Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2013)

Evil Dead got some pretty horrendous reviews, and having watched it recently I thought I would offer my opinion. It's not even close to being as bad as other people have made it out to be. A lot of people seem to love giving movies a 1/10 but that just makes me suspicious because for a movie to be rated that low its either absolutely horrible or the reviewers have not really taken the time and considered the various aspects of the movie. I think that in this case the latter is true.
Sure, it might not be as good as the original (although that's up for debate) but then again remakes usually are not (one just needs to think of the completely pointless remake of Psycho, or the watered down remakes of The Hitcher and The Stepfather). Is it a gore-fest? Absolutely. But then if you have a problem with bloody horror movies, then you probably shouldn't watch a movie called Evil Dead. Some people are saying that there are scenes which are too gory but at least they look much more realistic than they do in the original. Having also watched the original recently I have to say that the effects look cartoonish, fake, and, very dated in the original. That's not the case with the new Evil Dead. And if you prefer less gory horror movies which have more of a back story, a slower paced script, and more recognizable actors then you should watch something like Mama or The Woman in Black. If you liked movies like Cabin Fever and The Cabin in the Woods, then you will probably like this too.
The plot more or less follows the original although some changes have been made. A group of twenty something's are in a secluded cabin in the woods trying to help one of the group members give up her drug habit. They stumble upon an evil looking book, make a mistake and read from it, releasing demons into the world. The demons start taking them over and bloody mayhem ensues as does their battle for survival. There is a lot of gore, fighting and dismemberment. The acting is decent all around although as the movie progresses you start getting a general idea of what will happen next.
So even though there are plot holes in the movie, it is still an entertaining gore fest. The effects in this version are much better than in the original or its sequels even though this version does not have Sam Raimi's shaky camera close up shots. The acting was not at all bad, and the movie does not drag on. People have commented on the fact that this ,version lacks humor but I disagree. I think the dialogue between the actors is humorous at times, especially when they try to rationalize what is happening to them. Whether this was intentional or not is a whole different matter. Overall, I would give this movie a 6,5-7 out of 10. A lot of people will not agree with this rating given how highly rated the original version and its sequels were, but if anything maybe this version will make you go out and watch the original.