| He's here to kick butt and chew gum, and gum hasn't been
invented yet.
 Spending a weekend at a cabin in the woods, Ash and
his friends accidentally unleashed an ancient evil. First, it took
the others; then it came for him. The evil got into his hand, so he
cut it off. The only way to defeat the evil was to open a rift in
space and time. Ash was sucked in, and now finds himself trapped in
the Dark Ages, still fighting the evil.
Evil Dead is a classic horror movie for one
reason--it's really horrible. The acting is lackluster, the effects
aren't very special, and the plot is fairly generic. Of course, the
producers realized this, and in Evil Dead 2 they fully embraced the notion and
went the more comedic route. This served them well, and led us to Army of Darkness, a terrifically over-the-top
send-up of the typical mores of a horror/adventure film (actually,
it was originally going to be called "Medieval Dead," but they were
afraid no one would get the joke). Nobody likes the Evil Dead
trilogy because it's horrifying--we like it because it's fun.
Well, that and the drinking game.
As Poe detailed in his Points of
Articulation column, the fact that Ash is a Movie Maniac at all
is a testament to the tenacity of toy fans. McToys stated repeatedly
that they had no intention of making him, because they didn't think
there would be any demand. The fans (such as the crew over at Deadites Online)
kept at it, kept getting more and more support, until finally they
were rewarded. Ash debuted in MM3, and was instantly the absolute
hardest piece to find; some less-reputable online stores still try
to sell him for upwards of $30. Never one to miss an opportunity,
McFarlane continues to release Army of Darkness sets two years
later.
Like most of the Movie Maniacs, Ash really only has one pose.
Taken from the scene near the beginning of AoD, he's ready to
swing his chainsaw at the attacking Pit Witch. Ash comes with his
chainsaw, of course, as well as the metal gauntlet that was built
for him in medieval times. He's got his boomstick strapped to his
back, and can hold it in the metal hand. This, coupled with the
pose, really spotlights the shortcomings of the McFarlane style of
action figure: Ash may look cool the way we're "intended" to see
him, brandishing his chainsaw and staring down his enemy, but he
looks stupid any other way.
Give him the shotgun, and he's waving it behind himself. Turn his
head to the front and he's got a weird tilt, like a dog hearing a
strange noise. Why doesn't Ash have elbows? Why doesn't he have hips
and knees? Why can't he hold his shotgun
proudly above his head and tell those primitive screwheads to
listen up? McToys are so concerned with "hiding" their articulation
that they've forgotten what it means to be a toy maker.
  McFarlane can usually be counted on to deliver a
stunning likeness with their Movie Maniacs, but it seems someone
fell asleep at the wheel when Ash came by. I suppose he bears a
passing resemblance to Bruce Campbell (see the profile), but no one
is going to mistake him for Brisco County Jr., if you catch my
drift. The 18" version had a different pose and a different head,
which looked quite a sight better than this original 7" version.
 Ash's accessories are finished off by a mini-Ash (with
a fork) and the Necronomicon. The book is molded from soft, rubbery
pvc, making it feel more like the human flesh in which it is
supposedly bound. Ash's shirt is also rubbery, and sculpted around
his bare torso, making all the nicks and cuts in the cloth seem that
much more realistic, since we can see his body beneath. He's got
blood and dirt smeared on his body, and tiny little hands painted on
the face of his watch.
Overall this is a mediocre figure; it barely moves, it looks
ridiculous in all but one prescribed pose, and the likeness is off.
However, it's just so much fun to have a figure of our hero, Ash,
that a lot of that can be forgiven. McFarlane listened to the fans,
even when it's not what he thought would work. That's a bold move.
Hail to the king, baby.
Is it right for a retailer to artificially inflate the price of a
popular product? Why does my Ash have his human hand? How do you
play the Evil Dead drinking game? Discuss all this (and everything
else) at our message board, the Loafing Lounge.
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