Shaun of the Dead (2004)

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British horror/comedy Shaun of the Dead is a scream in all senses of the word. Brain-hungry zombies shamble through the streets of London, but all unambitious electronics salesman Shaun (Simon Pegg) cares about is his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), who just dumped him. With the help of his slacker roommate Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun fights his way across town to rescue Liz, but the petty concerns of life keep getting in the way: When they're trying to use vinyl records to decapitate a pair of zombies, Shaun and Ed bicker about which bands deserve preservation--New Order they keep, but Sade becomes a lethal frisbee. Many zombie movies are comedies by accident, but Shaun of the Dead is deliberately and brilliantly funny, while still delivering a few delicious jolts of fear. Also featuring the stealthy comic presence of Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and some familar faces from The Office. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker

It is only natural to be scared of zombies, and to prevent them from laying waste to your home. A more relaxing approach, however, is to be bored and vaguely annoyed by them, or, better still, not to notice them in the first place. This is the premise of Edgar Wright's British comedy, which may be responsible for kicking off a new and specialized genre of slacker horror. Shaun (Simon Pegg) lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield), his mother (Penelope Wilton), and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners. The finale, in which the pub turns into an Alamo, is the bloodiest, most orthodox, and least witty part of the movie; far sharper are the early scenes in which Shaun wanders happily to the local store along a battered, zombie-dotted street and pulps his attackers with a cricket bat. The central joke is so snappy and well sustained that you barely catch sight of the ominous vision on offer: a country that already feels like death. -Anthony Lane

Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

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 Quite possibly the most perfect movie ever made.
Where do I begin? This movie has it all! Clever dialogue, cool plot, lots of humor, touching emotional scenes, romance, and of course- ZOMBIES!!!!

Shaun is your average Joe working for a living, living in a flat with his two roomates, trying to keep his relationship with his girlfriend together, and visit his Mum every once in a while. Oh- and make regular visits to the local pub.

His humdrum life is interrupted with a sudden surge of zombies in the neighborhood, and our average bloke must step up and become a hero.
What I really loved about this movie is that things were done that I have never seen in a zombie movie before- i.e. when Shaun and the gang figure a way to walk through a crowd of zombies without calling attention to themselves, and what becomes of the zombies when the story is over.

To really enjoy and appreciate the phenomena that is Shaun of the Dead, you should watch it 4 or 5 times, to truly grasp all of the nuances that you may miss because you are hiding behind your pillow or laughing too hard.

P.S.: You've got red on you!
May 1, 2008

 Very funny, great movie
I rented it thinking I'd be disappointed; I LOVED Hot Fuzz, but I'm not into zombie/horror crap. But this was at least just as hilarious, if not more. You really have to be aware of what's going on in the background, though, which makes this a great movie to watch more than once. In the scene where they leave the pub singing and call to the woman who appears to be dancing with a man, "what's wrong love, haven't you had your tea yet?"she's actually gnawing on the man's neck, and when they turn around, you can see his head fall off...they, of course, are so drunk that they miss it. This is just one of the many, many well-played humorous bits in it. April 20, 2008

 Shawn of the Dead
This is my favorite movie. This movie really launched Simon Pegg's career.
Gory but totally funny. A great movie for all the brit comedy lovers. April 6, 2008

 A new comedy formula *spolilers*
Creating a formula picture is never a good idea - unless you have created a formula like Simong Pegg and Edgar Wright have done here. Initially, "Shaun of the Dead" in title and in plot description, sounds like a mere parody of Romero's dead movies ala "Scary Movie" and such. But Wright and Pegg, in spoofing the genre, create an homage pic. It's full of funny moments that tip their hit to Romero's 'Zed word' flicks, but it has so much original horror and humor to offer.

Namely, the premise is original. While many horror pics looks at the heroic survivors of a horrific tragedy, "Shaun" looks at those other guys. Unlike the inhuman heroism of typical horror pics, Shaun and his friend Ed are unapologetic slackers. In fact, Shaun's desire to save his friends may do more harm than good. Wright and Pegg craft an interesting bunch of characters that are really those other guys in horror films. They're funny and horribly flawed. Shaun's plan to save everyone is interesting in its successes and failures, breaking the trend of so much recent horror. In all its comedy, you'll still care about every character in the end. In that, its successful in its own right as a horror film, as much as it is in comedy.

But it's the comedy that triumphs above all. The writing is razor sharp. Listen to every piece of dialogue and you wil realize that Wright and Pegg have crafted an ingenious script that is constantly referencing itself as well as other horror movies. Key to the writing though is the pitch perfect delivery. This is something that Simon Pegg, in particular, has perfected. His humor is rather dry, sometimes subtle. Yet at the same time, he is also a brilliant physical comedian, as noted in this film's famous jukebox scene.

Pegg doesn't ride alone in his talent though. He has quite a bit of support, namely in his partner in crime Nick Frost - who's humor is much more direct as the lovable oaf Ed, and Dylan Moran, who has achieved fame in his own right doing stand up and in Black Books. While visibly more sober here, Moran is impecable as the uptight critical friend of Shaun's girlfriend.

But one sole review is not enough to express all the great things about 'Shaun of the Dead.' You're best served by watching the film. When you're done watch it again. If you have time, watch it again and just listen to it to hear all the witty dialogue. Then you can raid the extras. This DVD is full of them. While I love "plot holes" section, my favorite involves the making of the film. This is far from standard 'making of' fare, as it traces "Shaun" from it's young origins. Watch these guys at work - you'll realize more goes into this comedy than a simple script and a couple funny actors.

Just as a side note, for those curious, the Region 2 DVD differs in the fact that the UK trailers are included and that 3 (coun them: 3!) more commentaries are included. April 5, 2008

 Lets take the jag!
At first I didn't like this movie and I thought it was stupid. For some reason it grew on me. Now I can't stop laughing everytime I watch it. This is one of those movies that you think is going to be a bomb but then laugh so much from the weirdness. There are laughs all over the place and it takes a good half hour for Shaun (Simon Pegg) to realize that he is surrounded by zombies. Him and a friend that he lives with cook up a plan to save his ex-girlfriend, his mom, and stepfather (although Shaun would rather leave him to the zombies). Shaun believes the best place to wait it out is at the local pub.

There weapons of choice are: cricket paddles, old records (Shaun goes through which ones to through which is hilarious), his stepfather's Jaguar, and a metal pipe.

Shaun of the Dead is very entertaining and is one of those movies that you'd think you would skip if it's in the movie theaters and on T.V. When you watch it, you get hooked. The comedy is great as it mocks Dawn of the Dead slightly and any other zombie movie you've watched. It's a good addition to your comedy collection. April 2, 2008

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