TWE 4 Day Special; Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost.
Rating/Volume: 8.0 (256,000)
My rating: WATCH
Source: DVD

Welcome to the first installment into Review The 250's four day The World's End special event where I will be reviewing Edgar Wright's top four films (one each day) concluding with The World's End on Friday when it will be in cinemas everywhere! Please see the introduction I uploaded yesterday.

A bit of background information to the film; Shaun of the Dead was the first feature film written and directed by Edgar Wright. It follows Shaun (Simon Pegg) a twenty-something bloke who lives with his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) and his other friend Pete (Peter Serafinowicz). He has a dead end job in an electronics shop, his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) is sick of sitting in their local pub every night instead of going out and he is left feeling trapped. After getting dumped by his girlfriend and after coming home drunk, he has an epiphany and decides to get his life together the next day. Except, when the next day arrives, there happens to be a zombie takeover. Shaun and Ed hatch a plan to pick up his Mum, pick up Liz and then hole up in the only place he knows best, his local pub, The Winchester. 

Well, I'm sitting here in sunny Llandudno, Wales at my grandparents house. The sun is shining, the birds are singing but I am sitting inside by the window listening avidly to Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2 waiting for an interview with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright! The highlight of my day! They are all doing publicity for The World's End which, as you know, is being released this Friday. Buzzing just doesn't quite cover it. But Shaun of the Dead is where is all started. It was never intended to be a trilogy, all they wanted was to make a zombie film. Little did they know 9 years later it would get to this. 

Not only is Shaun of the Dead one of my favourite comedies of all time but it's also one of my favourite straight up films of all time. For a start, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a hilarious, yet unlikely double act. They just seem to click together. In the beginning, before their first hit TV show Spaced they were flatmates. Pegg had a degree in film and Frost was a waiter. Frost had no training in acting whatsoever and yet, now, they are some of the biggest names in comedy and Hollywood. Simon Pegg has just done Star Trek Into Darkness and Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol and Nick Frost has done a range of films from Attack the Block to The Boat That Rocked. But still, I prefer them together. I thought Paul was hilarious and, at the time, Spaced was very original. For me their best work is when they focus on the mundane; to me a scene with Pegg and Frost talking about restaurant bookings is just as funny as the more elaborate and important scenes. They just interact so well. I think the fact that they are such good friends in real life really translates well onto the screen and makes every scene a real treat. For me they can do no wrong. In fact all the acting is great. My favourite character, aside from the stars, has got to be David played by the hilarious Dylan Moran. He was the lead star in a TV series called Black Books and he was also in Run, Fatboy, Run with Simon Pegg. Dave is Liz's flatmate and looks like a chartered accountant. This is such a great transformation from the character he plays. He's just a great actor and plays a great part. He also has one of the best endings in a film I've ever seen. It's worth watching for that scene alone. Very fun. Another reason it is one of my favourite films is due to unique direction style that Wright brings to the table. One of his biggest influences is Tony Scott and you can really tell. Each camera shot is very dynamic and the montage scenes are quick and well done. One of my favourite scenes is the opening credit scenes when there is a slow montage of the British public just going about their day; except its presented in a way that makes them all look like mindless zombies. A sort of subtle prelude to the overall message and irony of the film. Every shot has to be appreciated for the great amount of work that appears to go into them. However, that being said, It seems almost effortless to Wright. Looking at the special features of the DVD you really get the impression that he maps every scene out in his head before he's even wrote it down. His style is so effortless and fresh. He really made the whole film unique and special. Aside from all the technicalities, I also just love the story. This film was the first ever rom-zom-com that wasn't a parody. It preceded the likes of Zombieland, Doghouse and Warm Bodies and is still regarded as the best comedy zombie film ever. It actually does have a bit of everything. It's funny, a romance, a zombie film and a horror film, it has action, adventure, it's British but with Hollywood conventions, it's stylistic, it's emotional and it's epic! Why would anybody dislike this film?

Overall, this film is a must see and a great start to the Cornetto Trilogy. It's the perfect balance of com, rom and zom and it really does have something for everyone. You have no excuse to miss this film!

Now, I'm going to ask you to go and watch it yourself. It's available on DVD and Blu Ray everywhere from £3. It is also often on ITV so keep your eyes open on the TV schedule. Feel free to send me a message at reviewthe250@gmail.com with any comments and your own views and opinions and don't forget to leave a comment down below.

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Thanks for reading!

William

Next: Day 2 in our 4 day The World's End special event: Hot Fuzz