Evil
Dead 2: The Book of the Dead 2 (Divimax Edition)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: B- Film: A-
By this point in the game, another edition of any of the Evil
Dead movies being released on DVD should be received by fans the way Rob
Gordon thinks about Jackie Alden in High Fidelity -- with indifference.
Every year or so, Anchor Bay pulls out all the stops and
releases what's deemed the definitive edition of Evil Dead, Evil Dead
2 and/or "Army of Darkness (in a comparison review elsewhere on
this site). Each release might see an
addition of extras, a subtraction of material but placement of the discs in a
snazzy container or a combination of the two methods.
Evil Dead got the bona fide deluxe
treatment a couple years ago when Anchor Bay released the Book of the Dead
edition of Sam Raimi's first entry in the Evil Dead series. Housed in a case made to replicate the Book
of the Dead found in the film, the release was impressive and, most
importantly, basically the best you could get.
Evil Dead 2 had received similar treatment five or six years ago
when a tin-can edition of the film was released, pulling together a fairly
complete collection of extra materials and putting them, along with the film,
in aesthetically appealing packaging.
But never underestimate the Evil Dead DVD
machine. It was only a matter of time
before Anchor Bay got around to re-re-releasing Evil Dead 2 in a similar
Book of the Dead packaging as Evil Dead. Fans of the films want their movies to look
the same on the shelf, right? Right?
So here it is, the Book of the Dead 2 version of Evil
Dead 2, a DVD that doesn't live up to that tin-case release and, indeed,
seems like a particularly gross marketing tool to resell a product that's been
bought many times over before, both on VHS and DVD.
It's the same film as before -- Ash (Bruce Campbell) gets
caught up in some evil stuff in these woods, cuts off his hand, attaches a
chainsaw to the stump, says "Groovy" and blah, blah, blah. Evil Dead 2 is a great film, and the
fans of it are more than a little obsessive, ranking right up there with the
"nerd" fanbases of the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and
Star Trek fans. But how much
chit-chat about how fun the film was to make and how low-budget it was and how
it launched Raimi's fairly impressive directorial career and Campbell to the
A-list of pop culture's B-list can these fans handle? And how crowded are their shelves with release after release of
these films?
The Book of the Dead 2 release won't alleviate
any shelf space, or shed any new light on the films, if that's what fans are
looking for. The packaging is
impressive, a slightly darker hued take on the Book of the Dead that packaged Evil
Dead. And, if you press one of its
eyes -- or "poke" it, as the sticker on the plastic wrapping the disc
suggests -- you get a haunting scream emanating from the great beyond. Or is it from the electronic doodad hooked
up inside the packaging? This new
version of Evil Dead 2 will certainly look good next to the Book of
the Dead version of Evil Dead on your shelf, but its beauty is only
superficial.
If you're looking for a deeper, substantive relationship
with the film, you're better off looking elsewhere. There are two featurettes, one new, "Behind the Screams,"
and one not-so-new, "The Gore the Merrier." There's also a commentary track with Raimi,
Campbell, special make-up effects artist Greg Nicotero and co-writer Scott
Spiegel. All are fun looks behind the
scenes, but only one of these bonuses is new.
Take that for what it's worth. If
you haven't yet bought the film, then this should be an adequate collection of
extras -- because if you don't have the film already then, quite frankly,
you're probably not enough of a fan to warrant owning any of the other editions
of the film. If you do have Evil
Dead 2 on DVD already, though, you might want to think twice before picking
this disc up.
Some might be attracted to the claim that the film had
been put through Anchor Bay's Divimax, high-definition remastering. Watching the film, it's difficult to tell
that this was the case. The print is
clean and clear, but it's far from high-def.
Similarly, the audio is decent but hardly reference quality. When it comes right down to it, Evil Dead
2 was a film made on a shoestring French fry budget. The source material can't be in that great
of shape, and you can only squeeze so much juice out of an old, rotting
orange. In other words, Anchor Bay has
done the best job it can given the current technology. This disc is the representation of that.
All in all, this latest edition of Evil Dead 2
isn't a bust but it's far from a slam-dunk.
If you don't have the film, this is a good edition to pick up. Not only does it boast a fair amount of
extras for the fair-weather fan, but it's also a conversation piece thanks to
its packaging. (If you want the Book of the Dead version of Evil Dead,
a two-pack of Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 in their Book of the
Dead packaging is available.) But
if you already own the film and you feel like one DVD of Evil Dead 2 is
enough, you're not missing anything by skipping this release.
After all, it won't be long before another version of this
film will be released on DVD -- giving you a whole new opportunity to revisit
your commitment to the Evil Dead franchise and ask yourself the
question, "How many copies of this movie do I really need?"
- Dante A.
Ciampaglia
