by Josh Sewell
Evil Dead Rise
(Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and some language. Now playing in theaters.)
In the latest reimagining of Sam Raimi’s iconic horror franchise, the titular evil moves out of the woods and into the city. At the center of the narrative are estranged sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who reconnect as they face their own crises. However, their joyous reunion is cut short when flesh-possessing demons invade the apartment of Ellie and her kids (Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies and Nell Fisher), forcing them into a seemingly futile battle for survival.
Much like the previous attempt to reboot the franchise (back in 2013), Evil Dead Rise is a brutal, bleak throwback to Raimi’s 1981 original. There are a handful of darkly humorous moments, but there’s almost none of the cartoon silliness of his sequels Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness.
Other viewers’ mileage may vary, but that was a bummer for me. I prefer the goofy tone, considering I’m pretty squeamish when it comes to body horror, but even I can’t deny the power of writer-director Lee Cronin’s gory, creative violence. (I’ll never look at a cheese grater or a wine glass the same way again.)
The horror genre is often dismissed because the focus is on blood and guts rather than good acting, but that’s definitely not the case with Evil Dead Rise. Sullivan is terrific as Beth, a heroine full of pathos, earning viewers’ sympathy almost immediately with a personal crossroads that connects thematically with the horrors about to unfold. Echols, Davis and Fisher are also strong as the kids in danger, but it’s Sutherland who everyone will be talking about when the credits roll.
Simply put, the Australian model-turned-actress is a revelation. Not only is she one of the scariest, most visually striking villains in recent memory, her performance never lets you forget who Ellie used to be, and the inherent tragedy in her loss.
My biggest issue with the film concerns the unnecessary bookend segments. They hold only a tenuous connection to the main story, existing primarily to boost the body count and set up a possible sequel. But since we barely get to know these characters before they meet their gruesome demise, they pale in comparison to the actual protagonists.
Grade: B
Ghosted
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence/action, brief strong language and some sexual content. Now available on Apple TV+.)
I’m generally a big fan of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, so it brings me no joy to report that Ghosted is bland, lazy filmmaking of the lowest order. It feels like an algorithm designed the movie to satisfy viewers of every demographic, but it ends up pleasing no one because of a lack of stakes and narrative risks.
Even the premise seems like it was created in a lab to be the most mediocre idea imaginable. (Instead, we can credit Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, along with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.) When good-natured Cole (Evans) meets the enigmatic Sadie (de Armas), he falls in love right away. It’s a bit more complicated for her, which he realizes upon learning she’s a deadly secret agent. After he’s kidnapped by terrorists, the two of them are thrown into the middle of a globetrotting adventure to save the world.
Ghosted is full of forgettable spectacle and bombast that exists mainly to pass the time and evaporate from viewers’ memories as soon as the credits roll. That’s a shame considering Evans and de Armas are compelling performers when provided with the right material. Obviously, they’re not bad to look at either – which director Dexter Fletcher takes advantage of in a shameless attempt to distract from the flick’s many, many weaknesses. It doesn’t work.
For every charming interaction – most of them brief – between Evans and de Armas, there are several scenes where they bicker about nonsense while battling anonymous enemies for control of a hi-tech doodad we know almost nothing about. The talented supporting cast is also squandered. Why hire actors like Tate Donovan, Amy Sedaris, Adrien Brody and Anna Deavere Smith if you’re not going to do anything interesting with them?
That’s even more true when it comes to the numerous distracting, phoned-in cameos that bring any semblance of narrative momentum to a screeching halt. Sure, it’s nice that Evans and the screenwriters called in favors from their famous pals. But it would’ve been even better if their brief appearances served the (nonexistent) story instead of pausing the plot so viewers have a chance to shout and applaud.
Ghosted is a surprising dip in quality for Fletcher, who directed the far superior Rocketman, and continues Evans’ mostly disappointing post-Marvel choices. It suggests de Armas needs to rethink her future career decisions as well. For every Knives Out (also a rare win for Evans) and No Time to Die, we also got Deep Water and Blonde. And that’s not even getting into the duo’s previous collaboration, The Gray Man. Oof.
Despite being burned twice now, I’d love for them to team up again. But let’s stay away from action flicks. Why not a full-blown romcom or another mystery? Those seem like safer territory.
