Ash has never looked so good… and had so many versions in one collection.
By Eric Goldman
There have been a truly ridiculous amount of DVD and Blu-ray releases for the Evil Dead series, Army of Darkness included. So it’s understandable that a fan would say, “Wait, you want me to get this movie again!?” when hearing a new version of any of these films is out – and perhaps be extra cautious and skeptical noting the release is obviously tied to the debut of Ash vs Army of Darkness. But leave it to Scream Factory to make it worth your while, putting out a terrific new “Collector’s Edition” of Army of Darkness this week that truly feels like the definitive home video release of the film.
First and foremost, this is a three-disc set containing four different versions of the movie! Every notable alternative cut, which have been released on their own in various incarnations in the past, is here – the theatrical release, the international cut, the director’s cut and even (listed more as a special feature) the television version.
A bomb when it first opened in theaters, Army of Darkness’ status as a major studio failure (don’t forget, Universal released this movie) led to the studio initially doing nothing but a bare bones DVD release, only for Anchor Bay to first put out a much better version with extras… Only for Universal to then say “Hey, people care about this sucker!” and begin putting out their own versions again – but with some notable issues in terms of video quality and special features. Scream Factory has now put out the kitchen sink version in every way, not only by collecting all those different cuts of the movies, but also all the previously-produced special features, topped off by several great new inclusions as well.
I’m one of those Army of Darkness fans who most adores the US theatrical version the most – a case where, yes, a re-shot ending improved a movie. I understand the appeal of the much bleaker, apocalyptic director’s cut ending, but come on, that S-Mart ending is a classic and feels much more appropriate as the cap off to this movie, and the way it turned Ash (Bruce Campbell) into a bonafide (idiotic) superhero. But here, you don’t have to chose! Plus, there’s the international cut, which has the same ending as the US version, but with some additional and expanded scenes (some of which also are part of the director’s cut – though all three have their own distinctions).
We want to hear it.
The main event among the special features is a new 90-minute documentary, “Medieval Times: The Making of Army of Darkness.” It’s a great overview on the making of the movie, featuring Bruce Campbell and many other notable participants – though, unfortunately, not Sam Raimi. It’s really too bad Raimi didn’t participate, though at least there’s still the audio commentary on the director’s cut with Raimi, his brother Ivan (who co-wrote Army of Darkness) and Campbell. No, it’s not new, but it’s still good content.
There’s also nearly an hour of behind-the-scenes footage supplied by KNB Effects, that gives you some nice fly on the wall material. Plus, there’s a ton of new photos in a couple of galleries, some behind-the-scenes, some of the props, and storyboards for never completed sequences. When you then add in all the previously-produced special features, including the commentary, deleted scenes, alternate sequences and more, and you have plenty to absorb as an AOD fan.
The movie looks very good in pretty much all versions (and is much-improved from Universal’s first Blu-ray, which had a lot wrong with it), with the international cut boasting a new 4K scan, though there are some scenes that look better and cleaner than others across the board. The TV version is notably lower quality and not just because it’s pan and scan, but again, treating it as a special feature helps in that regard.
[There is a small glitch in the theatrical cut causing a brief audio fluctuation that Shout Factory/Scream Factory has addressed – replacement discs will be provided and more info can be gotten by emailing info@shoutfactory.com]
All in all, this is a loving presentation of a beloved movie and suffice to say, we don’t need another Army of Darkness release after this one… Well, unless Shout/Scream Factory are ever able to get the rights to all three movies and want to put out a kick ass box set, of course.
- Army of Freaking Darkness! (is still an awesome movie)
- Collects all the notable versions together
- Some strong new special features, mixed with previously-produced material
- Sam Raimi not being a part of the new material is too bad
