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Army of Darkness - Director's Cut

Army of Darkness - Director's Cut

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: No Longer Horror
Review: The third installment of the, cult essential, Evil Dead series brings out the humor that was incidental to the horror in the first two films. Army of Darkness is now strictly a comedy, which might let down people that were fans of the campy horror of the first two films.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A cult classic....
Review: If you are looking for a gripping drama with an Oscar-caliber script, Army of Darkness is not for you. However, if you have a nose for comedy, think Monty Python-type humor is hilarious, and love to quote movies, then quit reading and get this movie! In fact, if you don't have all three in the Evil Dead series, shame on you!

Army of Darkness is one of the best movies to watch with a whole bunch of friends, and can be watched over and over without losing its appeal. If you've ever played the computer FPS game Duke Nukem, then you know half of the script, as many of the quotes were taken directly from AoD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hidden Storyboards
Review: To turn the story boards on while the movie is playing, turn the directors commentary one in the options menu and while the movie is playing turn subtitles on and the storyboards will appear in the bottom right corner.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "This is my BOOMSTICK!!!"
Review: Buyer beware: there are so many different versions of Army of Darkness on video and DVD that you have to be careful which one you buy. If you want the best version, get the regular edition (not the director's cut, bootleg version, or special edition) if you want the full tilt comic blast that is Army of Darkness. The other versions with alternate endings cut out most of Ash's great one liners, so be careful! Now onto the movie; Army of Darkness finds Ash in midevil times after being transported there at the end of Evil Dead 2. While there, he must find the Necronomicon to get back home, and stop an entire army of the undead being led by his devilish alter ego Evil Ash. While its not as scary, bloody, or gorey as Evil Dead 1&2, Army of Darkness sacrifices all that for some Three Stooges-esque slapstick comedy, and a display and tribute of sorts to Ray Harryhausen's stop motion animation techniques of years ago. While its not on the same level of overall greatness as Evil Dead 1&2, Army of Darkness is a fitting ending to the Evil Dead series, and you'll laugh an awful lot from beginning to end.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DIRECTORS CUT
Review: Unless you're a hard core Evil Dead fan- You probably won't be incredibly interested in the directors cut version of Army of Darkness. There's fifteen minutes of bonus footage including an alternate ending but most of the added footage doesn't seem to be as glossed over to fit the rest of the movie. The picture doesn't seem as crisp and the sound quality isn't as good. Although enjoyable I prefer the original version to this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: KLATU, VERATA, NICKLE? NECTURENE? KNUCKLE? WHATEVER?!
Review: How could you not like this film? Even if you did not see the first two movies the film explains it self in the first five minutes anyway. this is the all time great cult film. Ash(Bruce Campbell) is a great hero. He's both a genius and an idiot. He can make gun powder from his 11th grade science book (which he keeps in his trunk) but he can't seem to remember three little words. and he has so many great lines in this movie."Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun." If your going to complain about the historical inaccuracies of the cheesy special effects the don't watch this film. your most likely a film snob and won't be happy with anything anyway. but if you want to see a really outragious film then then I suggest you see this flick.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good, bad¿ he's the guy with the gun!
Review: Using advanced scientific techniques, I've isolated the three basic reasons why Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness" exists. They are:

1. To quench the appetite of those Raimi-files not sated by the gore-and-goofiness of "The Evil Dead" and "The Evil Dead II":

Yes, it's pretty gory: A fire hose caliber spray of blood erupts from a torture pit; an evil deadite appears to have no lips or skin; animated skeletons get run over by a beat up yellow Oldsmobile. But thankfully, it is also very goofy: the arms of buried bodies poke through the ground to perform a neatly choreographed Three Stooges routine; an army of mini-Bruce Campbells appears, and attack their Gulliver-sized doppelganger, Lilliputian-style; an evil witch is blown to pieces by a double-barreled department store shotgun, as the audience gets the bullets'-eye-view. The meshing of gore and goof is a Raimi trademark, and it is in no small supply here. Prepare to hold your stomach, because you'll either have the urge to vomit, or need to hold in your omnipresent laughter.

