Wow. The Masked Reviewer has seen
the future of British zombie horror-comedies, and it is Shaun of the
Dead.
It's been too long since American audiences have been
treated to a great zombie movie. Not including Resident Evil:
Apocalypse, it's been about a year since the remake of Dawn of
the Dead was in theaters. That, in a word, was "zombierrific."
And now, the bar has been raised.
The Masked Reviewer is a connoisseur of the horredy genre. Part
horror, part comedy. Inspired by such greats as the Evil Dead
series by Spiderman's Sam Rami and Dead Alive by
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Shaun of the Dead
looks to be the next great cult hit. It's got it all: violence,
side-splitting laughs, and British accents. What more do you want?
Well?
Check out this list of the Masked
Reviewer's great Halloween horror flicks (from 2003). Shaun of
the Dead has been added to the list. English television writer
(or as they say over there, "telly scribe") Edgar Wright has gotten
everything...correct...in this movie. Co-written with the film's
titular star, played by Simon Pegg (who pegged it!), the
film...was...excellently written. This is one of those sentences
that probably should have been thought out better before it was written.
Let's start over: we'll leave it as is for those of you who appreciate
the editorial process.
The film was co-written by Edgar Wright (no relation to Wilbur) and
Simon Pegg (no relation to Kathleen Turner's character in Peggy Sue
Got Married). Edgar Wright also directed the movie.
Nick Frost co-stars with Simon Pegg. Together, they form the
ultimate British slacker zombie-fighting team. There are a number
of other characters, all played by relatively unknown actors (at least,
they're unknown unless you're big on BBC television.) The big name
star of the film is Bill Nighy, who recently had big roles in Love,
Actually and Underworld. He's also in the upcoming
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, starring as Slartibartfast.
So, what's the movie about? Zombies! That's all you need
to know. That, and it's tongue in cheek. It's not a parody
of zombie flicks; it follows in the tradition of the great ones.
It is similar in many ways to Dawn of the Dead by George Romero;
the different take is that it's much more lighthearted (for the most
part, that is.) Shaun of the Dead does mix in some heavy
moments which may seem out of place, but they're pulled off convincingly
and set an interesting tone: it never becomes too silly, there's a sense
of growing dread which makes the funny scenes even funnier.
You might think to yourself that someone being bitten, clawed, and
ripped limb from limb might not be the makings of good comedy...but
you'd be dead wrong!
The humor is very British, and in keeping with the Masked Reviewer's
strict "no spoiler" policy, no lines will be given away here. But
there are some good ones. It's situational humor at its best.
And, British humor extends beyond Benny Hill and Monty Python, for those
of you who think you've got it all figured out. The movie is a bit
like The Full Monty at times, especially when all the zombies
have to strip at a local club to raise money for...oh wait, that didn't
happen. But maybe in the sequel.
If you love Night of the Living Dead and other zombie
classics, you'll want to check out Shaun of the Dead. If
you love Evil Dead, Dead Alive, or British humor, you'll want to
check out Shaun of the Dead. If you can't stand any sort of
gruesomeness, even though that's not the focus of the movie, you might
not get into it. It's a shame, though, because there are some
terrific moments that make this movie one of the most fun of the year.
It's good times for everyone (except the zombies.)
Expectation from the Title: Shaun Finkelstein decided it was
time to get the band back together, and after he rounded up Phil Lesh,
Mickey Hart, Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, and others, they hit the road!
Mother's Rule (Always Say Something Good About Everything):
The nice boys in the movie seem very pleasant, especially compared to
those awful zombies.
The Pros: Brilliantly funny, entertaining all the way through,
some nice effects and a rock solid zombie movie.
The Cons: Some of the heavy emotional moments seem a bit out
of place at first, but they do provide balance that makes for a better
film.
If you're looking for Shawn of the Dead,
Sean of the Dead, or
information on Simon Peg, you're in the right place but you spelled it
wrong. See above.