Classic Movie Review Army of Darkness

Army of Darkness (1993) 

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi 

Starring Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz 

Release Date February 19th, 1993 

Published June 20th, 2023 

Army of Darkness is a direct sequel to Evil Dead 2 but, in the tradition of Evil Dead 1, continuity between the two is not necessary. The basic elements are enough to marry one film to the other. Ash (Bruce Campbell), survived a fight against the Deadites, zombie demons from another dimension, only to find himself sucked into another dimension. In this dimension there are Kings and servants, warring clans, and an ancient evil that Ash happens to have some experience in defeating. After demonstrating god-like powers in surviving against a Deadite at the bottom of a well, Ash is welcomed into this bizarre world. 

In classically Ash fashion, he immediately flirts with and gets the girl, Sheila (Davidtz), who is then subsequently stolen away and corrupted by the Deadites. In order to free this cursed land from the evil of the Deadites, Ash must go on a quest to retrieve the Book of the Dead, the very book that got him into this mess in Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. The book was sucked through this dimensional portal along with Ash and has now fallen into the hands of the Deadites who've placed it in a cursed cemetery. The Arthurian touches in Army of Darkness are inspired gags. 

The key to Army of Darkness however, is a spirit of anarchic invention. Director Sam Raimi and his star, Bruce Campbell show off a childlike glee as they workout different bits and gags they can do with the larger budget and platform they were given following the modest but notable success of Evil Dead 2. If you ask Raimi, he would say that he didn't need the budget that was given to him but he also then felt obligated to spend it since he had it. With that, we get both improved special effects and the kinds of practical effects that Raimi developed a remarkable talent for in the Evil Dead movies. 

The combinations of Harryhausen inspired practicality, music, and slightly more expensive effects, are used to create a low budget atmosphere on a relatively large budget. Raimi's homemade aesthetic somehow survives the move to a big studio feature and there is a wonderful charm to how Army of Darkness combines big effects with the kind of inventive, chaotic, weirdness that drove Raimi in his early career as a filmmaker. The delight Raimi and his collaborators take in creating comic gore, and paying tribute to low budget effects movies of the past is wonderfully infectious. 

Bruce Campbell however, is perhaps the best special effect in the movie. Campbell's ability for physical comedy, his willingness to put his body on the line for a gag, and his more than willingness to be silly, is an incredible asset to the charm of Army of Darkness. His Ash may talk like a cross between the tough guy banter of Bogart and the suave charm of Errol Flynn, but Campbell has a comic quality that neither of those legendary performers has. It's a sly ability to ride the razors edge between silly camp and action movie star that is a one of a kind combination. 

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media 

Movie Review: The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead (1983) 

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by Sam Raimi 

Starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker 

Release Date April 15th, 1983 

Published April 20th, 2023 

The Evil Dead is inspired and inspiring. A group of friends in Michigan used the limited tools they had at hand to make one of the most incredible DIY horror movies of all time. With plenty of makeup, innovative small scale special effects, and chutzpah, Director Sam Raimi, Producer Rob Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell crafted a series of iconic scenes from what they were able to scrape together. The Evil Dead launched a million imitators as anyone with access to a camera the ability to make fake blood and bile, began making horror movies in their backyard. And yet, there is still only one The Evil Dead. 

Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods is now a trope for a horror movie. That was not a trope until The Evil Dead. Ash (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend, Linda (Betsy Baker), his sister, Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss), his best friend, Scott (Richard Demanicor), and Scott's girlfriend, Shelly (Theresa Tilly) have come to this remote cabin, in the middle of nowhere, to get away from the world, drink some beer, and generally have a good time. Unfortunately for our weary travelers, the previous denizens of this cabin accidentally unleashed an unimaginable evil. 

One by one Ash and his friends are attacked by the demon, possessed, and are subsequently befouled by the demons before having to be dismembered by Ash, our de facto 'Final Girl.' It's actually on the women who end up being subjected to the demonic possession. Scotty is briefly taken but not until he's already dead. Ash meanwhile, is tormented for most of the film by having to dismember his girlfriend and his sister in order to survive this inconceivably insane situation. 

