Army of Darkness (1992)

continued...

... as long as time has been recorded, the evil in which The Book of the Dead speaks of, has precariously been roaming even the farthest most country sides. Maybe it doesn't make too much sense, but Raimi has already crossed more than a few lines of believability well into the trilogies second installment, thus making Army even more zany, but never at all frustrating. In fact, as previously stated, the films horror elements aren't as pervasive as they were in the other two installments. It's almost like watching Tobe Hoopers TCM 2, but AOD is much more of a rewarding film, by far. The story that leads up to the final battle between good and evil, living and dead, is both intense and gut wrenchingly hilarious. You just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The comedic style of the film shouldn't actually come to much surprise by newcomers because as Ash has become more and more familiar with his battles against the dead, the more and more slapstick comedy was always thrown onto the screen. This is true with all the Evil Dead films, the comedy progresses frame by frame.

Ash also establishes himself as much more of a hero in this film than he has in the other two previous installments. While acquiring his mighty boom stick and chiseled chin, Ash seems to be the towns' people's likeliest hero that has, very literally, fallen from the sky. What follows is a giant battle between the living and the dead. It's all campy, well paced, and immensely entertaining.

Audiences for the past decade and a half have been enjoying Army of Darkness by attending midnight showings, collecting its memorabilia, and giving in to another viewing whenever it's on prime time cable television. I'm not sure if its legacy will ever die!

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