Grade: D+
(Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and some language. Now playing in theaters.)
In the latest reimagining of Sam Raimi’s iconic horror franchise, the titular evil moves out of the woods and into the city. At the center of the narrative are estranged sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who reconnect as they face their own crises. However, their joyous reunion is cut short when flesh-possessing demons invade the apartment of Ellie and her kids (Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies and Nell Fisher), forcing them into a seemingly futile battle for survival.
Much like the previous attempt to reboot the franchise (back in 2013), Evil Dead Rise is a brutal, bleak throwback to Raimi’s 1981 original. There are a handful of darkly humorous moments, but there’s almost none of the cartoon silliness of his sequels Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness.
Other viewers’ mileage may vary, but that was a bummer for me. I prefer the goofy tone, considering I’m pretty squeamish when it comes to body horror, but even I can’t deny the power of writer-director Lee Cronin’s gory, creative violence. (I’ll never look at a cheese grater or a wine glass the same way again.)
The horror genre is often dismissed because the focus is on blood and guts rather than good acting, but that’s definitely not the case with Evil Dead Rise. Sullivan is terrific as Beth, a heroine full of pathos, earning viewers’ sympathy almost immediately with a personal crossroads that connects thematically with the horrors about to unfold. Echols, Davis and Fisher are also strong as the kids in danger, but it’s Sutherland who everyone will be talking about when the credits roll.
Simply put, the Australian model-turned-actress is a revelation. Not only is she one of the scariest, most visually striking villains in recent memory, her performance never lets you forget who Ellie used to be, and the inherent tragedy in her loss.
My biggest issue with the film concerns the unnecessary bookend segments. They hold only a tenuous connection to the main story, existing primarily to boost the body count and set up a possible sequel. But since we barely get to know these characters before they meet their gruesome demise, they pale in comparison to the actual protagonists.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence/action, brief strong language and some sexual content. Now available on Apple TV+.)
I’m generally a big fan of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, so it brings me no joy to report that Ghosted is bland, lazy filmmaking of the lowest order. It feels like an algorithm designed the movie to satisfy viewers of every demographic, but it ends up pleasing no one because of a lack of stakes and narrative risks.
Even the premise seems like it was created in a lab to be the most mediocre idea imaginable. (Instead, we can credit Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, along with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.) When good-natured Cole (Evans) meets the enigmatic Sadie (de Armas), he falls in love right away. It’s a bit more complicated for her, which he realizes upon learning she’s a deadly secret agent. After he’s kidnapped by terrorists, the two of them are thrown into the middle of a globetrotting adventure to save the world.
Ghosted is full of forgettable spectacle and bombast that exists mainly to pass the time and evaporate from viewers’ memories as soon as the credits roll. That’s a shame considering Evans and de Armas are compelling performers when provided with the right material. Obviously, they’re not bad to look at either – which director Dexter Fletcher takes advantage of in a shameless attempt to distract from the flick’s many, many weaknesses. It doesn’t work.
For every charming interaction – most of them brief – between Evans and de Armas, there are several scenes where they bicker about nonsense while battling anonymous enemies for control of a hi-tech doodad we know almost nothing about. The talented supporting cast is also squandered. Why hire actors like Tate Donovan, Amy Sedaris, Adrien Brody and Anna Deavere Smith if you’re not going to do anything interesting with them?
That’s even more true when it comes to the numerous distracting, phoned-in cameos that bring any semblance of narrative momentum to a screeching halt. Sure, it’s nice that Evans and the screenwriters called in favors from their famous pals. But it would’ve been even better if their brief appearances served the (nonexistent) story instead of pausing the plot so viewers have a chance to shout and applaud.
Ghosted is a surprising dip in quality for Fletcher, who directed the far superior Rocketman, and continues Evans’ mostly disappointing post-Marvel choices. It suggests de Armas needs to rethink her future career decisions as well. For every Knives Out (also a rare win for Evans) and No Time to Die, we also got Deep Water and Blonde. And that’s not even getting into the duo’s previous collaboration, The Gray Man. Oof.
Despite being burned twice now, I’d love for them to team up again. But let’s stay away from action flicks. Why not a full-blown romcom or another mystery? Those seem like safer territory.
Grade: D+
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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