The key to the appeal of The Evil Dead is a dedication to DIY, low budget special effects. Director Sam Raimi brilliantly demonstrates how to make the most of what you have by thinking of ways to maximize his location and use the tools of filmmaking to his advantage. One standout example is how Raimi uses his camera to portray the film's villainous demons. When he wants us to see the demons in action, Raimi's camera becomes the demon as it rushes around the woodsy location running at or after our protagonists. 

It's a simple idea rendered ingenious by Raimi's skillful and economic deployment of this device. But the inventiveness doesn't end there. As Ash's friends are picked off one by one in gruesome fashion, the low budget gore effects take center stage and dazzle you with how cleverly staged they are. It's a wonder how Raimi and his team pulls off having two dead bodies rapidly decompose in a fashion that is both hilarious and gruesome. Your stomach turns at the sight of a seemingly once human body turning to mulch but the gruesomeness of the sight is also comically grotesque making it an absurd joy to watch. 

The blood and guts of The Evil Dead is wildly over the top and the perverse comedy of the gore makes The Evil Dead so much ridiculous fun. Reanimated corpses are punched, stabbed, and chainsawed, buckets of blood cover our heroic Ash, and the fact that he is being forced to decimate the people closest to him in the world adds another perverse layer to the horror comedy at play in The Evil Dead. All the while, Bruce Campbell is ragdolled from one side of this cabin in the woods to the other, all for our unending amusement. 

Campbell embraces the silliness of his stunts. For Campbell, physical comedy seems to come as naturally as breathing. What the star lacks in gracefulness he more than makes up for in hustle. Campbell throws himself wholeheartedly into every bit of physical business thrust upon him and his dedication to the gags is charming and hilarious. Campbell has a huge personality, an expressive and handsome face, and a strong sense of the absurd. It's a rare combination of traits and one that should have made him a major Hollywood star. 

That Bruce Campbell never became one of Hollywood's biggest stars baffles me. I imagine that it had to do with being pigeonholed as a horror guy. But, I can also see where he seemed to only want to work with Sam Raimi and with Raimi struggling through the 80s just get Evil Dead 2 made, followed by the tepid box office of their big gamble, the cult favorite, Army of Darkness, Campbell missed his chance to become a massive Hollywood star. Don't get me wrong, I consider us all lucky that Campbell didn't get big in the mainstream, we'd miss a whole lot of great cult cinema and TV without him, but I can't help but wonder what might have been, just a little. 

The Evil Dead is most assuredly eclipsed by its sort of sequel, Evil Dead 2. That film, with a slightly larger budget, featured the elements that would make the franchise iconic. Evil Dead 2 has Ash fighting his demonically possessed hand, Ash's chainsaw, and his one word catchphrase, 'Groovy.' The Evil Dead however, doesn't completely suffer in comparison. It still has the honor of having introduced the style that would be cemented into cult movie history in Evil Dead 2. The moving camera and the dedication to grisly, absurd gore, each came from the success of the original, The Evil Dead. For that, I will always have a soft spot for the film that kicked off the franchise. 

Movie Review: Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell (2009) 

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by Sam Raimi 

Starring Allison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, David Paymer 

Release Date May 29th, 2009 

Published May 29th, 2009

There is so much cool stuff in Drag Me To Hell that I really wish I could recommend it. As a fan of Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 and of the classic Drive In, Z movies that inspired them, Drag Me To Hell evoked awesome memories of horror films past while standing alone as a hip, knowing and very modern horror movie.

So why didn't I like the movie? Drag Me To Hell is like a really great looking house with a crack in the foundation so bad it has to be condemned.

Drag Me To Hell stars Alison Lohman as Christine Brown an ambitious bank loan officer who dreams of becoming assistant manager. She is competing with a brown nosing co-worker who is admired by the boss (David Paymer) for his willingness to say no. Christine is seen as too lenient. When an old gypsy woman (Lorna Raver) comes in begging for an extension on her mortage, after not paying the last two extensions, Christine says no.

Needless to say, the old gypsy happens to be a nutball and a witch who soon after places a curse on Christine, the lamia. In three days a horned demon will rise to drag Christine to hell. Until that time she will be plagued by visions so horrifying that she may go insane before she can be dragged to despair.

Witnessing her decline is Christine's boyfriend Clay (Justin Long). He's the resident skeptic who exists to mock the psychic Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) who claims he can help with the curse. It is advice from the psychic that leads to the scene that ruined the movie for me.

