Raimi and Campbell sign-off in fine style

Rating: 7/10 (30 July 2010)

One reason that the Evil Dead series is such a satisfying trilogy of movies is that Sam Raimi added to the formula with each new instalment in an intelligent way. Where the first film was an out-and-out horror film, the second was a horror-comedy, while Army of Darkness was a horror-comedy-fantasy. This meant that each movie has its own distinct personality, while sharing a single core idea. With Army of Darkness, Raimi produced the most commercial entry in the series and played down the horror element in favour of fantasy battles and humour. The latter is mainly provided, of course, by Bruce Campbell. He is such an important part of this movie that it is inconceivable to imagine him not in it. Similar to his turn in Evil Dead 2, Campbell puts in a comic acting master-class. His brand of hammy acting and physical knock-about humour really has to be seen to be believed. Campbell's considerable cult reputation is hugely based on his performances in these two films; he is quite simply a revelation. Of course, Sam Raimi has to be credited too, as his kinetic style of direction is a perfect match for Campbell's over-the-top style of comic acting. Raimi remains one of the few directors who has consistently found a way of combining comedy and horror effectively. No mean feat, as all too often, despite the abundance of comedy-horrors, very rarely do they succeed in being either funny or scary.
So Army of Darkness is a great way for the series to sign off. Although I think it is probably the third best of the trilogy, as I feel it runs out of steam a little once Ash has returned from his quest. At this point the film becomes basically an extended battle with the hordes of evil, which is fair enough; however, it suffers by comparison to the hilarity and invention that constitutes Ash's ill-begotten quest to find the Book of the Dead. Needless to say, Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi are in their element in this first half of the movie. While some of the special effects are looking a bit ropey nowadays, it's not a significant problem to be perfectly honest. Army of Darkness is a cult classic for good reason, and it is well worth a look.