the easiest five stars I've ever given. There's just so much to like about this movie - Joseph Lo Duca/Danny Elfman's music, Bill Bope's cinematography, Tony Tremblay's production design, KNB Studios' fantastic puppet work and make-up effects, Sam Raimi's crazy direction, Ivan and Sam's goofy script with one-liners abound and, of course, Bruce Campbell.

For the uninitiated, this is the third film in the "Evil Dead" trilogy. But, which version should you buy? On one hand, you have the theatrical version, which runs only 81 minutes long, but sports a crisp picture and 5.1 surround sound. On the other hand, there's the bootleg director's cut version, which has a picture that's not as good looking as the theatrical version's, but is 15 minutes longer and has a commentary by Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi. So, again, which one should you buy? It's real simple, folks - get them both.

However, if you're the biggest cheapskate in the world, I'd say go with the theatrical version. The cover is dark with blue/green colors and has a picture of two skeletons and Bruce Campbell's severed head. The disc inside is gold-plated. Special features include the original ending (found integrated into the movie on the bootleg edition), a theatrical trailer, talent bios and, my favorite, a documentary on the making of "Army of Darkness" entitled "the Men Behind the Army." This is just as good as "Evil Dead 2's" documentary, "the Gore the Merrier." Be sure to check them both out.

The bootleg edition's cover looks like a brown paper bag with a little piece of paper on it that says "OFFICIAL BOOTLEG EDITION." The disc is silver-plated intentionally (you'll get the joke once you see the disc's illustration itself). Special features include a great commentary by Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi (though Ivan shows up a little late in the movie) and 4 deleted scenes. Also worth mention is the little "thank you" note by Bruce Campbell printed on the back of the cover.

No matter which version you buy first, you're in for a real treat and will no doubt incline yourself to pick up the version you DIDN'T buy also. "Army of Darkness" is an eternally re-watchable movie which has more quotable material than "Scarface."
As the days go by, more and more people are discovering the fun that the "Evil Dead" films have to offer, so, in no better way to end this review, "JOIN US..."

P.S. - Don't kick yourself for not buying the special edition 2-disc set of "Army of Darkness" before it went out of print. The two discs are basically the Anchor Bay theatrical version and the bootleg director's cut edition. Same bonus features and the whole kaboodle.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good.
Review: I like this movie a lot but I liked the other two better because the third Evil Dead doesn't follow the storyline of the other two. The comedy was good and the acting just as good as always. The other thing I don't like was the cover on certain editions of Bruce Cambell with muscles, I think this is sending the wrong message to teeenage boys because I have a brother who is 15 and he says he works out to be like these muscle men. Anyways the movie is good and I recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best of the EVIL DEAD series
Review: ARMY OF DARKNESS: the Director's Cut is the end-all, be-all of Bruce Campbell movies. It has everything you could want: Catchy one-liners, slapstick; Bruce Campbell's chin (in two different roles!), and, of course, blood geysers!

How could you go wrong?

The Director's Cut is 15 minutes longer, and has an alternate ending. The ending in this version is much more appropriate for the movie, but the theatrical ending is cooler.

This DVD has everything you want: Deleted Scenes, a commentary by the Raimi brothers, Ivan and Sam, and of course Bruce. The only thing missing is the Theatrical trailer, which is nothing of importance.

This is perhaps my favorite movie. I watch it at least once a month, more often than not, more than that.

Hail to the King, Baby...

Oh, wait... That's only in the theatrical version...

Oh well, it's still the best summation for the movie...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Love the darkness, just not this version
Review: I made the mistake of thinking that a bootleg edition of Army of Darkness would only improve on a great thing. However, much to my dismay, it only made me want to watch the regular edition. The movie is great, to those of us who have a sense of humor, but I recommend a pass on this edition and move towards the classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the Best
Review: could this movie be any better? hail to the king, baby.


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