I won't go into detail as I am sure some of you will still want to see this movie despite my warning. I will only say that the scene is unnecessary but more importantly, it severs our emotional tie to Christine. The scene places the movie's heroine at a distance from the audience, most  members of the audience anyway, and ruins the thrills of the rest of the movie which rely on our connection to Christine.

As for that ending. If you pay attention the whole way through you won't be the least bit surprised. Of course, if your like me, you will have checked out already after the scene I eluded to a paragraph ago.

It's such a shame that Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan who co-wrote the script, decided to put that scene in the movie because without it I think Drag Me To Hell is potentially a horror classic. Raimi crafts classic horror movie gore in ways that will twist you in your seat and make you laugh in the space of moments.

Lorna Raver's ancient gypsy is just the kind of horror film villain that escaped from the Necronomicon in Evil Dead. She looks half dead, she spews everywhere, even before she turns evil, and she can appear seemingly out of nowhere. The numerous allusions to Evil Dead will have horror fans cheering even as they cover their eyes and mouth in terror.

With so much cool stuff happening in Drag Me To Hell, I really want to like it. But I don't. That one scene. One scene. It is enough for me to put aside all that is endlessly cool about Drag Me To Hell and say skip it. Unless you are a hardcore horror fan, with a loose affiliation to the animal world, you are going to dislike Drag Me To Hell as much as I did.

Movie Review Spiderman 3

Spiderman 3 (2007) 

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by Ivan Raimi, Alvin Sargent 

Starring Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, J.K Simmons 

Release Date May 4th, 2007 

Published May 3rd, 2007 

It was bound to happen. The law of diminishing returns had to kick in at some point. For some film franchises; it happens right away (Matrix Reloaded, anyone?). For some; a good run continues (We’ll see what happens with Shrek and Harry Potter soon). Other film franchises have never gotten off the ground creatively (How did we get a second Fantastic Four and a third Rush Hour?).

But, for one of the great franchises of all time, a great run doesn’t exactly end as much as it ebbs. In Spiderman 3 a great franchise doesn’t jump the shark, to appropriate a TV term, rather it levels off with a first mediocre entry. Failures in logic, underwritten villains and overripe melodrama, can’t sink a great franchise but it does bring an unsatisfying end.

When last we left Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) he had revealed himself as Spiderman to the woman he loves Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and she had run away from her wedding to be with him. Now, Peter is ready to take the relationship to the next level and ask Mary Jane to be his wife.If only things could be that simple.

Unfortunately for Spiderman a trifecta of villains has other plans for the webslinger's future. First there is Peter’s ex-best friend Harry Osbourne (James Franco) who believes Spiderman killed his father and wishes for revenge. Then there is Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) a petty thief who stumbles into some kind of science experiment and becomes the Sandman.

Finally, the third villain, for a time, is Peter himself. With New York finally coming to see Spidey as a real hero, things are going to Peter’s head. He is soaking up the love and admiration of the public and is beginning to neglect his relationship with Mary Jane. When a meteor filled with a lively black goo slams into the earth it attaches itself to Peter Parker and its power is transformative.

The problems with Spiderman 3 are going to be obvious and overbearing for some and easily forgivable for others; but they should be obvious to everyone. Director Sam Raimi, in a rush to cram a whole lot of plot into not a lot of space, cuts a few to many logical corners. Coincidence and contrivance takes the place of rational plotting.

Characters make decisions based on what is needed for the scene even if it contradicts previous behavior. More than once a character arrives somewhere because the plot needs them and not for any other logical reason. One character holds on to a piece of information that could have been helpful as far back as Spiderman 2. This previously insignificant character happens to hold this info until just the moment that it is needed in this plot.

Despite the logical leaps and the abuse of coincidence and contrivance, there is still much to enjoy in Spiderman 3. The computer graphics continue to be cutting edge. The action and CGI work together in dazzling effect. The scene in which Flint Marko becomes the Sandman is a visual mind blower as we watch Thomas Haden Church pulled apart atom by atom until there is nothing but sand.

Then; there are the fight scenes which grow bigger with each successive battle. Peter versus Harry, fighting in mid air. Spidey taking on Sandman inside and outside a moving brinks truck and the battle at the end between Spider and the tandem of Sandman and that villainous black goo, which attached itself to a new host, are all terrific scenes and more than enough reason for me to recommend Spiderman 3.

