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 Guy with girlfriend problems and boorish roommate ends up fighting off a hoard of zombies while trapped in his favorite pub. 2004, 99 minutes
Did you ever think that just because the world gets overrun by the undead that maybe you wouldn't instantly turn into some clench-jawed, grim-faced morose bastard that alternately sits around wondering about the philosophical implications of zombies taking over your mall and coming up with a plan that sees you turning buses into armor-plated war wagons complete with various MacGyver-style weapons? What if once the zombies started infesting your neighborhood, you were still the same nobody stuck with a high-maintenance girlfriend, dead end job, freak friends, and jerk step father? In short, what if this sudden outbreak of the living dead just turned out to be another pain in your ass?
That's the premise of this British zombie movie that's the hilarious answer to Danny Boyle's hyper-serious end-of-the-world movie, 28 Days Later, that while is quite the credible zombie movie (even if Danny refuses to acknowledge that it's a zombie movie - nice try Danny, but Umberto Lenzi already tried that with his own zombie movie, Nightmare City .) isn't a heck of a lot of fun. Shaun Of The Dead though manages to pull a constant stream of laughs from the everyday reactions of its everyday characters as they confront the ever-increasing zombie presence. And while, I found myself snickering throughout the proceedings, the movie managed the neat trick of never descending into broad parody such that you thought you were watching one of those Scary Movie abominations. The humor comes from the characters and the situations, not from sending up scenes from any particular film. The result is a very effective zombie movie that feels fresh, despite sharing virtually the same plot as every other film of its ilk.
Shaun is a twenty-nine year old guy who works in an electronics store and spends most every night hanging out at his favorite pub, The Winchester, with his girlfriend Liz, her two flatmates, and his best friend Ed. The movie manages to establish all of them beautifully in the opening scene as Shaun endures Liz's demands that they do something more in life than just hang out at the pub, while Ed periodically chimes in with some horribly inappropriate profanity and Liz's two buddies support Liz's position. Shaun attempts to be non-confrontational about it all, not wanting to upset any of them. The tone of things is set pretty early on when Liz complains about how things are "exacerbated" by something and Shaun asks what she means and when she attempts to explain her views he says, "no, what does exacerbate mean?" Meanwhile, Ed is shouting something like "bollocks!" at the top of his lungs about who knows what.
The next day, some strange things begin to happen, but Shaun is too preoccupied with going to work, keeping his girlfriend happy and dealing with his other roommate who hates Ed to notice much. Finally, after Shaun screws up a dinner reservation for him and Liz, she dumps him and Shaun ends up back at The Winchester commiserating with Ed, who even as zombies are pounding on the door, tells Shaun that it's not it's the end of the world. After a couple of funny confrontations with zombies (Shaun insists that Ed not use that word) in their backyard, Ed and Shaun finally begin to realize the enormity of the problem. Shaun says they need to go rescue his mom and Liz. Ed likes this plan because it's going to allow him to drive their other roommate's car for the first time.
Shaun and Ed go about assembling the group of survivors that all these zombie movies seem to have. Of course, it just isn't a bunch of strangers thrown together by happenstance who have to get to know each other. Shaun is hopeful this will provide him an opportunity to finally be rid of stepdad and get back together with Liz. There's also the simmering feud between Shaun and one Liz's pals, David. And Ed is just excited to be able to drive Shaun's stepdad's Jaguar (don't ask what happened to Ed's roommate's car).
Once the group is finally assembled, Shaun explains his plan and watching him attempt to explain to Liz that even though the end of the world is happening, he's still saying they need to be hanging out The Winchester, is priceless. Their journey to the pub is not without troubles and involve funny bits with Shaun using trampolines, a child's slide, and an impromptu acting lesson by Liz's friend Mary. The movie's version of the "under siege" part of things (you know the scene - board up the farmhouse, the mall, the pub, whatever) mixes increasingly graphic violence with the trademark humor as well as some surprisingly emotional moments.
A funny script and Simon Pegg's (Shaun) unfailing deadpan performance throughout all the madness carry the movie, though Nick Frost (Ed) routinely threatens to steal the show, taking cell phone calls in the middle of zombie attacks, obsessing over whether dogs can look up, and driving like a maniac whenever he gets the chance. And don't think that this is some sort of wimpy zombie movie just because its funny. You still get exploding heads, impaled zombies, and guys getting their guts ripped out in the best Tom Savini style. Basically, Shaun Of The Dead combines the best of all worlds here, with plenty of gore and excitement, likable characters, and comedy that never devolves into lame schtick. The dry British wit reanimates a genre that has a tendency to be frighteningly repetitive with new life, while still paying homage to several of the films it emulates with several non-intrusive in-jokes. Notoriously hard to accomplish, this is a horror comedy that manages both without sacrificing either.
Reviews © 2004
MonsterHunter
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