2. To show off contemporary versions (circa 1990) of Ray Harryhausen-esque stop-motion techniques:

The special effects, while dated in the face of CGI prodigiousness, are enormous and spectacular. A vast skeletal army emerges from the darkness, each with his/her own unique personality and movement. The battle they undertake is credible and real and awe-inspiring. It is ridiculously hyper-kinetic, full of carnage and mayhem, more than any climactic fight scene I've ever seen. Never put anything past Sam Raimi. Even on a miniscule budget he can create something that'll knock your socks off, and tickle your feet.

3. To give the glorious Bruce Campbell more moments to shine.

Above all else, this is the real reason why this movie exists (Raimi thinks so: by the opening credits alone you'd swear the movie was called "Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness"). Campbell has the unique ability to play Ash, hero of the first two "Evil Dead" movies, as both intensely cool and dumb as a post. It's a nice mix that allows him to display the pomposity of a superhero and the self-awareness of a post-modern ironist. One scene in particular shows this off nicely. It takes place in a graveyard, in front of an altar where the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead) is kept. Only there are three books, a number Ash wasn't expecting. Casually opening the first one, he reveals a powerful vacuum/vortex, sucking into its gaping maw all that come near. Ash is one of the first casualties. But he emerges heroically, unharmed except for a ridiculously elongated chin. The joke is that Campbell's chin is his most notorious selling point (he called his autobiography "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-movie Actor"). Mocking himself so mercilessly, it becomes an even more delicious moment.

His other skill, besides his self-deprecating sense of humour, is his delivery. Raimi and his brother Ivan deliver an almost purposefully banal script, knowing full well that the verve and intensity of Campbell's delivery will amplify its humour. And they're right. Ash's lines, so eminently quotable, appear rather dull when typed out ("Groovy", "Hold on Mr. Fancy Pants", "Baby you got ugly", and "Baby give me some sugar" being the most notorious examples). The power comes from the way Campbell's reading is combined with the way Raimi sets up these lines perfectly: a dramatic pause, then a quick zoom in on Bruce's loopy mug, then the slick delivery of the line. It's an addictive concoction that had me roaring in delight each time. Furthermore, add the fact that all the actors around him play their scenes stone straight, and you find yourself wondering why Campbell isn't a bigger star.

"Army of Darkness" will not add up to much for those uninitiated with (or underwhelmed by) the "Evil Dead" series. But for those that are, it's more of the good times promised by Raimi and Co. Check your mind at the door, paste a goofy grin on your face (you'll need it later), and get set for 81 minutes of mirth and mayhem.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Strange Sequel
Review: When this film was released, I found that it strayed so far from the original story that it was almost distracting. Still, there was something compelling about it and I find myself returning for repeated viewings every now and then. The humour is over the top and best enjoyed while under the influence a couple of drinks. Bruce Campbell is fantastic and the effects are cheesy enough for some good laughs. Non stop action! Put yourself in the right frame of mind and there is fun to be had!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Chainsaws and dubblebareld shotguns! Ash is back!
Review: Ash is back in the middle ages. He is equiped whit his Shotun and his chainsaw, He leads the battle against the "army of darkness" There are not as mutch blood as in the other two but it is damn good. Hail to Bruce campbell baby!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Does anyone notice........?
Review: I laughed so hard I was crying tears while watching this movie. If you loved the spoof of horor genre and comedy, this one is IT! This is my first Bruce Campbell movie but does any of you noticed how closely he resembles Jim Carey from certain angles? They both have the same high energy style in doing physical comedy and they both deliver halarious one-liners like no one else can. I wish Bruce Campbell can do more movies. I heard that he will be in Spiderman II. Can wait to see him!!


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