Army of Darkness (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
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Product details
Actor: Andy Bale, Billy Bryan, Bruce Campbell, Deke Anderson, Ian AbercrombiePrimary Contributor: Bruce Campbell
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Collector's Edition, Color, Letterboxed, NTSC, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, THX, Widescreen
Running Time: 81 minutes
Release Date: 1999-10-12
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Starz / Anchor Bay
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
VHS Movie Reviews of Army of Darkness (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
Movie Review: Army of Darkness Movie Review from The Massie Twins
Summary: 4 Stars
While Evil Dead attempted to be a serious horror film, and the sequel merged over into sillier thrills, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness (also known as Bruce Campbell vs. the Army of Darkness) capitalizes on pure schlock. It takes every element that was terrifying in the pokerfaced original and turns it into pure comedy. And what a brilliant decision, as Army of Darkness has since gained a cult classic status and an unbelievable following. Hilarious and unexpectedly adventurous, this horror/comedy is like Indiana Jones meets Sinbad in the three worlds of Gulliver.
S-Mart department store clerk Ash (Bruce Campbell) is being dragged to his death after getting transported through time to 1300 A.D. with his car and a shotgun. He narrates the events that led up to his capture by Lord Arthur, which include the battling of possessed demons from the first two movies Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. The Necronomicon, the book of the dead, is responsible for his arrival in medieval times, and he must seek it out once again to return him back to the present. Along the way he'll have to unite Arthur and his nemesis Henry the Red ("well, hello Mr. Fancypants") to defend a kingdom against an undead army of darkness.
Considering that the second film in the Evil Dead trilogy is actually a remake of the first, the events that are recapped at the opening of Army of Darkness hardly matter. The entirety of this film is directed in a humorous manner and for the first time is completely intentionally cheesy. Spotlighting on Ash's signature bad one-line insults and quips, Army of Darkness never surrenders a chance to crack a joke.
Having lopped off his hand previously, Ash wields a chainsaw mounted on his bloody stump and at one point builds a mechanical metal hand before journeying in search of the Necronomicon. He also makes use of his legendary "boomstick" shotgun to frighten the primitive screw-head natives in a clash of time-disorienting cultures. The slapstick and gags that arise from his hilarious confrontations with medieval warriors and various possessed creatures are constant - he fights an army of mini-Ash's like a sadistic Gulliver, duels an evil version of himself like an accelerated mutant version of Richard E. Grant in How to Get Ahead in Advertising, combats a pit witch like Luke Skywalker with Jabba's Rancor (and escapes via his belt like a tongue-in-cheek Indiana Jones), and melees all sorts of skeleton warriors like Sinbad on crack.
Stop-motion animation, priceless makeup effects and dated CG account for much of the film's splendid nonsense, and equally striking prosthetics, gunpowder-making training montages, and epic medieval battles account for the rest of this unpredictably swashbuckling horror-adventure. In his own way he's still a king, as Ash recounts at the still-jesting conclusion, and in its own way Army of Darkness is the king of cult classic laugh-a-minute horror comedies.
- Mike Massie
Movie Review: all time favorite movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I cant say enough good things about this movie.i love bruce campbell and this and his evil dead movies are his crowning acheivment.the story is funny and good to watch,bruce is as always smart and witty and once he starts with the trash talking you will laugh out loud.this is my all time favorite movie and i love bruce campbell as an actor and his talents and charm shine though this movie.if you love horror,chills and laughs this movie is a MUST buy.Movie Review: 4 ? - Stars: S-MART's Finest Film--Full of "BOOMSTICK" COOLNESS!
Summary: 4 Stars
Originally released in Spring, 1993, ARMY OF DARKNESS only lasted for a week and a half in theaters--not enough to creep into box-office success. After a few years in the back of the shelves, the film has attained "cult status" and had acquired a permanent spot in the books of popular culture. The "Boomstick" Dvd edition has both the 81 minute theatrical cut and the 96 minute director's cut in two discs, both anamorphically enhanced for HDTVs. Sam Raimi`s "Army of Darkness" is one of the most brilliant, campy and awesome Horror-comedies that ever got into my personal collection.
The film picks up after the events of Evil Dead 2; Ash (Bruce Campbell) is a hapless house wares clerk is time-warped back to the Dark Ages (or Med-Evil times) by the power of the demonic book "Necronomicon". Now armed only with a `73 Oldsmobile, a chainsaw and a 12-gauge double-barreled S-mart shotgun, our knucklehead hero must battle vicious witches, ghouls, a diabolical doppelganger and the relentless hordes of the evil dead...
