I just finished watching the first and second season of Ash vs Evil Dead and although I’m not in love with the show, I didn’t hate it either. I should start off by mentioning that I’ve never been a big fan of the Evil Dead trilogy, it’s okay, I appreciate what it is and what it represented but it’s not something I’ve ever had any real interest in, I chuckled when I watched them but that’s about it, it’s just not something that appeals to me, with that out of the way let’s talk about the show.
I enjoyed Ash vs Evil Dead more than I did any of the films but it’s still not something I would choose to watch for any other reason than research. It’s okay, good even with great moments sprinkled in there as well but it’s just not something that was made for me, I’m not their audience and unless you’re a fan of the trilogy you’re not their audience either, I imagine hard core fans of Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead trilogy will love the show though!
It’s definitely a show where you have to be aware of the Evil Dead mythology which I wasn’t but luckily my partner was and she would explain to me why things mattered. It’s not a show you can jump into without any prior knowledge, especially given the weak introduction but after that it does start to find its footing and becomes fairly entertaining, I found the absurdity of the whole thing amusing and even found comfort in the familiarity of the world.
There’s a lot of interesting shots and visuals throughout, I really like the cinematography and there’s a simplicity to It all that works very well, I appreciate the fact that very little CGI is used, for the most part everything is a physical object that exists in the real world and that should be commended! The writing on the other hand, well, it is what it is, it’s supposed to terrible and it is, mission accomplished, purposefully corny dialogue and a funny little story.
Character-wise Ash himself is very likeable, it’s his awkward timing and humorous delivery that make him fun to watch, he’s like a parody of the traditional confident hero, there’s a lack of awareness with a mix of awareness from the writers. Lucy Lawless, who played Xena back in the day, also does a decent job as whatever her name was in this and Ash actually played a character in Xena too so there’s a pre-established chemistry between the two of them that worked well.
The other characters are fairly inconsequential, they bounce of Ash well enough but humour-wise just aren’t as appealing, they’re more there just to react to the absurdity of Ash and it works but I just wasn’t that invested in them overall, I cared somewhat but that’s about it. It’s a loud show as well, not quite sure how to elaborate on that except to say that I appreciate the quiet, it’s a show full of screaming, chainsaw revving, the smashing of things, explosions and loud music etc.
I liked Ash vs Evil Dead, it’s a fairly easy watch and there’s definitely fun to be had here but I’d only recommend it to fans of Sam Raimi’s trilogy, if you don’t have that pre-established fandom you probably won’t enjoy the show. It has 99% on Rotten Tomatoes which is 2% more than The Sopranos which is fucking ridiculous, I’d give Ash vs Evil Dead a 7.4/10, it’s a lot of fun and there’s a lot of interesting camera shots but overall it’s not better than The Sopranos you fucking idiots!
What did you think of Ash vs Evil Dead?