The one
and only Bruce Campbell stars as Ash, a hapless house wares clerk
time warped back to the Dark Ages by the demonic power of the
Necronomicon. Now armed with only a '73 Oldsmobile, his trusty
chainsaw and a 12-guage double-barreled S-Mart shotgun, our
knuckleheaded hero must battle vicious she-bitches, a
diabolical Evil Ash and the relentless hordes of the medieval
dead... Get ready for some sugar, baby!
The
Video
ARMY OF
DARKNESS: BOOMSTICK EDITION appears in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1
on this single-sided, dual-layered 2 disc set; the image has
been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. ARMY OF DARKNESS looked
magnificent for the most part. I notice a little more clean up
on this disc compared to the other versions that were previously
released. Sharpness was excellent displaying some softness at
times. For the most part, I felt the film remained crisp.
I saw no
signs of jagged edges or evidence of edge enhancement. On the
other hand, I noticed a great deal of specks, grit and scratches
here and there, but otherwise the image looked clean. The colors
looked rich and brilliant. Black levels were deep and rich,
while shadow detail came across clear.
Overall,
ARMY OF DARKNESSdisplayed a sharp and impressive DVD
presentation compared to past transfers, but yet lacks on it's
overall restoration performance on its Director's Cut.
The
Audio
ARMY OF
DARKNESS is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 for it's Theatrical
Version and a Surround 2.0 audio track for it's Director's Cut.
All five channels received a vigorous workout through much of
the theatrical version of the film. I thought the film created a
terrific sense of atmosphere and allowed the viewer to become
completely involved in the action. Audio was positive; dialogue
was natural with no signs of edginess. Music score was lively
and the bass appeared tight and deep throughout the film.
Overall,
the DD5.1 track for THE BOOMSTICK EDITION was engaging and
worked well for the film. The Director's Cut on the other hand
displayed a mono track and like it's video transfer, was not
impressive.
The Extras
Commentary by director Sam
Raimi, star Bruce Campbell, and co-writer Ivan Raimi
U.S. theatrical version
Original ending (presented
separately)
Exclusive behind-the-scenes
featurette "The Men Behind the Army" narrated by Bruce
Campbell
Director's cut with 15 mins.
of additional footage
4 deleted scenes
Director's storyboards
8-page collector's booklet
with all-new liner notes by star Bruce Campbell
Theatrical trailer(s)
THX certified
Overall
Okay, listen
up you primitive screw-heads... ARMY OF DARKNESS: BOOMSTICK
EDITION is thus far one of the better transfer endeavors for the
U.S. theatrical version of the film. To say that this may be the
last version we will see of this film is an exaggeration, but
for now the BOOMSTICK EDITION remains to be the king of it's
ancestors.
Of course, the
Director's Cut still lacks the video and audio quality it truly
disserve. This disc is truly a fans dream and the lack of DTS
track was some what disappointing. For the most part, the
theatrical version displayed a brilliant transfer with some
minor concerns, but the nice supplement of extras, and the
digitally mastered THX certified DD5.1 track makes the 2-disc
set enjoyable nonetheless.
ARMY
OF DARKNESS: BOOMSTICK EDITION, is one of the most outrageously
spectacular horror comedy action films ever made. This disc
comes highly recommended to all.