Later this summer Shrek will try to avoid its own jump the shark moment. Meanwhile Pirates of the Caribbean will try and bounce back from a lackluster follow up. Every franchise is different but each will have a low point. If Spiderman 3 is the low point for the Spiderman franchise then we can look forward to more great things from our friendly neighborhood Spiderman the next time he swings into theaters.

Movie Review Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2 (2004) 

Directed by Sam Raimi

Written by Alvin Sargent 

Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris 

Release Date June 30th, 2004 

Published June 29th, 2004 

The first Spider-Man was a spectacular adventure that surprised a lot of critics with its depth and terrific characters. Spider-man 2 is likely to surprise even more. Free of expository scripting, this sequel leaps into the fray and delivers something most sequels cannot, a follow up that is more than worthy of its original.

2 years have passed since Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) was bitten by that radioactive spider and Spider-man has continued saving innocent New Yorkers from all sorts of peril. Still, he is not quite the hero you would expect. Spider-man is still consistently vilified by the maniacal newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons). Worse yet, his Spidey powers are coming and going, often leaving him falling from the sky and in pain.

As for Peter Parker, well, he's getting it worse than his alter ego. It does not pay to be a superhero so Peter is forced to take odd jobs to pay for his tiny one-bed-no-bath apartment. Unfortunately, his web slinging duties tend to make him late for work and thus he gets fired a lot, including from his latest job delivering pizzas. Peter's Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) is close to losing her home and blames herself for the death of her husband Ben. Peter has not told her what really happened.

Peter is also failing his college courses, too often late to class where his professor (Dylan Baker) is ready to fail him unless his paper on the legendary scientist Otto Octavius is good enough to save him. Doctor Octavius (Alfred Molina) just happens to be working for Peter's friend Harry Osbourne (James Franco) at Oscorp where he is developing a dangerous new energy source with the help of four massive metal tentacles that fuse to his spine. You can tell this is going to go bad and it does. Octavius' experiment blows up, killing his wife and leaving the tentacles permanently fused to his back. Worse yet, somehow the tentacles are now in charge and they want to try the experiment again.

Of course that is not Peter Parker's biggest problem. No, his biggest problem is still his unrequited love of Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). In the two years since Peter told Mary Jane they could never be together, she has become a successful actress and model. Her face is plastered all over the city, a constant reminder to Peter of what he has given up to be Spider-man. Mary Jane has finally tired of waiting for Peter and has told him she is going to marry Astronaut John Jameson (Daniel Gillies).

That is a minor gloss of this wonderfully dense and well-conceived plot. Director Sam Raimi and writer Alvin Sargent, with an assist by writer Michael Chabon amongst others, have concocted a rare action-adventure film with a life outside of its computer graphics.

Filled with humor, sadness and life, this is a script worthy of attention of awards shows. The middle portion of the film is especially good. Peter Parker gives up being Spider-man and while his grades are up and he may finally be able to be with Mary Jane, crime goes up 75% and even Jonah Jameson wishes Spidey would come back. With Doc Ock on the loose, you know Spidey will be back but this terrific script and cast make this obligatory decision a seamless part of the story and the maturing of Peter Parker.

The script nods endlessly to its comic book source. The scene where Peter tosses his Spidey suit in an alley garbage can is a direct lift from the comic book. Extraneous characters like John Jameson and the doctor who treats Peter after he thinks he's lost his powers, Dr. Curt Connors, are both historic characters from the comic book. Both go on to have serious accidents that lead them to becoming villains in the comic, FYI.

There is also a bit at the end involving James Franco's Harry Osbourne that relates to one of the comics all time best storylines. Fans of the comic who recognize these characters are drooling over which will be the big baddie of Spider-man 3.

What a loss it would have been if rumors prior to the film’s shooting had come true and Tobey Maguire had been dropped as Spider-man. No offense to Jake Gyllenhaal who was rumored to take over for Maguire, but Spider-man is clearly Maguire's role. Maguire has not always been one of my favorite actors. I've always found his earnest nerdiness and dewy eyed look cloying. Somehow, Maguire turns those negatives into positives for both Spider-man and Peter Parker. His nerdy exterior is the perfect cover for the superhero inside, his nervousness and quavering voice as Peter Parker is the essential yin to Spidey's confident superhero yang.

