An Entertaining, Fun Horror Comedy

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2007)

Army Of Darkness (1992): Bruce Campbell, Richard Grove, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Embeth Davidtz, Timothy Patrick Quill, Bridget Fonda, Patricia Tallman, Ted Raimi, Bruce Thomas, Sara Shearer, Shiva Gordon, Billy Bryan, Bill Moseley, Nadine Grycan, Andy Bale, Robert Brent Lappin, Rad Milo, Brad Bradbury, Lorraine Axeman, Sol Abrams, Josh Becker, David O'Malley, Ivan Raimi, Bernard Rose, Bill Vincent, Ron Zwang...Director Sam Raimi, Screenplay Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi.
Army of Darkness, released in 1992, came as a pleasant surprise to fans of director Sam Raimi's films, namely the "Evil Dead" series. In it, Bruce Campbell plays Ash, a man whose girlfriend is killed by demons and zombies in the backwoods, a man forced to fight the undead with his chain saw and gun. Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash for this film. Ash tells his fellow supermarket co-workers that he had traveled in time to the Middle Ages and had the chance to become king. A kingdom is in trouble as an army of the undead is forming. Ash is suddenly whisked away to this medieval world, equipped only with his car, his chain saw and gun. Before long, he becomes the kingdom's only hope for salvation from the demonic forces. His mission is to read from a book of the dead and recite the magic words. But there's a problem. He forgets the last word. The consequences are dire. An army of skeletons and demons begin to attack the kingdom. The premise to this film, if handled as less of a comedy, would be pure adventure-horror and fantasy. But as it is, this film is more of a dark comedy filled with computer-enhanced visual effects, this coming at a time at the beginning of the 1990's when such devices for film-making were very new. To some, this film is B movie hell. To others, this film is a feel-good film, a comedy dressed up as horror and adventure. Bruce Campbell, whose career owed to Sam Raimi, is doing his usual thing - slapstick comedy, physical comedy, witty comic lines. He is a sort of comic swashbuckler and this would be his most famed identity as an actor. He would later appear in television's "Xena Warrior Princess" as the King of Thieves, and more recently in the "Spider Man" films which were also directed by Sam Raimi. Coincidentally, Joseph LoDuca provides the music for this film, and he would work with Sam Raimi again for other films and also on Xena. The film is probably nothing terrific, and is really more of a comedy for grown-ups but it's enjoyable nonetheless. It's a horror film that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a refreshing stray from the traditional zombie films. However, perhaps due to some of the language and mild violence, this film is more appropriate for pre-teens (13 and up)but not for young and sensitive children. An entertaining, hilarious horror film for an acquired taste in Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.