Evil Dead (2013)

  TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

by Frederick William Springer III

Evil Dead (2013)

Release Date:   5 April 2013                                                                   Runtime:  91 Minutes              

Review Date:  11 June 2013                                                                    Rating:  5 (of 6)

Evil Dead is how you do a remake right, darker and creepier than the originals.  Unlike all the remakes and reboots unleashed in this genre the past decade, this one is actually worth seeing.

I liked the new approach as to why this group of people had assembled.  It was something I don't recall being done before and, thus, it was refreshing.  There were also a couple of nice twists and turns that kept you second guessing.

The only questionable thing is the events of the opening.  Who were these people (freaks included)?  Why did they choose this cabin?  How'd they gain possession of the book and why would they leave it behind, easily accessible?  What do the later found cats have to do with the opening when they weren't present at the time?

Most of these things wouldn't much matter if it weren't for the implied fact that it was the family's cabin (or at least a cabin frequented by the family).  So, for another group of people to randomly choose it (granted it had been broken into) for such purposes sparks one's curiosity.  It was also convenient (but excusable) that the book calls for 5 people and our group of characters happens to contain exactly that amount.

You'll want to stay in your seats till the credits finish rolling.  I'd love to further quantify but don't want to spoil anything.  As a side note, as it becomes more common place for features to have additional material during the credits and after a movie, I don't understand why anyone would risk walking out before the credits end.  If for nothing else, how about showing a little respect for all the hard work from the many people involved?  That's kind of like going to a boring graduation ceremony and then leaving before the graduates are even named.  (Well, not exactly, but you get my drift.)

A round of applause is due to writer/director Fede Alvarez (and his decision to stay away from CGI as much as possible), fellow writer Rodo Sayagues and the cast for their believable performance.  Some would say Alvarez had big shoes to fill.  I'd say he broke the mold and set a new benchmark for Sam Raimi when he  himself returns to the franchise for Army of Darkness 2.