Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Army of Darkness’

Written by Scott Edwards and John Edward Betancourt

‘Hail to the king, baby.’
- Ash

​Scott's Review
It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword, but is that really the case? It is hard to imagine that a writing instrument can carry as much power as a large piece of steel, but in the right hands it just might. The written word in many cases can hold power over many, while the sword with all of its might is only large enough to only hold power over a few. As time has passed, there are many texts that hold great power, even over the warriors of the day and it just might go to prove that writing may be more powerful than battle, but writing never killed anybody, at least intentionally. 

Ash has been transported back to 1300 A.D. and is now being held as a slave with Henry the Red's men. Needing to prove his innocence to Lord Arthur before being thrown into the pit, Ash tries everything in his power to make it known that he is not part of the band of criminals, but it does not matter, the pit, and the Deadite horrors within it, are for everyone. While trying to fight his way out of the pit, the Wiseman throws Ash his chainsaw and the killer of the Deadites is able to go to work. Escaping the pit with his life, Ash makes his way back above ground and challenges anyone that dares stand in his way with his Boomstick. With no takers, Ash frees Henry the Red and his men and is treated like a hero in Lord Arthur's court.

Being commissioned to find the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis by Arthur and his court, Ash will only do it if they promise to send him back home. With Ash not wanting to stay for the upcoming battle against evil, townswoman Sheila comes to try to convince him to stick around. After a night of sugar, Ash is on his way to the sacred ground where the book lives, but Ash has a familiar foe follow him and he is chased into an abandoned windmill. Gathering his wits, he is faced with a battle against himself, well, several mini selves. Being larger is not a factor when trying to get rid of the mini-Ash’s and before he knows it, one has found its way inside of his body. Trying his hardest to kill the little one inside of his body, he fails and starts to spout another Ash. Bad Ash is now unleashed on the world, but Ash does not want the competition and puts his evil twin into the ground.

Being able to locate the resting place of the book, Ash needs to remember the words that the Wiseman told him to recite before taking it. Klaatu, Barada, Nikto. Not being able to remember the final word, Ash mumbles it and takes the book, but sees that he has awakened the ancient evil once again. Fighting his way back to Arthur's castle, Ash is ready to be sent home for his deed, but the villagers need the help of someone to fight off the Deadites that will be making their way to the castle sooner than later. With Bad Ash being resurrected by the book, he assumes command of the Deadite army and is ready to unleash hell on the living to get his book back. But sheer will, and might may not be enough to carry Bad Ash and his army to victory, since the real Ash has some secrets hidden in the trunk of his car. Bringing the 20th century into the fight might shatter some bones of the Deadite army but is it even possible to defeat an army of the undead and keep the Necronomicon out of the hands of evil?

With this being the final installment of the Evil Dead trilogy, I must say that it went out with a ton of boom. Do not go safely into the night, go out on top and if you are not going to do that, then you need to go down swinging for the fences. This is just a horror movie watchers dream come true and if you had any questions about Ash from the first two movies, you should not anymore. He is a coward when it comes to life, but when he is facing the Deadites, he is the man that you need on his side. Every time he is on the screen, you do not know which Ash you are going to see and that is what makes it a downright good time. Gimme some sugar baby. Stay Scared.

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​John's Review
Perhaps the best part about my usual Friday evening trips to the video store, was the sheer fact that my love for horror was eventually shared by members of my family. My little brother and I poured over scary movies on a regular basis as he got older with delightful glee and when my little sister was old enough, she too got into the horror movie game. However, once in a great while, the entire family would settle in on Saturday night for movie night and here and there, a horror movie would entertain all of us.

Now for those expressing concern about the fact that the younger ones in my family might have been exposed to things they never should have seen, fear not. Like I said, we really didn't enjoy these flicks until we were old enough and before then, we were instructed when to hide our eyes from gore and unsavory moments. But the point of this little vignette from my past is that one of my favorite horror movie moments came about when my dad picked up a movie that everyone was able to enjoy through and through… Army of Darkness.

Yes, that's right. The grand finale of the Evil Dead trilogy became a family affair and really, if you're reading this, you've seen the film, you already know the plot and if by chance you haven't… well get on that. But the reason I mention that, is because we won't be discussing the plot today, instead we will spend more time talking about just how excellent this little horror/comedy really is. Taking elements from its predecessor, Sam Raimi brings us the sharpest production of the Evil Dead saga to date with slick jokes, some of the most breathtaking special effects the saga has ever seen and all of it is capped off by Sam's stunning visual style since some of the shots here are top notch.   

Yet those elements only enhance the true draw of this movie, Bruce Campbell as Ash. He finds his groove with the character here, and shows off his versatility by playing not one, but two versions of Ash. But of course, his act first and think later mentality remains and only enhances the plot because let's be perfectly honest, everything in this film is Ash's fault, but thankfully, he sets it right…mostly. But what's most important is that this is as close as Ash is ever going to get to becoming a true hero and the bravado that comes with that, provides us with the finest one liners in the series. 

Make no mistake about it, this really is the best film in the trilogy. It really has something for everyone, and I truly appreciate the fact that it's a perfect blend of both horror and comedy, and for anyone who doubts that those two genres can ever work together properly; well, bear in mind that on that particular Saturday night, shortly after my dad popped this sucker into the VCR, that everyone in my family had a roaring good time with this movie. My mom jumped when necessary and everyone loved what Bruce brought to the table because hey, he's the king, and hail to the king, baby.  

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