Bravehearts of Darkness

Rating: 6/10 (6 April 2013)

Wow, this doesn't happen all the time, probably rarely, but I love a good make-up part three of a trilogy. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ocean's Thirteen and Die Hard with a Vengeance come to mind, but now, I will add Army of Darkness.
This is not to say Indy 2, Ocean's 12 or Die Hard'er were terrible, they really weren't, but the third chapter redemption is always refreshing. I will say, however, this does not apply to the Evil Dead (original) trilogy, as Evil Dead II, or The Evil Dead Redux, was just plain atrocious.
Not only was Army of Darkness a fun, exciting and often hilarious movie – thanks, Brucey! – but it's one of those rare sequels that takes the main character from the saga, along with some of the established themes, into a whole new dimension. You couldn't seriously be as far away from the first two chapters in regards to setting, direction or, uh, time period, as Director Sam Raimi took Army of Darkness.
Now, that all said, this wasn't perfect, by any means, and as much as I found it entertaining and original – for the series, that is – it's not a new take on period piece movies with swords, castles and grand scale battles. And as the movie progresses, it fell deeper and deeper into old film clichés.
Almost taking place immediately following the events in part II – and I emphasize the word almost, because they seemed to either forget what exactly happened at the end of the last chapter, or they wrote themselves into a corner previously and they hoped no one would notice, Ash (played wonderfully and hysterically by Bruce Campbell) is taken prisoner in the 1300s after being sucked into a vortex that was meant to rid present day of the "evil dead."
Without so much as a trial or sentencing, he's just tossed into a well of hell and, in good old fashioned Ash-way, he proves himself and lives. Some claim him to be a prophesied warrior "from the sky" to rid the land of evil by retrieving the same book that sent him back in time in the first place. Also, Ash-like, he'd much rather save himself and get back in (the right) time than help the villagers.
Ash must survive the evil dark lands/cemetery and it's amusing incarnations and bring back the book. Will Ash save his own ash, or care about other ash's when all hell breaks loose after his book journey?
Recently, in 2013, the remake (well, second remake, if you rightfully count the second installment as the first reboot) came out and, I'll take a guess, since I won't be seeing it for another few hours, reinvents the first wheel. My hope is that they follow that up with a remake of this, for, while this was often witty and had some pretty decent lines, I can see an even better version of this. There seemed to be a lot of missed opportunities by the writers and I stand behind them spending a little more time to get this even more hilarious.
Also, I am not always a fan of the "Director's Cut" of films. Granted, I applaud them for being able to show us their true and verified visions, but mostly, I find when a director takes advice from either crew members, or sneak-peak audience members, it's just plain good advice. In this case, unfortunately, I only had the "Director's Cut" to see and I recalled a different ending. While this one (no spoilers) was decent, and actually makes sense in regards to the events leading up to the end, it was a too-quick resolution. I YouTubed the original theatrical ending, found what I remembered seeing this many years ago when I first saw this and felt that one was longer, funnier, more exciting and deserved to be in all "cuts" of the film. Seriously, Raimi, how could you think your "cut" was better than the theatrical one?
Both endings worked, but, again, I prefer the original's. I digress. Even if you hadn't seen the first two movies, and I would highly recommend the first one of two only, this almost stand-alone is well worth your time for a little early 90s campy fun.
And who can go wrong with the great Bruce Campbell at his best?*
* - In comparison, his worst was just one movie back, Evil Dead II.