Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Evil Dead Is a Solid, Gory Update

Plus, Jurassic Park is Certified Fresh.

by | April 5, 2013 | Comments

This week at the movies, we’ve got an army of darkness (Evil Dead, starring Jane Levy and Shiloh Fernandez) and an island of dinosaurs (Jurassic Park, starring Sam Neill and Laura Dern). What do the critics have to say?

Evil Dead

63%

With Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, Sam Raimi pulled off a heady mix of over-the-top gore and subversive humor. Critics say this new Evil Dead doesn’t come close to matching its classic predecessors, but it’s a visceral, smarter-than-average frightfest that will impress gorehounds (and churn the stomachs of more sensitive types). When a group of teenagers in a remote cabin inadvertently summon demonic forces, they’re left to fend off all sorts of unimaginable evils — including each other. The pundits say Evil Dead lacks the sick wit that made the originals so compelling, but it’s an efficient, merciless piece of work that manages to carve out a style all its own. (Check out our interviews with the Evil Dead cast, as well as our gallery of particularly intense horror movies.)

Jurassic Park: An IMAX 3D Experience

92%

Upon its release in 1993, Jurassic Park smashed box office records and set a new standard for special effects. Now it’s getting a deluxe 3D theatrical rerelease, giving audiences another chance to witness Steven Spielberg’s deft mix of monster movie scares and beautifully lifelike dinosaurs on the big screen. Critics found Jurassic Park to be more spectacle than substance, but also were quick to note that it’s spectacle of a very high order, and the special effects hold up remarkably well 20 years later. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we run down some of cinema’s most memorable dinosaurs.)

Also opening this week in limited release:

Finally, props to Justin D. for coming the closest to guessing Temptation‘s 15 percent Tomatometer.