Ash is a jack of every trade for a discount supermarket. But when he visits a cabin in the woods he comes upon a strange book of mystical powers called the Book of the Dead. When the book tries to possess him by taking over his own hand he chops it off and replaces it with a chainsaw. But now the book has a new plan for him and it has time warped him to the past where he and his car are deposited on a medieval battlefield where Ash is taken prisoner by the opposing army. But with the skills of his new chainsaw hand he is able assume the leadership of the knights. Among them is a sorcerer whom tells Ash the only way to return to his own time is to recover a book from a haunted forest that is protected by evil spirits. But there is one catch before he takes the book he is to speak three words of mystical power. But when he recovers the book he speaks the words wrong so instead of returning him to his own time he has instead awoken and evil army of skeletons that are bent on destroying him and the world around him. It is now up to Ash to try and save the world, fight for a newfound love, and hopefully return to his own time.

This is a movie that makes fun of horror movies like the Naked Gun series made fun of cop movies. But unlike the Naked Gun series this movie is actually hilarious. This is the third movie in the series by Sam Raimi with its predecessors being Evil Dead I and II. But you do not need to see these movies first to enjoy Army of Darkness, as it pretty much stands on its own. Some might call the movie cheesy but in fact the movie is very cheesy and that it was it is trying to do and manages to do in a very funny manner. Its quirkiness and campiness is quite refreshing as many movies cannot seem to manage such funny scenes without resorting to crudeness. The movie mocks everything and has so many funny one-liners you can’t help but bust a gut laughing. Bruce Campbell who plays Ash looks like your traditional comic book hero with his square jaw and his repertoire of funny lines. This movie must use more skeletons than any movie before it as the hilarity ensues. Some of the best scenes are with this army of the dead and the evil ash as they will make you laugh at the stupidity of it all. The movie while kind of weak on plot makes up for it by telling its story very well, which is always a bonus. And while the movie may never be considered an Oscar praiseworthy film it is still the best movie ever made to mock a genre that is overdone. The movie is action packed, funny and enjoyable to anyone who might like to see a campy movie that makes fun of everything including itself. A must see.
4 stars out of 5