Ash Goes Medieval... With Chainsaw and Boomstick!

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2009)

The third, and so far final installment to Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" franchise, "Army Of Darkness" of 1992 once again takes the ingenious premise of the films into a very different direction. "The Evil Dead" of 1981 is, without any doubt, one of the greatest and most terrifying Horror films of all-time. The first sequel, "Evil Dead II" of 1987 was a reprise of the original, turned into a hilariously morbid Gore-Comedy, rather than a sequel. This third part, which is even more comical than the second, is an outrageously entertaining mixture of Comedy, Horror/Gore and action blockbuster. "Army Of Darkness" takes Ash (Bruce Campbell), survivor of the first two installments to the series, to Medieval times. After being taken prisoner and almost fed to demons, Ash has to help the Medieval humans who took him prisoner defend the infernal forces of Evil, in order to get back to the future... If there is one word to properly describe "Army Of Darkness" it is 'entertainment'. Pure, fast-paced, fresh and absolutely awesome entertainment. While neither of the sequels is as admirable a masterpiece as the 1981 original, they are both insanely entertaining. "Army Of Darkness" is arguably one of the greatest films to watch with beers and buddies, simply because it delivers everything that makes a Horror/Action/Comedy flick fun to watch. Nonstop action, a great setting, rich atmosphere, awesome Horror monsters, never-ending fun, and one of the greatest Horror- heroes ever, Ash, played by the almighty Bruce Campbell. Overall, the film seems like an awesome pairing of "Evil Dead II", "Excalibur" and "Back To The Future", which promises loads of fun, and this promise is kept. Beautiful Embeth Davidtz makes a great female lead, and the rest of the cast also fit their roles very well. Thanks to a higher budget, "Army Of Darkness" features spectacular special effects and great settings. It should be said that there are several versions of this film, and that the 96 minute director's cut is the one to watch.
***WARNING BIG SPOILERS AHEAD!*** Not are there different versions in length of this film, the film also has two different endings. Towards the end of the film, Ash receives a magic potion that allows him to go back to his time. The ending in most theatrical versions brings Ash back to the present time, where he has to take care of a witch in the S-Mart he works in. In the original ending as Sam Raimi intended it, however, Ash takes too much of the potion, and subsequently awakens in a menacing future... The Studios made the 'Happy' ending because they thought audiences would like it better. Both endings are cool and should be seen by any Horror fan. "Army Of Darkness" is a fantastic third part in a series that always delivered fresh new aspects. This is as entertaining as it gets, and no lover of Horror should miss it.