Different

Rating: Null/10 (10 November 2002)

Not better or worse than Evil Dead II, just different. Just as stupid, but just as loveable and hilarious. Like its predecessor, this is not a film for people who can't appreciate sick, twisted, humor. Like I said in my Evil Dead II review, if you're one of those people don't even bother with this film. The rest of us with a sense of humor will sit back and spout "Groovy" from time to time.
Everything that made Evil Dead one of the few great horror/comedies returns in Army of Darkness, only now the setting has changed, and the plot has been revamped. Bruce Campbell reprises his role in a way only Bruce Campbell can; if you hated his lines in Evil Dead II, don't bother with Army of Darkness. He's one upped the cheesiness and hasn't gotten any brighter, and no that's not a complaint.
Sam Raimi returns to direct this third installment, again bringing his unique 3 Stooges-ish humor to his little horror/mideival world. Ted Raimi makes about a half dozen appearances, oh yeah, and Sam's car is back for more abuse.
Army of Darkness throws back the restraints of its predecessors, and just goes all out to be the biggest laugh it can be. I think it succeeds. Kudos to anyone who can identify Danny Elfman's musical contribution (not that it's hard to identify Elfman's style). Improved special effects, though dated now, they're fine for this film.
All of my opinions on Evil Dead II stand and apply here, so you can read there if you want a little more information on why I like this film. But basically, in a nutshell, Army of Darkness is extremely corny, but it knows exactly what it's doing, and it doesn't try to be anything more than it is: It's a fun ride with a dark atmosphere. As stupid as most of the elements are, Army of Darkness is a fun move; therefor, who cares? Sit back and have fun with it . . .