Review of Evil Dead (2013) by Docshocker2099 — 17 Apr 2013

As a life long horror fan, the original Evil Dead series carry some of the highest marks, it was gory, funny, and spawned one of the most notable cult heroes in the history of cinema, Ash. As I am with all news of remakes/re-images/ what have you, I take it with a more then a grain of salt. In certain instances, I've been pleasantly surprised, Rob Zombies Halloween films, and the 2003 remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I believe, are two fine examples of a remake done well. In opposition to this you have remakes like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm street, and introducing the newest member of this prestigious list, the 2013 remake of the Evil Dead.

Cinematically it was filmed well. Dark, moody, and complimented the horror vibe. But ultimately that was all that it had going for it. The characters, for lack of a better term, were boring, and did little to stir any sort of feelings towards them, the high marks going to Jane Levy, however, for at least leaving a good enough impression that I remembered her characters name, even after leaving the theater, Mia, for those who care. The films plot stayed true to form, but was implemented poorly. The films story, beyond the plot, played out more like a piece of amateur retcon fan fiction, then the sort of thing a group of producers would throw a reported $14 million dollars to make. The set up of the film made sense, but the initiation of the films supernatural element was forced, almost as though the writing staff didn't know what else to do, and things didn't improve from there. The amount of violence and gore after this point is relentless, so much so that it become boring, and blurs together, no counter points to build suspense from, and probably saddest of all, no humor. Which is possibly the single biggest disappointment to me, personally. For a series that fits so snugly into the "Horror comedy" genre, by it own admittance. The re-image is unremarkable, bland, and tragically forgettable.

The Quick and Dirty Review.

Pro's.

Dark Moody Imagery.

Solid Performance from Jane Levy.

Appropriate run time (90 minutes +/-).

Solid Visual effects.

Cons.

Bland characters.

Sloppy Pacing.

Fan Fiction level story.

Lack of humor.

The Verdict:

Unless you a have a free movie pass, wait for this to land on a streaming service, or in a discount bin. Would have been a mediocre standalone, but made for a poor remake.