Army of Bruce.

Rating: 5/10 (15 December 2015)

Army of Darkness (1992): Dir: Sam Raimi / Cast: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Bridget Fonda: Third entry in the Sam Raimi Evil Dead horror comedies presented as a satiric view of knights and sorcery. Unfortunately the payoff isn't nearly as appealing as it seems to promise. Ash has been transported through time and has landed within a society of knights and kings. Hilarious opening has Ash narrating being swallowed by a time portal. Central plot regards his quest for the book of the dead so that he may return home as well as prevent a war. Cheesy special effects are distracting with an overlong climax that brings two sides together. Raimi introduces Three Stooges humour that actually works with a hilarious final scene in a hardware store but his best element is his star who heightens the humour. Bruce Campbell as Ash is hilarious introducing modern technology to the past as he quests for the book using a chainsaw on his severed forearm as well as his trusty "boom stick." Embeth Davidtz is standard issue as a woman who at first doesn't welcome Ash but she becomes a demon who needs rescued thus paving the road to acceptance. Marcus Gilbert and Ian Abercrombie are flat as a knight and wise man. Bridget Fonda makes a cameo as Ash's girlfriend in a storyline attached to the first two films. Satire elements counter an army of effects that falter. Score: 5 ½ / 10