1992 sequel to one of the greatest movies ever made
Rating: 14/20 (Dylan: 14/20)
Plot: Ash, following the events of one of the greatest movies ever made, is zapped to the 14th Century where he finds himself on a quest to retrieve the Necronomicon from a graveyard and later in the middle of a battle against an undead army. Groovy.
I hadn't seen this in a while and actually thought I disliked it more than I do. Dylan and I watched
Evil Dead II around the end of 2014, and he's actually just a little older than I was when I first saw this. Though it's not nearly as good as the second installment in Raimi's trilogy, it's a lot of fun and made me even more excited to see the upcoming television series.
Anyway, this deserved Movie A-Go-Go treatment, so here we go--my thoughts as I watched Bruce's adventures in the past:
Man, I love the animation for that book. What is the most iconic book in cinematic history? Necronomicon has to be in the running.
“It came back--big time.” Such an Ash line. As disappointed as I was in this movie in the early 90s, it was so good to spend more time with this character.
That shot of the car and Ash falling simultaneously in slow motion is so good.
“Where the hell?” Only Bruce Campbell could deliver that line in that way.
Wise men in movies always have long beards. I’m not sure what this says about wisdom or about beards, but I think it says something. The patchy thing I grow that I call a beard--only because there's not really another word--just sort of stops after a while. I guess I have no chance of being a wise man.
“Well, hello Mr. Fancypants!” I laugh every single time.
That slow silent zoom to the pit pre-epic-blood-spurt. That kind of shot is Raimi’s contribution to movie vocabulary. Raimi gives you a chance to inhale and hold it in and ready yourself for whatever's about to happen.
Camera movements imitating Ash’s looking around. I just love what Raimi does with the camera in these movies.
When you expect a giant bloodthirsty monster and get an ugly woman delivering punches. What the hell did she do to the other guy to make him lose that much blood, by the way?
When that chainsaw connects after the Wise Man throws it into the pit. I would have cheered in the theater. Nothing about it makes any sense at all, but just try to convince me that that chainsaw landing right where it needs to on Ash's raised arm isn't worthy of cheers.
Ah, he fell for the old untied shoelace trick! “Who wants some?” So good! Epic Ash posturing--pointing to his ear, lunging. This is the hero cinema deserves!
Makes all other action heros seem worthless.
“Primitive screwheads,” meet the boomstick!
Product placement for a store that doesn’t exist! “Shop S-Smart.”
Call me a chauvinist if you want, but I’d love to lie around and have a trio of women feed me grapes. Since I first saw that on screen as a kid, I’ve never even been able to eat grapes. They’re nothing but a disappointment since puberty.
With that blind shotgun blast, it’s obvious that Ash’s experiences with Deadites has made him an action movie superstar. Again, this is the hero that cinema deserves.
New hand montage! Groovy, indeed. And I want an Ash action figure with replaceable hand parts. Does that exist? It's got to exist!
It exists.
Would “Give me some sugar, baby” even make sense in this time period?
Klaatu barada nicto...I saw this before I saw
The Day the Earth Stood Still. And before I bought my first Klaatu LP. This information is pointless.
How’d they do that Evil Dead trademark low-camera-zipping-through-the-woods shot with a horse?
More movies need windmills. I was so excited to see that windmill when I first saw this movie. Unfortunately, it's where the movie starts to get a little silly.
Love how he was warming his fake hand over the fire.
Miniature Ashes. It looks kind of cool, and there are nifty individual effects. But as I said--too silly. Despite “How’d you like the taste of that?”, this can’t compete with the Ash vs. his hand stuff in
Evil Dead II. The comedy, all that Stooges-influenced gaggery, is just a little too obvious.
Love that effect where he’s sucked into the book and even the face distortion, but that’s still a little too much silly there.
“Three books?” Any other movie and any other character, I’m going to be annoyed with the thinking out loud. Ash can get away with it though. It's because he's Ash.
Graveyard scene: I love the exploding grave stones and the skeletal hands. The Three Stooges’ routine where skeletons are grabbing at Bruce Campbell's face for what seems like ten minutes? Not so much.
The reluctant hero will only get involved if cleavage is also involved. That’s just how it works.
This flying stop-motion creature and the skeleton army look awful, something I couldn’t forgive when I saw this the first time. But that was before I was schooled enough in Harryhausen to understand that this was an homage. And as an homage, it works beautifully.
Am I to understand that undead Ash and the love interest had a sexual encounter because that’s exactly how I understand it.
Another building montage! With a little added alchemy.
The moon is of absurd proportions in this movie.
“Maybe I’m a Chinese jet pilot.”
Only Raimi’s going to have the undead army playing instruments with the bones of their colleagues.
“By God, let’s give them what for!”
The right-hand skeleton sure did wobble a lot on that horse as they charged the castle.
I mostly dislike undead-Ash, but his “Oh! Oh!” reaction to his men exploding is pretty great.
The miserable bags of bones’ reaction to approaching missiles is priceless. I love those screams.
I kind of wish the skeletons wouldn’t talk, especially if they’re going to start punning. “Put your backbones into it”? Did George Lucas write some of this?
Oh, undead-Ash’s “Indian” cry was pretty good, too!
The car! Hell yeah!
Dylan: “Why’s there a whistle on it? Did he have it in his trunk or did they take the time to make that for some reason?”
I have completely changed my mind about undead-Ash. “Whoops” and “Hello” are just too cool. Maybe I just had to be in my 40’s to appreciate him.
Dylan: “The skeletons are like Muppets.” I have no idea what he's talking about.
How have I not heard a Wilhelm scream yet?
"Backstabber." “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” Ok, whose idea was it to have the puns?
DVD glitch. But it worked again in time for “You’re going for a ride” with the steam whistling skull and the big explosion which is probably the greatest thing in the history of action movies.
I think Bruce has the same facial gashes that he had in the beginning of the movie. I’m pretty sure his last scene in the past was filmed close to when the first ones were filmed.
“Hail to the king, baby.” I can’t describe how much I didn’t want those to be Ash’s last words. I needed more! And I can’t wait for the television show. I’ve waited 23 years, but these next few months will be tough.
Danny Elfman. I thought that was him! His contribution here actually clashed with the rest of the score.
