Ash vs Evil Dead (TV Series) El Jefe (2015) User Reviews

Groovy

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 9/10 · 1 November 2015]

Directed by Sam Raimi, the first episode of Ash vs Evil Dead is all what the Evil Dead fans had been waiting for these last 20 odd years.

After the end of "Army of Darkness" there was talk of a new movie, but it never came out; what we got in the end was the 2013 remake.

But then, they decided to do a TV series, of which this is the first episode. And it delivers.

Of course, in the years that have been gone since the last movie, a lot has changed in the movie and TV world, so some fans may be disappointed with the result, but I think that we may be in for a treat with this series.

It all starts as you would imagine, with Ash being his old lazy, sexy (and a little bit fatter) self, working in a little store and just letting the days go by. But things don't take long to go wrong, and the deadites are back with a vengeance. We have some homages to the old movies, some cool nice action, over the top situations, and Ash, a lot of cool old Ash, which makes you wonder how could it take so long to have him back.

This first episode is a blast, even if not perfect. Let's just hope the level keeps throughout this whole season.

Return of the Ash

[thomasjay-2201 · 9/10 · 11 January 2019]

New times same guy, a fantastic new installation to the Evil Dead franchise it perfectly encaspsulates the feel of the old, no doubt in thanks to the direction of Raimi who picks the reigns back up for the 'pilot' episode of the show. Holding a new cast as well as blending the feel good factor of the original trilogy the show is currently off to a great start. Translates surprisingly well to a modern age and looks incredible! A great watch

New kind of superhero

[FfreshTV · 8/10 · 1 November 2015]

Evil Dead was one of those first scary movies I watched as a teenager back in the mid 90's. It was so scary I was afraid of the dark for a while. First two parts were kind of serious scary, so the third movie was such breath of the fresh air with it's twisted dark humour. I think watching this third part made me less scared of all the creeps in the night.

That is why I loved the direction this show went. It's scary/funny/silly. Without going to the extremes of violence. It is easy to see, that creators and cast had a real fun working together, creating the beasts and spilling the blood all over the place.

Ash is a cool guy. He might as well become a new great character on TV, cracking silly jokes and heads of the monsters. Hope we'll see development of other characters as well. For now we met Amanda - cop, struggling to keep her sanity. Pablo and Kelly - two now ex colleagues of Ash from the store. Both are pretty weak so far. But good and important in regards to waking up the inner hero in Ash. And mysterious Ruby. Who we have yet to figure out. Beautiful women in white.

First episode definitely made me excited about the rest of the season. It is a good 30 minute format. Hope the humour will be at the good level without going to silly. Feels like there is some really fresh and great potential here. With creating a new kind of superhero. Without him being too much of the serious Comic book's hero.

Ash is back!

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 26 January 2019]

I know I'm in the minority saying this, but I never really liked the humorous direction that Sam Raimi took with Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness: I wanted more gruelling horror, not slapstick. Unsurprisingly, I avoided Ash vs The Evil Dead for a while after hearing it was even more zany than the films. However, having finally succumbed and watched Episode One of Season One, I have to admit that the funny stuff actually works very well within the TV format - Sam Raimi delivers one hell of an entertaining pilot, serving up some genuinely hilarious silliness, while not forgetting to deliver on the outrageous splatter.

Bruce Campbell returns as scourge of all deadites, Ash Williams, who has spent 30 years in hiding, now living on a trailer park. But after Ash gets stoned with a hooker and reads from the Necronomicon, evil finds him once again. Meanwhile, cop Amanda (Jill Marie Jones) has her own run in with some deadites, including her partner, who she is forced to shoot. Can Ash, with help from co-workers Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) triumph against the dark forces?

With some really cool effects (the deadites are great), including buckets of blood, this is a real crowd pleaser of a start to what I hope will be a consistently entertaining show.

El Jefe is back...

[poe-48833 · 9/10 · 18 November 2016]

El Jefe (Bruce Campbell) is back- as is HIS jefe, Sam Raimi. Both are in fine form, Campbell before the camera and Raimi aft. The opening episode takes up where ARMY OF DARKNESS left off, with Ash (decades older, but apparently not one whit wiser) "workin' for the Man every night and day." As expected, the s--- hits the fan fairly quickly, and our hero is off and running. Campbell as Bruce Campbell as Ash is as funny as he ever was, and Raimi seems as incapable as ever of easing up on the accelerator: the action is fast and it's furious and the superbly-executed cgi lend the proceedings that little something Extra. For my money, ASH VS EVIL DEAD is vastly superior to ARMY OF DARKNESS. Let's hope it STAYS that way.

