Army Of Darkness
(Comedy/Horror, Sam Raimi, USA, 1993, colour)
Bruce Campbell, my MAN! In this flick, Sam Raimy wraps up his Evil Dead 3 part series. As in the 2nd ED movie, this one continues, loosely, where the last one ended. Ash (B. Campbell) is transported back in time as well as to a different place altogether, namely what appears to be some 1300 AD England/Scotland, along with his trusty chainsaw, shotgun and Chevrolet... and the wretched bugger of a book, the Necronomicon, the Book Of The Dead. His timing is somewhat bad, coz there is a feud going on between two lords, and Ash is now a prisoner, mistaken for one of the men of the "wrong" lord.
Now, before I continue, let me just say that even if this movie is the 3rd in the ED trilogy, you don't really need to watch the first two, as the ties are not that many or important to get the story. The only essential part I will explain: The cause of all misery in all 3 movies is the named book, the Necronomicon, a book with words powerful enough to summon ancient horrors. Now, for those who have seen the first two EDs: The first one is a straight forward horror movie, the second has strong elements of comedy, and in this one, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell goes comedy all the way. It's wacky, insane, silly, hilarious, absurd and cartoonish. Still, I also label it horror, as it does have it's amount of blood and chopping.
Ok, onwards: Ash's only wish is to be sent back to his own time and space. In order to succeed, he needs to retrieve the book. Of course he blunders, and all hell literally breaks loose. He will need all his wits, cool-as-ice one-liners, shotgun shells and courage he can muster to succeed to fight the marching Army of Deadites.
The special effects here are simple but effective, the stop-motion works very well in the whole setting and adds to the general feeling of someone laughing their legs off while still being proud of the movie they are making. Overall, the special effects are good, but you won't find the same amount of blood, gore and bodyparts as you'll find in the other two EDs. Nothing shocking here, really, just good ol' clean fun for... well, almost the whole family. The pace is good, never EVER a dull moment, and the plot is, in it's simplicity, straight forward with no leaps and bounds. A well told story on the level of Loonytunes.
Personal opinion: Did I mention Ash's one-liners? Or that Bruce's the MAN? I don't care what other people say about this genre, or about Sam Raimi. Watch this movie, and if you disagree that Bruce's the MAN! then there's something seriously wrong with you!