Army of Darkness Movie Review

Everyone knows that this is the third Evil Dead movie, but Universal Studios thought they could pretend that the more graphic and intense predecessors didn't exist if they changed the name. Bruce Campbell returns as the square-jawed, not-too-bright, thinks-he's-hipper-than-thou hero, Ash, in another Sam Raimi extravaganza. And this one's awfully good, too! Tossed back in time at the end of Evil Dead 2, Ash also finds himself transported from the horror genre to fantasy land, where he gets to romance a babe, fight an army of skeletons, and generally cause a lot of grief for all the dark-age bad guys. As usual, Raimi's technical exuberance is apparent, the horror graphic though even more tongue in cheek, and the camera angles all his own. Don't miss this one. The original apocalyptic ending was changed to the more upbeat one at the studio's request. The Japanese laserdisc features the original ending as supplemental material. Both domestic and import discs are letterboxed. AKA: Evil Dead 3.

1992 (R) 77m/C Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Ian Abercrombie, Richard Grove, Michael Earl Reid, Tim Quill, Patricia Tallman, Theodore (Ted) Raimi, Ivan Raimi; Cameos: Bridget Fonda; D: Sam Raimi; W: Ivan Raimi, Sam Raimi; M: Danny Elfman, Joseph Lo Duca. VHS, Beta, LV MCA, FCT