Army of Darkness

Bruce Campbell is perhaps the greatest B-actor ever, and Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series is perhaps the best-known horror/comedy series of the last decade or two. And the Army of Darkness is the best-known iteration of this series. And it's one of the most entertaining guilty pleasures in moviemaking.

The legendary Bruce Campbell once again stars as Ash, the S-Mart salesman who gets into trouble with the Undead, the Death incarnate and the like. Once again, he plays around with the death-book Necronomicon, and he gets transported through time in a quasi-fantasy-medieval world in which humans fight horrible zombies. The story is classic b-movie fare: great one-liners, ridiculous characters, and gusty villains. But it's very, very fun.

Bruce Campbell, as Ash, is fantastic as always. His clueless yet fearless character is a load of laughs. The other bit players are great too, from Embeth Davidz's innocent peasant woman to the zombie character's falling jawbones. Of course, there's not much in the way of character development, but it's all tongue-in-cheeck, and it's very entertaining.

The direction is surprisingly traditional from Sam Raimi, a film-maker who specialises in wicked camera trickery. However, there are some inventive camera tricks that enhance a movie that's pleasing to the eye.

Let's get one thing straight: Army of Darkness is not a serious movie. It's tongue in cheek, it's pure entertainment, and it revels in it's B-movie glory. It's practically impossible not to like it.

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