Evil Dead reboot

[Steerpike]

I saw this remake this wekeend. Most of the reviews I've seen have been positive, a few have been lukewarm, and some have been very critical. This movie is the spiritual successor to the original, lacking the overt comedy that came with Evil Dead 2 and, even more strongly, in Army of Darkness. There are several nods to ED/ED2, both in dialogue and in other ways (the final snark near the end, for example). The use of prosthetics and fake blood as opposed to CGI was effective, in my view. If you're a fan of the franchise, chances are you'll like this movie. It is exactly what it is meant to be, and doesn't go deeper than that. If they'd tried to take it deeper, it probably would have been a disaster. Certainly not a movie for the faint of heart, however. If you're not familiar with the franchise, you may not care much about this film either.

I saw that it did come in first in box office over the weekend and take in $30 million, worldwide; and since the film was made for only $17 million I guess they're pretty happy with it.

I won't say more about it here, to avoid spoilers, but if anyone else has seen it, I'm curious what you thought.

 

[MadMadys]

I was pleased enough with it. Having been a fan of the original trilogy (Evil Dead 2 in particular), I knew coming in that they weren't trying to replicate it exactly which is a good way to handle a reboot. It was gory, vicious and while it didn't really give me many scares, there were some very nice touches as well. I think the only overt complaint I have is the one character (Natalie) was rather underdeveloped. Aside from that, good enough for an evening's entertainment.

Also, the groovy after-credits sequence along with the added touches near the end of the credits with the voiceover was a nice touch.

 

[Steerpike]

Evil Dead 2 is the best of the franchise, in my opinion

I thought the reboot captured the spirit of the original one well. There were a few things they could have done better, but so far fans of the franchise seem to like it.

 

[Jeff Xilon]

So I haven't seen this yet, but hasn't every evil dead been a "reboot"? I mean 2 at least is a reboot of the original, and now this one is as well. Was Army of Darkness a reboot or was it a continuation from 2? It's been so long since I've seen it that I can't remember.

 

[Ophiucha]

I saw it a couple of days ago. It was alright, but I feel like it would have been better if it weren't tied to the 'Evil Dead' name. A few things in it seemed like they were put in just so they could justify calling it that. I had a few minor grievances, like how completely stupid the man who reads the book is (barbed wire, plastic wrap, DO NOT READ THIS OUT LOUD, the words crossed out so thoroughly that he had to trace over them with a pencil to read it in the first place). And he seemed to believe in the occult, to some extent, since he corrected one of the women when they called it 'voodoo' and he was quick to accept that he may have accidentally unleashed hell upon the group with his actions. Plus, he was alone, so why did he not just read the words in his head like everyone else? Is he a medieval monk? God damn...

Spoiler: suspension of disbelief issue

Also, come on. You can't make a defibrillator out of a car battery and two syringes you've duct taped together.

That long-winded rant aside, I thought it was alright. I like gore, so this film worked alright. The girl licking the box cutter was a bit silly, but the rest was good - be it wince-worthy or gratuitous. And I liked the end sequence quite a bit.

 

[Nightender]

I loved the new Evil Dead. I thought it had the right blend of horror and suspense. It's been a long time since I've seen an R-Rated movie that really earned its rating. While there were a few tropes that felt squeezed in--the teacher reading taking the effort to get the book open, seeing the warnings, then reading from it out loud--the execution of each step felt right. The story elements were set up in such a way that the resolution felt natural.

A recommendation for all who love violent, suspenseful horror.