Amazing thrill from start to finish

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2013)

Damn, I wish I had seen this flick in a movie theater. Fede Alvarez's re-imagining of the Evil Dead is definitely a great ride. The movie starts off with a very creepy prologue which opens up the movie seamlessly. We're then transported to the infamous cabin where we meet the main characters. They also give us a convincing and different reason for why these five twenty-somethings have to be at the cabin. One of them is trying to kick her heroin habit and she's going cold turkey. His brother is also there to help her. It's really smart because it forces them to make her stay at the cabin and also makes it difficult for the others to believe what she's saying. This setup also makes the characters more relatable because of the family dynamic. Soon after arriving at the cabin they find the familiar demonic book and all hell breaks loose. The story isn't of course anything mind-blowing but it fits this kind of a movie perfectly.
The cast does their job capably conveying fear and emotion on the screen. They do nothing too memorable but they serve the movie well. The only exception perhaps being Jane Levy who plays Mia, the drug addict who is trying to go cold turkey. She's terrific in this movie, especially when she's possessed by the demon. Also a huge plus for the writers for not making the characters do anything idiotic, my suspension of disbelief wasn't really challenged at any point. I thought everything made logical sense within the context of the movie. Some might point to the scenes where the teacher is reading the demonic book out loud as dumb but I didn't feel like that at all. The teacher was obviously from a world where none of this stuff happens normally so when you see a book that tells you not to read it out loud, you might just do it out of spite.
The pacing of the movie was fantastic as I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie. There's no useless filler in the movie. The editing was also really good. The slow focuses on some really cringing scenes and then the quick and crisp cuts in the action sequences were really nicely done. Sound design was also fantastic and it really added to the atmosphere.
The movie's stunning and fitting visuals do a great job of creating a gripping atmosphere. I was actually grasping my knuckles during the movie. A special nod to the lighting in this movie, it was fantastic and instrumental in creating the mood of the movie. The production design and look was also great. I really liked the set pieces, the demonic book and its drawings were exceptionally well done.
The gore is done really well here and there's a lot of it. It's brutal and very raw. The decision to not use CGI in the film was one of the best parts of the film. It makes all the difference. The masking and make-up of the demon-possessed characters is done terrifically. It gives it a really timeless quality which couldn't be achieved with CGI. The tone of the movie was very powerful. Every scene was seemingly filled with tension and dread. I wouldn't say the movie was scary per se as much as it was gruesome, brutal and tense. It's definitely not a funny movie but it doesn't take itself too seriously.
I really don't understand the people who are complaining that this movie doesn't have Ash in it (except for the short cameo after the credits) or that it's not like the original. Why would you want that? Like a good cover song, a good remake has to be its own movie. If you want the original, then go watch the original. This is a polished and very smart remake, it's just bloody good and entertaining fun. As Fede Alvarez' first full length movie, it earns high marks from me and I'm eagerly waiting for his next movie.