I re-watched the Pilot after The Season 2 Finale

[turelcaccese · 9/10 · 12 October 2017]

So, waiting for the beginning of Season 3 I decide to write a technical review of the Pilot of the Series. It will be short and divided by categories.

DIRECTION It's pure Raimi at his best. Long sequences, slow motions, action, suspense and dosed humor. In the next 19 episodes rarely this timing has been respected (also because this Pilot is 40 minutes and episodes are 25-30 minutes).

SFX The only bad point of the Pilot are the special effects. The Post production work doesn't fit well and make the intense Fisher/Carson scene so lame. A cheaper and hasty work, but just for this episode because next episodes are truly better (just for example in 1x03 The Host). So AVED is a series that have both bad and good special effects at the same time. And this is wonderful

PLOT and PLOT EVOLUTION In this pilot Ash is serious, Ash is scared about what he avoid for 30 years. And at the same time he laugh and act to show that he can handle it.

The evil dead speaks to the characters has it know their victims creating a shadow of mystery behind what evil wants.

The Catchphrase "We know who you are" scared a lot and also the other things form the other Deadites. These demons know a mystery and the real origins of everyone fears. They scares people not with blood or bad words, but because they knew them.

During the series we didn't see the evolution of the Evil, because of a lazy scripts that prefers jokes to expand the mythology behind the book.

IN CONCLUSION This Pilot is what every pilots need to have.. and much more. I don't know why Raimi don't make at least an episode per season. Because the directors of the series (that are also into it and extremely masters) need to breathe more and focus on what this series can unleashed in history of television. Hope that the new Showrunner is better than DiGregorio that he just forgot what to do as Showrunner. Maybe he just needed to re-watch the Pilot overtime before wrote a new episode.

Has the makings of a fantastic show

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 8 October 2016]

We all came here for the same thing: Bruce Campbell reunited with chainsaw and boomstick. Spoiler alert: we just that in the episode's closing moments. But that's just it, 'El Jefe' isn't a slow march to the payoff ending. It's a frenetic stage-setting with gags and gore coming from all directions. As a pilot episode, it widens the scope from the cabin to a whole town, places Ash in a group dynamic, and all of this works rather nicely for a TV show. Pretty much everything we know and love from the movies is here - physical comedy, jump scares, the onrushing POV camera of the undead force - and who knows where this will go next. But it's got loads of promise, and seriously, this opening is a blast.

I could do with a lot more of this.

8/10

Solid start

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 23 April 2021]

I took a while to watch ASH VS EVIL DEAD. While I'm a huge fan of the series, particularly the first two films, I know that modern versions, sequels or remakes of '80s classics can often disappoint. Not so with this one! It's a fast and furious horror adventure well-directed by none other than Sam Raimi, who fills it with all of the visual flourishes and fun we know from the films, particularly EVIL DEAD 2. Bruce Campbell slips back into Ash like a glove and there's plenty of gore and violence for the fans.

El Jefe

[lassegalsgaard · 9/10 · 5 July 2022]

There aren't many horror franchises in the genre that means as much to me as the "Evil Dead" franchise. Sam Raimi came up with something beautiful with his friends back in the days and made an iconic horror film with almost nothing to do it with. Now, it's turned into one of the most iconic horror franchises ever and was given a TV follow-up in 2015 titled "Ash vs. Evil Dead." As a fan, I was expecting great things and man did I get that. This premiere episode is everything I could have asked for and a glorious return of the great king Ash Williams.

I've always said that Bruce Campbell was never given his due. He proved with these films that he was an excellent comedic actor and that he could carry a film on his shoulders. He wasn't given that before now, where he's the lead of his own show and back in the role that made him a household name. And he hasn't skipped a beat. It feels like him and Sam Raimi are right back where they left off with this world and they're having a bunch of fun. Ash is definitely a different guy, having gone through thirty years of thinking he was free of this curse, only to make it all happen again by mistake. It's a hilarious way that he gets dragged into the circus again, and it seems like it would be completely in-character for him to do it like that all these years after the fact. And with Raimi behind the camera, it makes for some awesome action sequences, with a standout being a fight between Ash and a little doll with a boxcutter. Who comes up with stuff like that? The brilliant mind of Sam Raimi does. This episode works on its own as well as the beginning of a show, and for fans of the original film, it'll be a nice reunion, but for first timers, it will also work because of the interesting world and the eccentric characters, including the new additions to fit perfectly into this Raimi crazyness. I'm so excited to see what happens going forward.

