“Evil Dead” Movie Review

    I have always had somewhat of a soft spot in my heart for the "Evil Dead" franchise.  I am not even entirely sure why. I am not a big horror fan but I really enjoy the campy nature of the films, so when I heard they were remaking it, I had reservations.  Those reservations were heightened by the film’s trailer which seemed to shift the focus from over the top horror to gore more in line with the “Saw” franchise.  So when the film was released, I decided to skip seeing it in theaters and instead wait for the film to be released on Blu-ray.  After finally watching the movie, I was glad to have waited for the home video release.
    The movie follows the basic premise of the original film with a few twists.  Ash is no longer the main character, instead the film follows the journey of Mia as she tries to survive the onslaught of the evil dead.  The film is just as gory as the trailer depicts, if not more so.  After awhile, it starts to feel a bit routine and it loses it’s shock value as you grow dumb to the gore.
    The film is actually a ‘requel’ officially (meaning it acts as a soft reboot and a sort of sequel).   These are becoming more popular lately as a way to introduce a brand name to a new audience while still trying to chase that nostalgia money.  As far as ‘requels’ go, it is handled decently.
    Much like the original films, the cast is mainly forgettable except for the lead actor, Jane Levy as Mia.  While Levy can’t completely escape the shadow cast by original franchise star Bruce Campbell, she still shines and brings humanity to the nightmare the film brings to life.  It is also important to note that this is the directorial debut of Fede Álvarez.  While I am not a huge fan of his direction of the film, Álvarez makes some unique choices and I think he is someone poised to do something greater down the line.
    While I am not the biggest fan of this chapter, I am sad to hear Bruce Campbell has retired from the role of Ash since there were talks of a possible sequel to this film in which Ash and Mia team up.  That sounded promising.  Perhaps this promise will be explored in a future comic book series.
    “Evil Dead” is the kind of movie you watch with friends and see who gets grossed out the most.  It is a horror right of passage.  Still, I prefer my Evil Dead with some self awareness and humor.

Grade: D