I was expecting good things from a movie which no less a critic than George A. Romero unashamedly promotes at any opportunity as one of the finest zombie films he’s ever seen, but even I wasn’t prepared for the quality of Shaun of the Dead. My eyes tend to glaze over when I am confronted with a piece of recent British film-making, which is a real arse as some of my favourite films hail from these very shores (I have only to mention The Wicker Man as proof). I blame it on too much box office success for Richard Curtis and his insidious ‘rom-coms’, which have somehow distracted the cinema going public’s attention from the fact that Hugh Grant a) cannot act and; b) is a tosser. I thus made every effort to avoid Shaun of the Dead at the time of its release in light of reviews describing it as ‘the first romantic zombie comedy’ – no thank you. With several friends recommending it though I finally bit the bullet (having first been assured that Grant was nowhere to be seen) and can only apologies for every shrug of indifference I affected when being told to go and watch it at the cinema.
What strikes you most about Shaun is the seamless integration of several genres into such a slick little movie. You could describe it as a zombie film, a romance and a comedy and you’d be right on all fronts. This is a very ambitious undertaking, especially when you consider that it was Simon Pegg’s first effort at movie screenwriting. Those who’ve seen him on British TV will appreciate that the man is a comedian/comedy writer of the first order but here he shows that he’s overly capable of dealing with any challenge a story might through at him. Though the comedy and romance are integral buttresses of Pegg’s story he’s much truer to the Romero approach to horror than most other imitators. Here, as in the Dead series, the zombies provide the startling catalysts to the human story. We’re back to the slow-moving, ponderous creatures of old which is a refreshing contrast to the hyper-efforts of the Resident Evil-type that seem to have established themselves as the typecast, with the former being infinitely more effective in fostering a menacing atmosphere.
Pegg pulls off the difficult task of retaining this horror while at the same time delivering a hilarious comedy. His mum calling the unbeknownst to her zombies ‘a bit bitey’ or Bill Nighy reassuring the family that he’ll be okay having just been bitten because he’s run the wound under a cold tap. Quintessentially English, but they gel together beautifully with the top-notch cast that delivers them. Pegg and Bill Nighy I’ve already mentioned, but it’d be unjust if I didn’t also single out Nick Frost, who’s fantastic as Shaun’s flatmate. On top of all of this (as if that wasn’t enough) the movie also has a serious and at times uncomfortable undercurrent which is impossible to disregard. The scene where Shaun has to shoot his mother is really wrenching and seems to jump out of nowhere and knock the viewer off balance. It’s a measure of both the writer and the superb cast that they never skip a beat in navigating their way through the confusion, and the sincerity with which they exhibit fear, sarcasm and genuine emotional hurt is a rare thing to see in film, especially a relatively low-budget British offering. A first rate zombie film, comedy and human drama, Shaun of the Dead is one of those rare offerings that gratifies on every level and restores faith in how good the cinema can be. It deserves to be in every DVD collection.
this is one of my favort movies, i didnt find it to be a comady but i did find it to have a romantic twist. the movie is about flesh eatting zombies that take over and bit people to turn them into zombies. the first incounter with the zobes is when shawn is out side after hearing a news station say the only way to stop the zobies is to distroy the brain, shawn and one of his freinds arm them selfs with old records that they throw at the zobies, one of the records hits the zobie in the face but it dosnt slow him down. with nothing elce to throw, the two men run to the shed and arm them selfs with a crokay bat and shovel. then the two take out there agression out on the zobies face killing the two zombies that are out side there house. the two come up with a plan to save shawns mom and ex girlfreind. they steal there roommates car and head over the shawns moms house were theres a jaq car in the drive way. they go inside have some tea then shawns mom and step father travil with shawn and his freind to save shawns ex girl freind, when they get there they have to fend of about 6 zobies then shawn climbs the building and his girlfreind lets him in. they have a plan to hid out at the local tavern. So now its shawn, shawns freind shawns mom step father exgirlfreind, her frind and boyfreind all crambed into the back of the jag. litttle did they know that shawns step father had been bitten so they stop the car and hide out in a back yard. there shawns mom is bitten but does not tell anyone, later when the group makes it the tavorn they hide out untill night fall when the zobies realize that there are survivors hanging out inside. the zobmies brake the windows and get in. shawn arms himself with a rife and shoots some of the zombies. after a while shawns mom starts turning into a zombie so shawn is forced to shoot his mother. the zombies get into the building and shawn and his girlfreind are the only ones left. they hide out behind the the bar, find a celler that connects to the street. right as they are about to go out side the national gaurd comes and finishes off all the zombies with assult rifes.
offering your child a sandwhich while zombies wander the streets outside, having a pint and a packet of nuts while zombies chew on human flesh outside, using a cricket bat as a weapon, does i need to mention this film is british……..i think not.
edit: i meant do in that last sentence. sorry (how very britsh, apologising over nothing, brilliant)
edit: i meant part in my last post, i am aware it wasn’t actually sentence but a continuation of a sentnce seperated by a comma. sorry (there i go again)