Sam Raimi has been a well-known and well-respected director for nearly 40 years and has made some incredible films. Raimi famously got his start in the horror genre with his first full-length film, The Evil Dead. What started as an extremely low-budget B horror movie with a crew of just 13 people, filmed in the woods of Tennessee, became an ongoing franchise that gave Raimi the opportunity to direct an entire catalog of movies. While he has primarily stayed within the horror genre, Raimi has also tried his hand in the thriller, drama, crime, fantasy, and even sports genres. Of course, Raimi has also excelled in the superhero genre with his universally loved Spider-Man trilogy.
Raimi is good at what he does because he blends genres in a way that translates well on-screen. He has a unique directing style that blends genres, as seen in many of his movies, and it usually works out well for him. There are a few outliers in his filmography, but most of his films are extremely enjoyable. So, here is every movie directed by Sam Raimi, ranked from worst to best:
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)
This Disney-produced prequel film to The Wizard of Oz is probably the most un-Raimi film in his entire filmography. Oz the Great and Powerful follows a small-time magician named Oscar Diggs (James Franco) who is swept away to the Land of Oz where he meets three witches who believe he is the great wizard Oz has been waiting for. Oscar must determine who is good and who is evil while using his magic skills to transform into the Wizard of Oz.
It is an interesting concept for a movie considering how popular the original has been for decades, but it unfortunately did not resonate with most audiences. It doesn’t come across as a piece of Raimi’s work, and its overuse of CGI and unlikable characters make it his least enjoyable film. For many, the movie has been rightfully sent straight down the memory hole, never to emerge again.
‘Crimewave’ (1985)
Raimi’s second feature shares the same campy humor he has infused into most of his films. Crimewave has an off-kilter rhythm and may be too strange for most, but it can still be enjoyable. It follows a pair of whacked-out, almost cartoonish, exterminators/hitmen who kill the owner of a burglar alarm company.
The two stalk the man who hired them, his wife, and the nerd who framed them for murder, who tells the story through flashbacks while in an electric chair. It’s convoluted with many bizarre, nonsensical plot points. It was co-written by Raimi and the Coen brothers, so it would be a perfect watch for fans of both.
‘Spider-Man 3’ (2007)
The third and final installment of Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy is the weakest of the three. Spider-Man 3 stuffs too many characters and subplots into the storyline that overshadows what the trilogy is all about: Peter Parker learning to become the best version of the web-slinging hero he can be. The darker turn Peter (Tobey Maguire) takes in the movie after the symbiote finds him has become a viral internet joke on social media, where this overconfident version of Peter is called “Bully Maguire.”
The overstuffed storylines and the rather laughable characterization of Peter contribute to its low ranking among most fans’ Spider-Man film rankings. The movie can still be entertaining if you are a big fan of Spider-Man, but it remains a low point for both the franchise and for Raimi.
‘The Gift’ (2000)
The Gift is one of the rare occasions when Raimi didn’t attempt to blend comedy into the narrative. The film follows a clairvoyant woman named Annabelle Wilson (Cate Blanchett), who everyone turns to when Jessica King (Katie Holmes) goes missing. All eyes are on her, not because she’s a suspect, but because the town believes she can figure out what happened to her. Annabelle doesn’t think she can help, but it doesn’t prevent her from having visions of Jessica’s fate.
It has solid performances by Blanchett, Holmes, and Greg Kinnear, and features a very different role for Keanu Reeves as the town’s resident abusive husband, but it doesn’t quite live up to its expectations in the end. Still, it is an entertaining film despite some of the logical flaws.
‘The Quick and the Dead’ (1995)
Another movie that is a bit of an outlier for Raimi, The Quick and the Dead is an action-packed Western romance that follows a female gunslinger named Ellen (Sharon Stone). She rides into a prairie town with the intention of avenging her father’s death, right as a dueling competition is about to take place.
Ellen enters the contest in her quest for vengeance, and what follows is a series of one-on-one shootouts that are depicted with cartoonish gore, another one of Raimi’s signature traits. It also features several other familiar faces, including Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and even a pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is far from one of the best Westerns of the decade, but it is an entertaining outing for fans of the genre.
‘A Simple Plan’ (1998)
One thing that Raimi’s films almost always have in common is a star-studded cast. Starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brigette Fonda, A Simple Plan follows three blue-collar workers who come across $4 million in lost cash inside a deserted plane, and decide to keep the money for themselves if no one claims it.
They go to great lengths to protect it, and they question their own morality in doing so. They try to justify their actions by insisting that the bad acts they commit are actually for the greater good, but they still struggle with the complexities of selfless and selfish behavior. The film shows none of Raimi’s typical visual flair, but it makes for a more somber, gripping story to be engaged with.
‘For Love of the Game’ (1999)
This may be Raimi’s most conventional and least Raimi-like work to date, but if you enjoy sports (baseball specifically), then this Kevin Costner-led sports drama will probably work better for you than it did for others. For Love of the Game (1999) tells the story of a fictional Detroit Tigers pitcher named Billy Chapel (Costner) who reflects on his career during his final pitching outing in a game against the New York Yankees.
As he reflects on his career, he also reflects on his years-long relationship with Jane (Kelly Preston) and her daughter, who has become like a daughter to him. Raimi shoots the baseball scenes with love and affection, which is something that true baseball fans can appreciate. The issue some have with the movie is its focus on Billy and Jane’s relationship, which, truthfully, does overshadow the baseball aspect of the narrative.
‘Darkman’ (1990)
Darkman is Raimi’s first true endeavor in the superhero genre, but with Raimi’s own spin on it. This revenge thriller has elements of both an old monster movie and a modern crime epic, and it works surprisingly well. The film follows a brilliant scientist named Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) who discovers a way to produce synthetic skin that could revolutionize skin grafting. However, the synthetic skin degrades after 100 minutes of light exposure.
When gangsters attack Peyton, he is horrifically burned and left for dead. In his quest for revenge, Peyton can assume the appearance of anyone by using the synthetic skin and adopts the persona of Darkman. Some sequences are reminiscent of the horror elements in his Evil Dead trilogy, but for the most part, it is a gripping thriller with action-packed scenes, making it one of his better films.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was Raimi’s first foray back into the superhero genre after completing his Spider-Man trilogy in 2007. The film follows Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he traverses across the multiverse with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) to battle sinister versions of himself and a dark version of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).
This was the first movie in the MCU to feel like it was teetering on the horror spectrum, thanks to Raimi’s directing style. Many scenes with the Scarlet Witch as she is possessed by the Dark Hold feel reminiscent of both his Evil Dead films and Drag Me to Hell in the best way possible. With the inclusion of zombies, skeletons, magic, and apocalyptic worlds, it is a breath of fresh air against the typical MCU formula.
‘Drag Me to Hell’ (2009)
Speaking of Drag Me to Hell, this was Raimi’s first dive back into the world of horror after spending five years working on superhero movies. The premise is fairly simple. It follows a loan officer named Christine (Alison Lohman) who evicts an old woman from her home to prove to her boss that she is capable of making tough decisions, and finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate to rid herself of the ancient curse, she turns to a seer for help while evil forces try to push her to a breaking point.
Drag Me to Hell brings Raimi right back to his low-budget horror roots, and it rules. It’s gory, relentless, exciting, and wields Raimi’s classic campy humor at just the right moments.
Source link
Add Comment