Best Army of Darkness DVD release...

[GalfordEX]

Hello all,

As I am a new user, please forgive me if I am posting in the wrong area. I tried searching the forum for a previously posted answer, but couldn't find anything. If there was a previous discussion on this I would appreciate an answer or a link to the original thread. What I want to know is which version of Army of Darkness on DVD is the best. I have the original limited edition DVD release, but saw they had a newer "Boomstick Edition" out. I compared the contents of each and they seem exactly the same minus packaging differences. Does one have more material or a better transfer? Should I upgrade to the Boomstick Edition or am I ok with the original limited edition release.

Thanks for any comparisons or feedback.

Sincerely,

Chris aka Galford EX

[Deus Ex Machina]

Theres a message like this elsewhere on the board.

But the limited two disc and the Boomstick Edition are it...that's the best copies of Army

[bigdaddyhorse]

The region 3 version from MGM is a way better version of the director's cut from all I've read and heard.
If I didn't have the old LE, I'd get this as well.
As for region 1, the LE and Boomstick are the same thing in different packaging.

[ekent]

Region 3 version easily trumps any other version of AOD. I highly suggest that you track that disc down if you are region free capable.

[Latency]

The Limited and Boomstick are exactly the same thing. The Bootleg and US Theatrical standalone version are the same thing too. AB just keeps changing the packaging.

Take this advice from the biggest AOD fan on this board (well, onebyone is too :) ). Keep your LE Anchor Bay US Theatrical Cut (forget about your LE DC) and buy the Region 3 MGM Directors Cut. AB took no care in their version of the Directors Cut. MGM's DC is light years ahead in the A/V department. I would even go so far as saying MGM's transfer beats the THX US Theatrical CUT from AB.

It's nice to have both discs because the US Cut ending can be funner than the more depressing DC. Depends on what mood you're in I guess :). I'm a big fan of the "Windmill" and "Battle" scenes, so I find myself watching MGM's DC more.

[Latency]

this is the one you want:

http://i3.yesasia.com/assets/imgs/videos/75/p1002492075.jpg

http://us.yesasia.com/en/SrAllDept.aspx?section=index&code=c&searchby=apg&did=155&str=army+of+darkness

Trust me, you'll be very very impressed :)

[onebyone]

The Limited and Boomstick are exactly the same thing. The Bootleg and US Theatrical standalone version are the same thing too. AB just keeps changing the packaging.

Take this advice from the biggest AOD fan on this board (well, onebyone is too :) ). Keep your LE Anchor Bay US Theatrical Cut (forget about your LE DC) and buy the Region 3 MGM Directors Cut. AB took no care in their version of the Directors Cut. MGM's DC is light years ahead in the A/V department. I would even go so far as saying MGM's transfer beats the THX US Theatrical CUT from AB.

It's nice to have both discs because the US Cut ending can be funner than the more depressing DC. Depends on what mood you're in I guess :). I'm a big fan of the "Windmill" and "Battle" scenes, so I find myself watching MGM's DC more.

I got to agree with Latency on this, although I like the original ending better but it is nice to have them both. I do vary which I watch, depending on my mood. The Region 3 cut is miles better than the AB version.

[Lawrence]

The UK AB 2 disc release has both the theatrical version and directors cut version. Loads of extras and suits me fine!

[Latency]

It may suit you fine but it's not the best version of Army of Darkness as requested in this thread :)

The best versions are still the MGM Region 3 DC and US Theatrical by AB.

[Freibiergesicht]

The best versions are still the MGM Region 3 DC and US Theatrical by AB.

nah, forget the US theatrical cut.... MGM has put out the theatrical cut for europe as this was the only dubbed cut official available to us europeans with the supermarket ending

so you get 2 beautiful transfers, both from MGM: one is the D.C. (RC3) and the other one is the theatrical cut (RC2).....

but kudos to anchor bay for producing the special features (Men behind the army still exclusive to AB discs among others)

[Latency]

Holy fuck! News to me. How much better is the MGM Theatrical ? I know AB's is THX cerified so it can't be that much better can it ?

[DaZD[N]KnFuZD]

Looks like Freibiergesicht is right. I've done some searching online for a R2 release of Army Of Darkness by MGM, and lo and behold there is one. It looks like it's a Dutch/German release. Picture quality looks similar to the DC release by MGM in Region 3. Extra's are lacklustre, so it looks like the AB LE release isn't a complete waste of money for those who have bought it.

Here's the site I found a review on. http://www.dvd.nl/reviews.php?reviewid=1263
I think it's in Dutch, well that's the only language I could convert to English successfully when translating it.

[Freibiergesicht]

yeah, this is the european RC2 DVD from MGM with the theatrical cut, and it definitely has a MUCH better overall quality than the AB theatrical cut... available everywhere in europe with original english language, the disc itself is identical

again, I'm not sure if MGM really did have a superior master than AB had or if AB just completely screwed up the transfer

[dwatts]

I saw this for the first time last night :) I have the Boomstick release from AB (hey, got it secondhand for less than $15.)

Anyway, I thought the movie was okay. Looking at the three films in the series, I'd say, for me, they got progressively worse. I like the darker tone of the first one, did laugh during ED 2, and thought AOD was a bunch of one liners that was merely okay. I was bothered that at times it felt like they wanted to tread the same ground as MP and the Holy Grail. You can't beat the Python team, who made medieval lives about as funny as they could ever be.

As to the endings, I actually didn't like either of them. The ending in the theatrical cut, in the store, seemed tacked on and very unecessary. The supposed "depressing" ending was nothing of the sort, but it still didn't really work, since you knew something was going to go amiss when he forgot to say the words again. I don't know, neither of them really satisfied me.

Still, for a cheap price you might get a few laughs. Obviously, I have the Directors Cut, but I'm in no hurry to revisit the title. Maybe some time in the future. This is a five out of ten for me.

[Damin J. Toell]

again, I'm not sure if MGM really did have a superior master than AB had or if AB just completely screwed up the transfer

Yes, MGM really did have superior source materials. Anchor Bay and Sam Raimi's production company tried searching for film elements for the director's cut, but came up empty. Anchor Bay instead used Bruce Campbell's personal tape copy. MGM has since apparently been able to acquire actual film elements from the mess that is the various production companies that Dino DeLaurentiis has run over the years.

As for why MGM's theatrical disc looks better than Anchor Bay's, well, DVD mastering and compression has come a long way since 1999...

DJ

[Shannafey]

It is sad that we have so many versions of the same movie to buy. We shouldn't have to have a discussion like this! I bought the limited 2 disc set ages ago, and I am very happy with it, so I don't intend to buy another copy. From what I understand, the Boomstick edition is the same, and it's fairly inexpensive, so it's probably a good choice.

[h8sh8]

Is that Euorpean version the 'International Theatrical Cut'? The Aussie dvd has this version (released on dvd by MGM also - cheap price too!) - it's apparently longer that US Theatrical (10mins), shorter than the Dirs Cuts (6mins)... the dvd is not the best one to get worldwide though - I'd go R3 for that too.

There's a comparison of the 4 different cuts (counting the Hong Kong version as one different cut), and 12 different dvd releases at the bottom of this review...
http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Reviews.asp?ID=3691

-EDIT-
Anyone wanting the International Cut, can get it here (though out of stock at the moment)
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/224233
(approx $17.50 USD including postage - I could be wrong tho)

or search for better prices, or one in stock here (Aussie shop price finder)
http://www.getonce.com.au/dvd.html
- got no idea how much the Norway dvd costs with the same cut.