Universal Pictures released Army of Darkness on 19 February 1993.
Critics initially disliked this film. Over time, they’ve been more positive toward it. And audiences tend to like it. I think it is a hoot. But I do have broader problems with it.
For one thing, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness is not a trilogy! The first film is a psychotronic classic. The second film is a parody of the first. It is quite good but it exists in an entirely different universe. And in that universe, Ash is an idiotic narcissist.
Army of Darkness continues this plot. And it is sad that the original post-apocalyptic ending was scrapped because that would have set up a third film that could have finished a reasonable trilogy. Instead, we had to wait 22 years for Ash vs Evil Dead. I’m not complaining. I love that series. In terms of raw entertainment, it is the best thing to come out of The Evil Dead.
The film looks great. Sam Raimi is a master of modern filmmaking. So, it’s no wonder he would go on to make massive budgeted Marvel films. And the special effects work really well. That’s especially true of the recreation of tearing a man in two found in The Manster. The film even uses the same set design.
But Army isn’t really a horror film. It’s a comedy with horror elements. And that’s fine! But it (and Evil Dead II) are not immersive the way the original film was. As such, I can see why it is more popular today. But it’s curious how things have changed. The original film was by far the most financially successful. We must have had it too good in the 1980s and 1990. By the second decade of the millennium, we needed Ash vs Evil Dead. And in that regard, it’s great that we already had Army of Darkness to work from.
Army of Darkness (1993) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
