A slam-bang good time!

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2003)

I'm sure most "Evil Dead" enthusiasts will tear me apart and say the first or second was the best, but I feel this movie worked out better as a whole (though the others worked better in parts). It's simple, it's short (at only 81 minutes), it's entertaining, it's funny, it's a solid popcorn flick. Raimi mentioned his intention was making something identical to "Jason and the Argonauts" and flicks like those. I personally am not a fan of that film and unfortunately had to watch in my high school Latin class (I think I fell asleep through most of the film). But the action scenes in this movie are very engaging and the character of Ash has been transformed from wimpy anti-hero into comic book hero, equipped with his killer chainsaw and campy sayings. That "jack-s**t" line is absolutely marvelous. I haven't checked the memorable quotes section yet, but hopefully it's there. I also loved the scene where Ash was fighting with Embeth Davitz's character, now possessed and looking like a monster. She says, "You used to think I was beautiful." Ash replies, "Honey...you've gotten a lot uglier." There's a good deal of hilariously campy one-liners like that, which made me smile with delight.
*********SPOILER AHEAD**********
Some say that the alternate ending would've worked out better, but with an energetic action extravaganza like this, I think not, though the alternate ending was pretty nifty and made me laugh. But I'd much rather it end with Ash battling the demons at S-Mart in the present day. If I were in a theater, that would be the moment I'd start cheering. Besides, it came unexpected. I assumed we'd just close with a storybook happy ending, but then BAM! The demons are back for revenge!
My score: 7 (out of 10)