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Shaun of the Dead
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright knock it out of the park with 2004's Shaun of the Dead, a deft and imaginative black comedy that seamlessly blends roll-on-the-floor comedy with stomach churning violence, riveting the viewer with a story that galvanizes the viewer and never allows said viewer to forget he's watching a movie either.
The setting is contemporary London where we meet Shaun (Pegg), a working class geek who seems to be stuck in a dead end job at an appliance store, has a stepfather who he hates and a girlfriend who recently dumped him. While being given silly advice from his slovenly roommate, Shaun begins to wallow in self-pity and is so discouraged about the state of his life that it take him a minute to realize that there is a Zombie Apocalypse going on in his neighborhood.
Director and co-screenwriter Edgar Wright have created a loving valentine to films like Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead which pitted regular humans against creatures risen from the dead, but Wright and Pegg have cleverly constructed their screenplay with their collective tongues firmly planted in their cheeks that create a real conflict for the viewer. On one hand, the humor that pervades the proceedings is telling us not to take what we're seeing too seriously, but the blood-curdling violence that's also present that makes it hard to do that, creating a cinematic roller coaster ride that keeps the viewers on their toes at all times. Needless to say, the best part of this story is watching this put upon schlub named Shaun step up and become the unexpected but more than welcome hero of the story.
The dry humor and silliness is well-balanced by some spectacular special effects. Loved when Simon and roommate Ed are watching the news and the anchorman is warning them of everything they shouldn't do if confronting a zombie and we have just watched them do all of these things. I was also thrilled watching that lady zombie impaled on that steel bar and then magically lift herself off of it. The look on Shaun and Ed's faces after seeing this provided a chuckle the viewer doesn't really have time for. The scene where the group of survivors are practicing how to imitate zombies in order to escape also had me on the floor.
Wright's direction is in your face and endlessly stylish and he gets a solid assist from his film editor Chris Dickens and his special effects team, who both do Oscar-worthy work here. Pegg lights up the screen as Shaun and gets solid support from Nick Frost as the smarmy Ed. A shout out to the quirky music as well. An unexpected shot of black humor that engaged me immediately and entertained beyond expectation.
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright knock it out of the park with 2004's Shaun of the Dead, a deft and imaginative black comedy that seamlessly blends roll-on-the-floor comedy with stomach churning violence, riveting the viewer with a story that galvanizes the viewer and never allows said viewer to forget he's watching a movie either.
The setting is contemporary London where we meet Shaun (Pegg), a working class geek who seems to be stuck in a dead end job at an appliance store, has a stepfather who he hates and a girlfriend who recently dumped him. While being given silly advice from his slovenly roommate, Shaun begins to wallow in self-pity and is so discouraged about the state of his life that it take him a minute to realize that there is a Zombie Apocalypse going on in his neighborhood.
Director and co-screenwriter Edgar Wright have created a loving valentine to films like Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead which pitted regular humans against creatures risen from the dead, but Wright and Pegg have cleverly constructed their screenplay with their collective tongues firmly planted in their cheeks that create a real conflict for the viewer. On one hand, the humor that pervades the proceedings is telling us not to take what we're seeing too seriously, but the blood-curdling violence that's also present that makes it hard to do that, creating a cinematic roller coaster ride that keeps the viewers on their toes at all times. Needless to say, the best part of this story is watching this put upon schlub named Shaun step up and become the unexpected but more than welcome hero of the story.
The dry humor and silliness is well-balanced by some spectacular special effects. Loved when Simon and roommate Ed are watching the news and the anchorman is warning them of everything they shouldn't do if confronting a zombie and we have just watched them do all of these things. I was also thrilled watching that lady zombie impaled on that steel bar and then magically lift herself off of it. The look on Shaun and Ed's faces after seeing this provided a chuckle the viewer doesn't really have time for. The scene where the group of survivors are practicing how to imitate zombies in order to escape also had me on the floor.
Wright's direction is in your face and endlessly stylish and he gets a solid assist from his film editor Chris Dickens and his special effects team, who both do Oscar-worthy work here. Pegg lights up the screen as Shaun and gets solid support from Nick Frost as the smarmy Ed. A shout out to the quirky music as well. An unexpected shot of black humor that engaged me immediately and entertained beyond expectation.