Search - Army of Darkness on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 7/4/2020...

Classic Bruce Campbell and Evil Dead continuation. So cheesy at times that it made it so good but keep in mind that this movie was made pre-CGI. Be sure to catch the newest Ash vs. Evil Dead series that comes loaded with CGI and great episodes! A must watch for Evil Dead and Bruce Campbell fans!

Margaret S. (morgan2010) from GLENVIEW, IL
Reviewed on 9/9/2010...

veryone who is into Sam Sammi horror knows this is the last of a trilogy. BUT, it is the best camp horror movie, and is a classic. SAMMY from burn notice is the leads (Bruce Campbell), and wow is he good looking, in that old holloywood way. I watch this just so I can hear him say," Give me some sugar baby."

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

The (once-)complete AOD DVD breakdown.

Eric D. Musall | Indianapolis, IN USA | 07/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Confused by all the Army of Darkness DVD releases (some in print, some out of print, some lingering halfway between)? I know I was. But I've done some research and figured it out, and here's how it breaks down:



1. The original DVD release-- was the original theatrical version of the movie with few extras. Good picture, good sound, S-Mart ending. If you just want to watch the best available version of the movie, you might get this one (if you can still find it; it's out of print now). It also has the familiar movie poster cover with an overly muscled Bruce and the hokey "Low on gas" slogan.



2. The director's cut-- with the silly Molly Hatchet cover and the original ending. There are many minuses: key lines are changed (not necessarily for the better). Much of the footage looks really horrible, including the entire concluding battle. All the deleted scenes have the feel of an eBay-purchased bootleg. Bottom line: AOD fans will like to see the material, but this is hardly the movie's best presentation. It's still circulating but they're not making any more of them.



3. The special edition-- probably the best DVD release of the movie to date. The 2 disc version (which, like the director's cut, is nearing the end of its availability) is great. It features both the watchable theatrical version and the borderline-unwatchable director's cut. It has commentary, unlike every other release, although the commentary is only available when viewing the director's cut. It has a making-of featurette.



The single disc version (now the primary version of AOD available) is only a slight downgrade; basically, it's the theatrical release, lookin' and soundin' fine, with the original ending as an extra, and the making of featurette also included. (The commentary is sadly missing.)



In summary: You can't go wrong with the single disc special edition or the even better double disc special edition. Avoid the director's cut unless you already own the original DVD and just want to see all the new footage in all its grainy glory. The original DVD is a fine purchase if you just wanna watch the movie, already.



2009 edit: to clear up some confusion in comments on this review, I wrote this eight long years ago. "Army" probably has five new DVD editions since then, and I'm sorry to report that I don't care enough to keep buying and comparing them. My experience so far has been that they keep releasing new versions with little regard for what people really want. In my eyes, a definitive version would be:



1. The main feature would be the theatrical version, fully restored and anamorphic.



2. Deleted scenes and the alternate ending would be cleaned up and well-presented as extras - I know this is possible because I own an Australian DVD of the movie that has them looking a lot cleaner than I've seen on all the older American versions. It would be also great if they had a menu option to watch the theatrical cut with some of the deleted scenes added back in - in particular the longer (and more cohesive) windmill battle with the mini-Bruces should never have been trimmed down; I'd love to see that in full as part of the movie. There's a cut that plays on some TV channel (AMC maybe?) that includes this scene, but unfortunately other parts are changed to their detriment - not a great trade-off. I think most fans of the movie prefer the original version of the movie - the S-mart ending, the original one-liners, etc. - but don't mind seeing some additional scenes thrown in.



3. Commentary, making-of featurette, etc. all included. The track record of this stuff on previous releases has been very spotty.



4. And finally do it right - put this version (probably a 2 DVD set) in print and get rid of the other ones, and KEEP it in print. Fans are tired of re-buying this movie just to find out that it's the same damn thing with a line or scene changed... if that. Let's tie a neat bow on this thing and be done with it. I'm as big a fan as they come and I stopped buying the new DVDs a couple versions ago."

Great movie, but another SE DVD?

Linquel | Chicago, IL USA | 01/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the sake of clarity, I just want to say that there is no way I could review any version of Army of Darkness without giving it five stars. It is a modern classic which I can watch over and over again. Seeing the Tiny Evil Ashes take on Ash causes me to laugh out loud with every "My fair lady."Having said that, I can't imagine why they are releasing yet another SE DVD set of it. I own the 2-disc Limited Edition which came out a few years ago. I can't find anything different about this new "Boomstick Edition" that isn't on the old Limited Edition. Both have the original theatrical release and the director's cut with 15 additional minutes of footage. Both have the Men Behind The Army featurette. Both have the Raimi, Campbell, Raimi commentary. The only thing I've noticed so far is that the Boomstick edition comes with some kind of 10 page collectible book which my LE set didn't have. But unless they made some drastic changes to either the video or audio to clear up imperfections which I never noticed in the first place, I couldn't justify buying this new edition. But if you don't yet own Army of Darkness, don't be a primitive screwhead. Click on the Buy It Now link and get it."

Boomstick Edition

def_ | Oklahoma, USA | 02/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"*THIS REVIEW IS IN REFERENCE TO THE NEW "BOOMSTICK EDITION" TWO DISK SET*Ok, if you're on this page, there's a good chance you've already seen this movie and are torn between purchasing another copy or not.If you already have the Bootleg Edition, or one of the many other editions of this film that have been released over the years, then you're probably going to feel jipped after you read this. Sorry.Anyways, what this DVD set basically includes is two previously released DVDs in one package. Those being the standard edition and the Bootleg edition. Which, if you're looking to upgrade from your old VHS copy or something, it's a really good deal. Since buying the two DVDs seperately would cost a lot more than just buying this package. For the person who already has an AOD DVD I wouldn't recommend, unless you really want the directors cut version of it since you'd probably end up with two copies of the same DVD. But if you're a hardcore fanatic and are feeling like shelling out the asking price for the nifty new 8 page collectors booklet. Go for it. That's what I'm buying it for. The fact that the "Bootleg" edition didn't come with the theatrical ending is also a reason I'm purchasing this DVD set.I give it five stars because...Well, it's a great film and though it may be a little late for a release like this, it's the thought that counts. Thanks Anchor Bay."