ARMY OF DARKNESS
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1993 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: In the third "Evil Dead" film, a man
from the 20th Century unleashes war between medieval armies
of the living and an army of the Dead. In the right hands
this could be a very exciting concept. Unfortunately, Raimi
plays it off for easy laughs and fails to make a film that
comes even close to being worthy of the concept. Rating: low
+1 (-4 to +4).
Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD was a low-budget horror film that was above average for its kind. It combined fluid camerawork (often with undercranked cameras) and a fresh look at the then over-used concept of the walking dead. It made a name for Raimi as a director willing to do the unusual. While ostensibility the same sort of film, EVIL DEAD II picked up the pacing and increased the creativity by a large factor. It was a wild, funhouse sort of horror film where just about anything weird could happen. The accent was on being strange and funny with gooseflesh becoming a low priority. The film ended by dropping its main character through some sort of evil vortex into medieval Europe.
Determined to play the ball where it lies, the third of the "Evil Dead" films begins with Ash arriving in medieval Europe and eventually gets him involved in an epic battle between the living and the dead. ARMY OF DARKNESS is another giant leap in creativity, but this time Raimi has gone too far. This film shows just how far Sam Raimi has allowed his reach to exceed his grasp. ARMY OF DARKNESS is a truly magnificent failure. The concept of an apocalyptic battle of the powers of Darkness against the powers of Light has been toyed with by writers from Milton to J. R. R. Tolkien and James Blish. When Clive Barker adapted his CABAL into NIGHTBREED, he also said what he wanted to do someday--and what that film gave only an inkling ofwas such a mammoth battle of the Dead against the Living. The Raimis (Sam co-scripted ARMY OF DARKNESS with his brother Ivan) try to tell the story of such a battle, but squander too much of the effect on cheap one-line jokes, insufficient humor, and images that often don't work. The scripting is weak and the camerawork often captures exactly the wrong mood. The Raimis could not get their tongues out of their cheeks long enough to realize they were squandering what could have been a great horror fantasy classic.
Bruce Campbell recreates his role as Ash, who now finds himself caught up in a "Connecticut Yankee" sort of plot as he prepares for the battle. However, the Raimis do not have the writing skill of a Mark Twain, so Ash's programmed response to problems is to use his shotgun or his chainsaw. When Ash fouls up a mission to retrieve the NECRONOMICON--the classic book of evil--he inadvertently looses on the world a battalion of skeletons. The Raimis fail to build much excitement about the ensuing battle, playing it more for giggles than thrills. And the final sequence of the film, which seems horribly out of keeping with the rest of the story, is apparently an afterthought. The conclusion of the film as shown at the Sitges Film Festival and reported in the October 19, 1992, VARIETY, was much bleaker but also probably much more effective than what was shown in local theaters.
I rate ARMY OF DARKNESS a low +1 on the -4 to +4 scale, mostly on the basis of some good ideas albeit mishandled. Maybe somebody else will pick up the idea again.
Mark R. Leeper
att!mtgzfs3!leeper
leeper@mtgzfs3.att.com
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