"El Jefe" is not only a brilliant "welcome back" for fans, but a genuinely amazing opening to a show that also invites new people in. It features the Ash that we know and love and bloody action sequences that Raimi helms with the stylistic crazyness that he always has, making this such an enjoyable ride.

When it comes to kicking Deadite ass, Bruce Campbell is still your man.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 3 January 2018]

30 years after the events of "The Evil Dead", Ash (Bruce Campbell reclaims his most famous role in high style) is now ageing and pathetic. When not picking up ladies at the bar, he still works as a stock boy.

But all these years later, Evil has again found Ash. It turns out that the damn Necronomicon Ex Mortis has remained in his possession, and he and a lady friend foolishly recited passages from the book while stoned.

Ash is reluctant to return to the role of hero. At first, he would rather turn tail and get the Hell out of Dodge. But you can never keep Ash down for long.

After four feature films, the franchise begun by Campbell's friend Sam Raimi certainly has had some real longevity. This debut episode isn't always terribly funny, but it does its job at setting up this universe and the people living in it. The other characters introduced are Pablo Simon Bolivar (Ray Santiago), an immigrant from Honduras and co-worker obviously destined to be the sidekick, another co-worker named Kelly Maxwell (the sexy Dana DeLorenzo), whom Ash unsuccessfully tries to hit on, Amanda Fisher (Jill Marie Jones), a state trooper who will want to avenge the death of her partner, and a mystery woman named Ruby Knowby (played by Xena herself, Lucy Lawless), who seems to know the score right from the start.

Fortunately, 'El Jefe' does bear the trademarks of "Evil Dead" goodness, namely the manic energy and the wild camera moves designed to portray the "force" bearing down on victims. The only thing that traditionalists may find truly objectionable is the use of much CGI violence.

But, overall, this was good at bringing back Campbell & Ash for a new generation & audience.

Seven out of 10.

Good Start

[The-Social-Introvert · 30 November 2015]

After three movies, a failed reboot and numerous attempts at a fourth film, The Evil Dead has clawed its way to the small screen. Ash vs (the?) Evil Dead picks up 30 after the events of the original movies, with the titular character retaining his immaturity and wit, now a loner living in a trailer and working in a local store (and supporting a bit of a belly.

First things first the fact that we've got a canon TV series with the original actor and director is an achievement itself. All that's needed is the rights issue with Army of Darkness to be sorted out so it can be considered part of the continuity and therefore referenced and shown throughout the series just like how Evil Dead 1 and 2 are.

We learn that a drunk and high Ash accidentally read from the book of the dead and unleashed the spirits once again – we also see the famous evil dead tracking shots as a result. He acquires the help of a trusty and enthusiastic sidekick Pablo and another store worker, Kelly, to help fight back against the dead.

Overall the pilot was impressive. It was nice that it didn't rely too much on references and homages and instead moved the story forward, giving the series a chance to expand on the evil dead mythology. Bruce Campbell is very likable as always and is on top form as Ash. The humorous tone throughout the show is balanced out by numerous jump scares and a bucket load of gore. Obviously it hardly happens nowadays, but it would have been cool if the show was shot on film instead of with digital cameras. It takes some getting used to.

Ash is back and better than ever

[amongpixels · 9/10 · 21 May 2022]

Raimi's energetic direction is back on full display, as well as perfecting Evil Dead's memorable balance of horror and humour, being both scarier and funnier than Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness (taking more time to establish its tension for its horror while relying less on slapstick and more on sharp and witty dialogue for its humour). The gore is effectively over-the-top, Campbell's acting and comedic timing is at its best, the new additions are quickly likeable (despite some iffy acting at times), the score is fun, and the pacing is swift. I couldn't have asked for a more entertaining, fitting and laugh-out-loud fun return to the series.

enjoyable as ever

[Abdulxoxo · 7/10 · 14 September 2020]

I've watched the three original movies and i loved them, I wasn't aware there was a series based on them. well, I'm glad I found out.

this is as good as the movies. it got the same energy, humour, & gore that make the movies classic. Bruce Campbell is charismatic as ever. the vfx is not bad. I'll surely watch the rest.

