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.
2011 edit: Go to this page for a detailed look at all the notable Army DVD editions, including the ones I have not covered (be they Boomstick, Screwhead, or whatever else Anchor Bay/MGM/whoever has decided to foist upon this movie's beleaguered fanbase):
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.
Buy Army of Darkness (Screwhead Edition) (1993) Now
*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.
Read Best Reviews of Army of Darkness (Screwhead Edition) (1993) Here
This is a review for the Screwhead Edition. First off, I'll start with the cons, and this is about the physical disk release, not the movie itself.I do think that it's not really anything special to warrant a new edition name. How many editions are there already that have creative names(Boomstick, Bootleg, etc.) slapped on them? If this is just a simple reissue of Army of Darkness for 2010, without any bells and whistles (which it is), then I think it should be better just released as "Army of Darkness". Simply put, if your looking for an updated release of this classic, that provides ample extras, and some fresh new ground that hasn't been covered before, you may be disappointed. There is a measly three extras on the disc, a feature called "Creating the Deadites" which I've read is new, so I guess that counts for something. It's just about deadites though. There are no other extras from the other discs, or even commentary. There's a trailer. Then, there is the alternate ending. Again, if you've already seen that ending like, 2000 times already you may be hard pressed to care. I guess this release is best for people who haven't seen Army of Darkness before, or people who never had any of the other dvds. I bought it because of that, and it was the latest release. But still, for a new "edition" they sure did skimp, and didn't even have a printed photo art on the disk, just red ink of the logo. Not a huge deal, if you just want to watch the movie but...I think that a movie that has become classic and loved by so many people, should get a better new release than this. Maybe some kind of anniversary release, like I see so many other movies get. But I guess it's the rights issues that might hinder that, and lord that's just too much to get into. Also: Clear indication of something "thrown together" and cheaply released for marketing. "From the director of Spider-Man and Drag Me To Hell" is slapped on the cover. Uggh.
Now the pros: Movie is great, I really enjoy it. Although: I'm not generally a fan of slapstick, it's entertaining, but it takes a lot to make me really laugh. That kind of humor for me is ok, and overall if I had to pick the the things that I most liked about this movie, that wouldn't be one of them. What I do like, is fantasy adventure, weapons, medieval time setting; great actors, awesome characters (Ash is the best), etc. all of which this has. So,"Thumbs up" for this one :)
Picture on the disc is really good. Colors are nice. Sound is good. It was remastered, so it's nice enough just to watch and enjoy. As far as that, no complaints.
I'm happy to say that I am happy with this disk. If you are the kind of person that wants a more "complete" edition, then you might want to check the other releases for that, but if you're like me, and don't really care about extra features and the like, then you will be happy with this quality presentation of the movie. ENJOY :D
Want Army of Darkness (Screwhead Edition) (1993) Discount?
It's hard to say no to another edition of Sam Raimi's comedy/horror cult classic, Army of Darkness. The brand new Screwhead Edition is the film's first release on Blu-ray.Army of Darkness is the sequel to the comedy/horror classic Evil Dead II and continues the adventures of Ash (Bruce Campbell). After discovering a great evil in the wood and being attacked by a wild (yet quirky) horde of undead (and even having to kill his possessed girlfriend), Ash is dropped into medieval England, where he finds that he evil he experienced in his own time is gaining strength in the Middle Ages. In order to get back home, Ash strikes a deal with the locals, where he must venture into a creepy cemetery and retrieve the Necronomicon.
Unfortunately, the recovery mission doesn't go as smoothly as planned, and Ash unleashes the forces of the dead. In order to fix his mistake, get back to his own time, and save his medieval girlfriend, Ash teams up with a group of medieval screwheads -complete with epic one-liners, boomsticks (retails for about a hundred and nine, ninety-five... shop smart, shop S-Mart), gory she-bitches, chainsaws, and corny special effects filled with awesome.
The picture quality here is phenomenal. It is so crisp and clear -the light colors have absolutely no blemishes, and the dark colors are deep and true. I've never seen this movie presented with such perfect picture and sound quality. This version makes all previous editions, even the DVD edition, look gritty and low quality by comparison. The picture is so clear that it emphasizes how corny the special effects are -which I think adds to the overall experience of the film and keeps it true to Raimi's original intent.
I was particularly impressed by the sound quality. I felt like I was completely enveloped in the universe of Army of Darkness. Danny Elfman's "March of the Dead" theme has never had the same kind of power and pure epic sound to it than in this release. I could see the speakers shaking with intensity at nearly every note. It was the most amazing Army of Darkness viewing experience I have ever had. With a 1080p high-definition presentation in 1.85:1 widescreen and master audio in 5.1 surround sound, it's easy to see why. There are even Spanish and French subtitles available.
However, I was very disappointed in the selection of bonus material here. While viewers do have the option to turn on interactive production stills during the movie, which is kind of fun, there's not much else. Viewers have the opportunity to go online and get other film information, but it's not very complete (and frankly, this involves too much effort). The disk includes the alternate ending, the theatrical trailer, and a feature on the creation of the "deadite" special effects. The feature is really interesting and includes some great interviews with special effects experts and some hilarious and informative footage from the original filming. It's really interesting to see all of this, but I would have liked to have seen more of the original footage since some of it has obviously survived. There aren't even interviews with Sam Raimi or Bruce Campbell here. Some fans may think that this would be unneeded because they have talked about Army of Darkness so many times, but if I'm going to plop down extra money for this Blu-ray, I would have liked to have more.
It's difficult to say whether or not the Blu-ray edition of Army of Darkness is worth it, especially with so many other editions out there. If you are looking for flawless video and audio quality, then the Blu-ray is the perfect choice, but if you want bonus features, the items available here are practically the same as the others out there. Despite the lack of additional material, I couldn't help but stare in awe at how gorgeous this movie looks.
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