Some of the greatest aclaimed directors of recent movie history have started off in shlock horror. Peter Jackson moved from Bad Taste to Lord Of The Rings, James Cameron from Pirahna 2 to Titanic. And there's Spider-man's Sam Raimi who produced the Evil Dead series in his youth. The third of that series, Army Of Darkness, displays Raimi's unique cinematic sensibilities.
Like director Joe Dante's stuff, Army Of Darkness is a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon. When it hit's its stride...from the insane windmill sequence onwards, it's a collection of surreal, humorously violent set-pieces as Raimi relentlessly tortures his star, Bruce Campbell.
To say Campbell is the star is an understatement. He's in every scene and even gets to fight the leader of the Deadites...himself. There's some unforgettable quips "Hey, she bitch. Let's go!" and some side-splitting physical comedy (Ash swollowing boiling water to kill the mini-Ash inside him).
The cheap effects (the obvious rear projection / the stilted animatronic skeletons ) actually add to the charm of the movie...not detract. It turns the legendary Jason And The Argonauts skeleton fight on it's head making Ash's opponants dumb, Wile E Coyote, puppets-to-the-slaughter.
I still prefer the theatical ending over the directors cut. While the future ending is true to form, give hero Ash lots more grief...the S-Mart ending provides the best bit of the movie. Despite his incompetance, Ash is still an arrogent nob. And what better weay to show it than an off-it's-breasts finale.
Hail to the King, baby. Hail to the King.
2 comments:
Army of Darkness is great fun but it can't beat Evil Dead 2 for pure inspired Raimi lunacy.
Bruce Campbell vs. The Army of Darkness. What more could you want? Mintage!
"Boomstickingly Awsome."
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