The chemistry between Maguire and Kirsten Dunst is tremendous and the love story is almost as exciting as the CGI fight scenes. Almost. These are some impressive effects, but I digress. There are real fireworks when Peter and Mary Jane are together. The unrequited love story has grown from the puppy dog crush of the first film to a deeper, more mature longing and we feel it every time they are together.

Now back to those effects. Science has not moved far enough yet to make Spider-man or his nemesis Doc Ock look completely seamless, but this is as close as anyone has come other than George Lucas. Doc Ock is a terrific-looking character. At first he seems kind of goofy looking, Alfred Molina is not the first actor you think of when you think of a comic book movie. However, once the character gets into fighting Spider-man it really gets good. The climactic battle on an elevated subway train is one of the most exciting action scenes ever. Ever!

If there is a criticism of Spider-man 2, it’s that there might not be enough of Spider-man himself. As good as Maguire is at being Peter Parker, that is where the film’s depth comes from. I can see where some audience members will be counting the seconds until Peter is back behind the mask. That for me is a minor criticism because whether it's Spider-man or Peter Parker, this movie is a terrific ride filled with emotion, humor and unbeatable action. As Roger Ebert said, this may be the best superhero movie ever made.

Movie Review Spider-Man

Spider-Man (2002)

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by David Koepp

Starring Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Campbell, J.K Simmons

Release Date May May 3rd, 2002 

Published May 2nd, 2002 

I must admit that when I heard Tobey Maguire had won the role of my favorite superhero, Spiderman, I was quite disappointed. How could the Cider House Rules geek be a superhero?!? Well, I'm glad that I now must eat those words because Tobey Maguire is a terrific Spiderman and now, I can't imagine anyone else doing this role.

As the film begins, we are introduced to science geek Peter Parker, a shy introverted kid who’s only friend is Harry Osborn (James Franco) and nurses a crush on the girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). I'm sure most people are familiar with the origin of Spiderman; he was bitten by a radioactive Spider and began to take on the spider’s traits. The ability to spin webs, strength 10 times normal and of course the amazing ability to crawl up walls.

Suddenly the shy kid is a muscled-up superhero and immediately looks for a way to cash in on his newfound abilities. He finds it in a wrestling ring with a huge guy named Bonesaw (The legendary Randy “The Macho Man” Savage). Peter, now calling himself Spiderman, defeats Bonesaw to win $3,000 dollars, however the promoter refuses to pay the full amount. The promoter’s office is then robbed, and Peter skips an opportunity to catch the thief. The decision to let the thief get away is a fateful one as it is the same thief who shoots and kills Peter's beloved Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson).

Parallel with Peter Parker's story is that of Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), father of Peter's friend Harry and the president of Oscorp. With his company on the verge of losing a major military contract Osborn decides to test his controversial new weapon on himself. Needless to say, the experiment is a mistake and causes Osborn's personality to split between Norman and his new alter ego, the Green Goblin.

It's a classic comic book story and transfers to the screen extremely well thanks to the brilliant director Sam Raimi. Raimi could have just used his big budget for nothing but special effects, but instead he uses it to create a whole universe for Spiderman and his supporting cast to inhabit. Whether it's Aunt May and Uncle Ben's row house, Peter's High School, or even a professional wrestling ring, the comic book sheen that Raimi and his team brings to Spider-Man looks terrific. 

Maguire is excellent; he makes Spiderman and Peter Parker come to life. Maguire never plays him like your typical, all-powerful, unkillable superhero. He plays him as a human who can bleed and get angry and has to fight his emotions as well as his pursuers. Kirsten Dunst has it easy, she merely has to smile, and the audience falls for her the same way Peter Parker does. Dunst is a wonderful actress who builds great chemistry with Maguire. Willem Dafoe is effective as Osborn/Goblin, he certainly can play a believable psycho and in Spiderman he does so with only a little bit of scenery chewing.

It is rare that a summer blockbuster actually meets expectations; it is far rarer when one surpasses them. Spiderman does exactly that and is one of the best movies I've seen this year and one of the best blockbusters of all time.