Off to a bad start.

[midnightcub · 5/10 · 29 May 2019]

The games kept the tradition of Ash being a regular guy but out of his depth and fed up with the deadites, necronomicon, and anyone who wants it. This pilot scrubs all that, makes him FAR more insipid than he EVER was and really shows that no one involves, especially Cambell himself, really doesn't care about these characters or the world they once created. It goes downhill from here.

Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015) Episode 1 El Jefe.

[nebohr · 9/10 · 20 November 2020]

If you like Supernatural you will enjoy this. It's similar but with a lot of campy energy. Crazy, fun, bloody gore. Just over the top.

My wife and I initially award 8- stars to every production.

We find our hero (Ash, just in case you haven't figured it out yet) in a trashy trailer girding himself to the accompaniment of Deep Purple's "Space Truckin'".

9- stars because we are old-school rockers.

He is certainly not lacking in self-esteem.

Apparently Ash has been to the Reptile Lounge in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he acquired Eli his pet lizard.

Ash has attachments in place of his right hand.

He has a unique way of picking up women.

And that is why we've never had sex in a public bathroom.

We've always heard that smoking mary jane makes people do dumb things.

But unleashing the evil dead?! OMG.

Get your head on straight.

Amanda Fisher is a Michigan State Police Officer.

That's why you don't ask the neighbor to clean out your septic tank.

Pablo Bolivar is Ash's friend and co-worker. And Kelly Maxwell is Pablo's upstairs neighbor.

Ruby Knowby is introduced in a mysterious manner.

Little Lori was fun.

Pablo: "I always thought it was the Mezcal talking".

Throwing an ax inside a trailer makes the trailer longer.

The unveiling of The Chainsaw.

"Journey to the Center of the Mind" by The Amboy Dukes.

A solid re-introduction into a world of gore and hilarity.

[matthewacollier · 7/10 · 1 September 2017]

79

Pretty solid opening. Pays appropriate tribute to it's source material. Can't say that I dig how expository it is, but I can say that I understand why the decision was made. You have to introduce neophytes, I get it. However, for lovers of the original franchise, it's kinda stale to revisit. Also, the two supporting actors aren't that great in this episode. However, Bruce Campbell murders it as Ash. It's incredible how charismatic he still is, even as an asshole. It's great to see him back in the role he's legendary for. The cinematography is pretty sweet, but I want some more gonzo stuff, like they did at the end of the episode. Those gore effects sure do look purty, showing how much better their budget is from when they were making the originals. Sam still has his signature flourishes, but they feel a little diminished from the originals. Also, that soundtrack is pretty dope. And that CGI doll looked pretty terrible.

A work in progress

[Fluke_Skywalker · 6/10 · 23 November 2016]

Plot; Aging retail clerk Ash Williams must summon long dormant courage to face a supernatural threat from his past.

Taking cult favorite Bruce Campbell's character from the Evil Dead series (in its smarmy, smart mouthed Army of Darkness incarnation) and porting him to the no holds barred land of pay cable would seem to be a recipe for bloody good fun. Literally. The buzz and subsequent success certainly indicated such. So my expectations were high as I finally got around to checking out the pilot episode of S1. Directed by Evil Dead/Army of Darkness co-writer/director Sam Raimi himself, it certainly has its pedigree in tact. If it didn't quite live up to the almost deafening hype for me, it was certainly true to the, uh, "spirit" of the films and showed promise for better things once it gets going.

Star Bruce Campbell is in fine form as Ash. We've never really gotten a good look at the character outside of the constant madness of his supernatural predicaments, so it was fun to see Ash in his daily life as a sleazy, slacking wannabe lothario who aims low at life and hits a bulls eye. Still in retail, though not S-Mart (legal reasons?), he's lost his monster mojo and the bulk of the episode is spent focusing on his acceptance that the evil is back and he's the only thing that stands between it and humanity. He's saddled here for the first time with a few sidekicks that I've yet to warm to. I don't dislike them, and I do see the need for Ash to have someone(s) to play off of in this format, I just didn't take to them instantly. The same can be said for the series. There are fun moments and the potential is there. First episodes are notoriously clunky, so I remain cautiously optimistic that the best is yet to come.