I just saw the film in a preview screening in London which featured a Q&A from director Lee Cronin.
I had high hopes for this movie given it's current 8.1 rating on IMDb and 96% on rotten tomatoes (albeit with only 26 reviews), and especially because I actually really liked the 2013 remake (which was not the best received by fans and critics alike). I would say that generally, it didn't disappoint, but it certainly didn't smash it out of the park for me either.
The good:
The 'bad':
I think in many ways this reminds me of M3Gan - it's not trying to be a groundbreaking film and reinvent the wheel, it's just testing a moderately new spin on an old Horror trope that doesn't claim to be pretentious. It tries to be something a bit fresh yet familiar, and to that end it succeeds like M3Gan generally did. It's using a cult Horror classic in The Evil Dead (with its classic plot devices and iconic scenes) and reimagining it with a new location, new characters, and a sxxxload of modern day special FX, so it's never going to get the critical acclaim of the original nor get any brownie points for raw originality - and that's ok! What is lacking in originality or a riveting storyline is made up for in gore and in-your-face moments.
In the Q&A Cronin said that even if you didn't like the film, you certainly weren't bored. I would have to agree with that and say that this film definitely will not bore. It will make you squirm in your seat at some of the attacks/kills and it may make you laugh occasionally too. I'd give it a 7.5, which rounds up to an 8 on IMDb for me.
Over a week out from the proper release of this film, my guess is that it does very well. It will settle around a 7.1/7.2 on IMDb, and gross around $200m (and, in the process, gross out a few people!)
I had high hopes for this movie given it's current 8.1 rating on IMDb and 96% on rotten tomatoes (albeit with only 26 reviews), and especially because I actually really liked the 2013 remake (which was not the best received by fans and critics alike). I would say that generally, it didn't disappoint, but it certainly didn't smash it out of the park for me either.
The good:
- Gory, gory, gory. Wow. A gorefest, but somehow not overdone. It features a few massive gore moments that are memorable.
- Modern day special FX make Sam Raimi from the 1980s sad he was stuck with playdoh and experimental techniques. The characters all look damn scary.
- Acting was generally good. Nothing groundbreaking but Alyssa Campbell was fantastic (both when normal and, especially, when possessed
- Sufficiently different from the original Evil Dead that it felt fresh and wasn't boring.
- Considering all of the Evil Deads were in a cabin in the woods, this felt like a tough ask to feature the entire film in an apartment block. But the new world that was created was dark and gloomy, and certainly fit the bill.
The 'bad':
- It's not an earth shatteringly different movie to ones you may have seen, meaning it's not going to "blow you away". It very much sticks to its lane paying respect to the Evil Dead and even the remake in some parts.
- It is pretty predictable, which can be forgiven by the fact that it's more of a slasher than any psychologically disturbing film (I'd say the 2013 remake was more psychologically disturbing).
- You probably do need to see the original Evil Dead or at least the 2013 remake for a lot of things to make sense (such as how the characters can 'transfer' the demonic spirit), although it's not mandatory.
I think in many ways this reminds me of M3Gan - it's not trying to be a groundbreaking film and reinvent the wheel, it's just testing a moderately new spin on an old Horror trope that doesn't claim to be pretentious. It tries to be something a bit fresh yet familiar, and to that end it succeeds like M3Gan generally did. It's using a cult Horror classic in The Evil Dead (with its classic plot devices and iconic scenes) and reimagining it with a new location, new characters, and a sxxxload of modern day special FX, so it's never going to get the critical acclaim of the original nor get any brownie points for raw originality - and that's ok! What is lacking in originality or a riveting storyline is made up for in gore and in-your-face moments.
In the Q&A Cronin said that even if you didn't like the film, you certainly weren't bored. I would have to agree with that and say that this film definitely will not bore. It will make you squirm in your seat at some of the attacks/kills and it may make you laugh occasionally too. I'd give it a 7.5, which rounds up to an 8 on IMDb for me.
Over a week out from the proper release of this film, my guess is that it does very well. It will settle around a 7.1/7.2 on IMDb, and gross around $200m (and, in the process, gross out a few people!)