The third instalment of the Evil Dead trilogy, Army Of Darkness features the largest budget - though it fails to reach the standards of the preceding masterpiece. However, it is arguably this film that made Ash such a popular character, simultaneously turning Bruce Campbell into a huge cult figure. Transported back into the medieval world by the power of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, Ash is forced to fight off the deadites from the first two films once again - drawing on the assistance of his trusty boomstick, the ubiquitous Oldsmobile and a specially-fashioned iron hand. The plot is actually quite good, and it is interesting to see Raimi's experimental and innovative techniques transplanted into a fairly large budget action movie, but the film itself was largely a commercial failure - mostly due to some very shoddy CGI. What has made it particularly popular with Evil Dead fans, however, is Ash's endless stream of one-liners that run through the film. Seriously - there are tons here, outdoing practically every other cheesy action film with absolute ease. Army Of Darkness never takes itself too seriously, and is perhaps the moment that Bruce Campbell's reputation as an exceptional deliverer of hilarious lines really began to grow. The film is so quotable. "This... Is my BOOMSTICK!" "Shop smart. Shop S-Mart." "Hail to the king, baby." "Honey, you got reeeeeeal ugly." "Groovy." These are phrases that have effectively haunted Campbell's entire career ever since, and which will doubtless play a part in the forthcoming "Ash Vs. Evil Dead" TV series set to air in the fall. Along with Brisco County, Army Of Darkness offered a potential career high for Campbell that sadly fell away. It's telling that they were both created at about the same time, and that his career has undoubtedly failed to reach those commercial heights since.
