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ARMY OF DARKNESS * SCREENSHOT KEY (after main feature review) : MGM HK DVD (Top - Region 3); Anchor Bay (Region 1 - Bottom) Starring Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi
Sam Raimi, most widely known in recent years for his Spider-Man movies, started out with his beloved Evil Dead films. Shot on a small budget, Raimi's script, filmmaking style and the film's pure energy (not to mention a glowing review by horror writer Stephen King) are what made his first film, The Evil Dead, an underground theatrical film sensation and video rental hit. After an equally successful sequel, The Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, Raimi took his third movie in the series to a major studio.
Surviving the horrors of the Evil Dead, Ash now finds himself in Medieval times after being sucked through a time warp. He is determined to get back to his own time, but he must face the "deadites" in the ultimate battle. The Medieval soldiers and the evil dead are in constant combat. Ash is sent by the humans to retrieve the Book of the Dead (seen in the first two Evil Dead films, the root of all the trouble Ash has gone through) deep in the forest. When he incorrectly speaks the words of an incantation, the Army of Darkness rises, intending to destroy all of humanity...
Working with a major studio had many advantages and disadvantages for Raimi's film. He had studio backing and a wider distribution. However, the North American distributor, Universal Pictures, insisted on cuts and shooting a different ending (the "S-Mart" ending).
However, the International version kept the director's version intact. Anchor Bay Entertainment released Army of Darkness in both the R-rated version and the Director's Cut several times with different packaging. Unfortunately, Anchor Bay's version of the Director's Cut is a composite - using a clean print for the theatrical scenes and dark, fuzzy workprint footage for the extra scenes. MGM's version is from a complete print, and it shows.
MGM presents Army of Darkness 1.85:1 and is enhanced for 16x9 screens. MGM used the complete International print release as their master. The image is as clear and colorful as Anchor Bay's version for the theatrical scenes, but the additional scenes look just as good. There is no shift in color, brightness or clarity. The viewer can no longer distinguish between theatrical scenes and extra footage.
The sound on this Region 3 release is superior as well. Although Anchor Bay used a 5.1 track on their release of the theatrical cut, the fans were disappointed that the Director's Cut didn't get a 5.1 mix. Anchor Bay provided a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track on their releases of the Director's Cut, whereas MGM's disc features a powerful 5.1 surround track.
The extras differ slightly on the MGM disc from Anchor Bay's release of the Director's Cut. The same audio commentary with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell is featured on the disc, along with the same deleted scenes and alternate opening. However, MGM's release includes a photo gallery, the theatrical trailer along with the "S-Mart" ending (included as an extra, not incorporated into the film). The theatrical trailer was included on Anchor Bay's DVD of the theatrical version, but was framed 1.33:1. MGM's trailer is presented 1.85:1. The only extras that are not on MGM's disc are the running storyboard option and creature concept art gallery found on Anchor Bay's disc.
Many fans of Raimi's Army of Darkness who have the means to play a Region 3 disc can enjoy Raimi's original version of his film to its fullest. Perhaps Anchor Bay will use the same source materials as MGM the next time they release Army of Darkness. Until then, MGM's disc is the version that fans can truly be proud of. |
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