You’re 29 years old and working a dead end job at an electrics store. You’ve got a strained relationship with your mother caused by a disapproving stepfather. Your best friend/roommate is a freeloader who doesn’t pay rent and just might be holding you back. And last but not least, your girlfriend has just dumped you citing your careless lifestyle and penchant for the local pub, the Winchester.
Welcome to Shaun’s life. It’s going nowhere fast and following a rude awakening from his roommate late one night, he vows to sort it out the next morning. One problem: Shaun (Simon Pegg) awakes that morning to a sweeping zombie epidemic, later to be named “Z-Day.” No better time to start, right? Armed with nothing but a cricket paddle, his best friend Ed (Nick Frost), his ex-girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), and his Mom (Penelope Wilton) among others, Shaun sets out to prove his worth all while saving the day, his failing relationships, and their lives.
Shaun of the Dead is directed by Edgar Wright and reunites him with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the three of whom worked together on the popular BBC show Spaced from 1999-2001. The three have become a sort of dream team together and Shaun of the Dead shows exactly why. Co-written by Pegg and Wright, the script hits on every zombie film convention in the book, and in hilarious fashion. Shaun of the Dead employs a very tongue-in-cheek, self-reflexive type humor with Pegg and Frost carrying a majority of the comedy load and not disappointing in the process. Pegg even shows some solid dramatic range in the film’s finale at the Winchester.
There’s really not much I can say to do this film justice, its been a favorite of mine since the first time I watched it and it only gets funnier with repeat viewings (see: The Winchester scene where Shaun, Ed, and Liz pummel the pub’s owner to the tune of “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen). The best advice and review I can give to those who haven’t seen it: You should.
*****/5
kucritic 