"Alright you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This… is my boomstick!"
The first time I was introduced to the Evil Dead series of movies was when I was ten years old. I was visiting my friend Tony and he wanted to watch some movie called Army of Darkness, which to me, being ten, sounded amazing. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I quickly learned that this would also make my top ten list for movies and 15 years later it is still in my top ten. Now this cult classic from Director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man) just got even better as Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition is now available for the first time ever in high definition on Blu-ray!
Taking place moments after the events of Evil Dead II, Ash (Bruce Campbell) finds himself lost in time and stuck in the Dark Ages. Armed with his trusty shotgun, a new mechanical hand, and his 1977 Oldsmobile, he must find a way home and stop an army of Deadites! After a case of mistaken identity is resolved, Ash is dispatched on a quest to retrieve the Necronomicon, aka the Book of the Dead, which will then be able to send him home. During his travels he encounters an evil version of himself whom he kills and buries in the forest. Ash finally finds the book but soon learns that his task is a lot more difficult than it would seem, and he accidentally unleashes an Army of Darkness, lead by the newly resurrected Evil Ash! Can Ash help his new medieval friends stop the army of the dead or is it too late?
Special Features
-Blu-ray Exclusive Feature- Production Photos
-HD Feature- Creating the Deadites: Explore the groundbreaking visuals effects work that created the ghastly legions of undead
-Standard Def Feature: Alternate Ending.
-1080p Video
-DTS 5.1 Audio
Overall:
Without any doubt, this is the definitive "B" Movie. Bruce Campbell shines as the anti-hero Ash as he is forced to deal with a world unfamilar to him. Sam Raimi has continued to use Bruce in all three of the live action Spider-Man films and there are rumors that Campbell will have an even bigger role in the upcoming 4th film. Raimi has also indicated that he wants to start working on the next installment in the Evil Dead series in the near future.
While Army of Darkness can be viewed as a standalone feature, not requiring viewing Evil Dead or Evil Dead II, it certainly does help and add a better level of understanding and humor if you have watched the prior films in the series. If you haven't seen the Alternate Ending that Sam and Bruce had originally intended, make sure you check it out as it is vastly different than the S-Mart ending that was included in the theatrical release.
ComicsOnline gives Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition 5 out of 5 Deadites.
