Shaun
of the Dead (2004)
Rated R
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Kate
Ashfield
Rating:

out
of

|
Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a twenty-nine year old man with no direction in
his life. His daily routine includes working at an electronics store and
then spending time at the bar with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield),
and his friend (and flatmate), Ed (Nick Frost). Worried that her relationship
with Shaun will doom her to a life of daily visits to the pub and nights
full of regret, Liz breaks up with him. Ordinarily, that would give Shaun
enough reason to be concerned about his lovelife. Unfortunately, the recently
deceased have started coming back to life and Shaun and Ed have to figure
out how to escape their house, rescue Liz and Shaun's mum, Barbara (Penelope
Wilton) and find their way to safety.
Shaun
of the Dead is a mash-up of romantic comedy, zombie horror, and
biting British humor in one convenient package. Who would ask for such
a combination? I'm not quite sure, but it certainly made me laugh out
loud. Shaun and Ed are likable slackers with little ambition and a good
sense of humor. Their interactions alone are worth the price of admission.
With the added camaraderie of Liz's friends, Di (Lucy Davis) and David
(Dylan Moran), the humor stays focused on the turmoil between Shaun and
his friends rather than the zombies. The zombies are an annoyance that
interrupts the frequent -- and quite funny -- spats between the main characters.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are veterans of the British TV show Spaced,
which I have never seen, but it's obvious that the two have developed
comedic chemistry and that helps Shaun of the Dead immensely. Shaun's
trip to the grocery store after a night of heavy drinking and his eventual
realization that things are not normal are classic stuff.
Shaun
of the Dead is definitely a niche movie. How many romantic comedy
fans are going to endure the heavy gore present in the zombie scenes?
If the concept sounds appealing to you, then the movie won't let you down.
If the mere description of the plot sounds like it won't work for you,
chances are you're right. For everyone else, this is a classic comedy/zombie
movie, of which there are few. Trivia: When
Shaun comes into work, one of his co-workers mentions something about
someone named Ash calling out from work. Ash is the name of Bruce
Campbell's character in the Evil Dead trilogy. (Source: The
Internet Movie Database) |