Raimi's mid-budget, 111 day production time "Army of Darkness" exudes pure fun entertainment. The film is absolutely hilarious, and is a successful blend of horror elements and satire. The screenplay is full of gems throughout and the dialogue has that very sharp wit. The film has also given birth to some of the most "iconic" scenes in cinema. The windmill scene, the bad-azz vs. good-azz sequence, the cemetery when bones abused Ash in a way that the "Three Stooges" would, acrobatic ghouls that throw punches like Sugar Ray Leonard--the list goes on and on.
Accompanied with Raimi's fantastic camerawork which is both inventive and nostalgic, with extreme close-ups and perspective shots that show the stunt-laden scenes, the film is clever and very sharp. The effects in the film is a combination of people in rubber suits, animatronic puppets and stop-motion animation that is definitely campy but none can deny that it fits the film's style--intentionally done with clever "cheesiness". A pathology professor even asked Raimi if he could use his skeletal shots for his lecture. The set designs and cinematography are also quite fitting to its atmosphere that almost looks like a comic book. (no wonder Raimi was so successful in Spider-man 1 and 2) The Matte paintings and studio sets are so campy that it adds to its own humorous genius.
The film is action-packed and full of stunts and explosions. The assault on the castle and the battle between science and magic is so much fun to watch. What is also so clever is that it effectively blends humorous dialogue and the action. While some films use dialogue and camp to delay a film's proceedings, this film definitely uses every bit of its nicely placed humor as character development. Now, the film does have its share of goofs in the screenplay when Ash went to retrieve the Necronomicon, but the film is just so much fun that you'll more than likely to not notice.
Bruce Campbell does an outstanding job as with the supporting cast. Campbell is very charismatic as our awkward hero and should be credited with certain unforgettable catch phrases such as "Give me some sugar, Baby.." and "Groovy". The dialogue is just brilliant, full of humorous one-liners delivered by Campbell. The guy is definitely the right actor for the job as he does show enough witty attitude to keep the audience entertained. The cast is definitely having fun with this film and I do think there were times that Sam Raimi probably let them loose to act as they wished. Of course, no film of this nature would be complete without a beautiful leading lady. Embeth Davidtz has that classic leading lady look and fit's the role of Sheila.
The director's cut has more than 15 minutes of additional footage. The extended cut has subtle bits of added action, dialogue and the famous (or infamous?) alternate apocalyptic ending. The additional scenes can be spotted because the scenes do have more grain than the others. I personally like the director's cut better although the theatrical cut may have more inherent "coolness" and faster-paced.
ARMY OF DARKNESS is one of those films that should be a part of any film fan's movie library.
The movie is just so much fun to watch. If you haven't seen this film, do yourself a favor and give it a spin. The film is just loads of fun to watch and has near-infinite replay value.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! [4 ? - Stars]
Movie Review: Rib Cracking Fun
Summary: 5 Stars
I couldn't stop laughing. This is actually one of the first DVD's I ever bought among a list of endless titles. It is unforgettable, crazy and downright madd. Love it. Get It.Movie Review: Pure cheese, yet undeniable greatness
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a movie that has grown on me with age. I love it now for what it is and always has been. Army of Darkness solidified Bruce Campbell as a cult hero and he carries this film with his funny line delivery and one huge chin. The special effects and sets are pretty bad, but it's all about the campy fun from start to finish. There are some classic scenes and lines you will feel compelled to quote to people, probably getting you many blank stares from those who have not witnessed Ash in action.
I have the Boomstick version with the original and director's cut. I like them both, but the picture quality sucks on the DC, so I usually watch the theatrical version.
Summary of Army of Darkness (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
A movie that only true horror buffs could love, Army of Darkness is officially part 3 in the wild and wacky Evil Dead trilogy masterminded by the perversely inventive director Sam Raimi, who would later serve as executive producer of the popular syndicated TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Raimi's favorite actor, Bruce Campbell, returns as Ash (hero of the first two Evil Dead flicks), a hardware-store clerk who is magically transported--along with his beat-up Oldsmobile and a chainsaw attachment for his severed left forearm--to the brutal battlefields of the 14th century. He quickly assumes power (who else in the Middle Ages packs a shotgun and a chainsaw?), and unites his band of medieval knights against the dreaded Army of the Dead. Raimi gleefully subverts almost every horror-movie clich? as he serves up a nonstop parade of blood, gore, and vicious sword-bearing skeletons--an affectionate homage to animator Ray Harryhausen's classic Jason and the Argonauts. The frantic action is fun while it lasts, but even at 80 minutes Army of Darkness nearly wears out its welcome. You know that Raimi can maintain the mayhem for only so long before it grows tiresome, and fortunately this madcap movie quits while it's ahead. --Jeff ShannonFish Out of Water Video
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