Shaun of the Dead 2004

Cast:
Simon Pegg - Shaun
Kate Ashfield - Liz
Nick Frost - Ed
Lucy Davis - Dianne
Dylan Moran - David
Nicola Cunningham - Mary

A sleeper hit in the UK earlier this year that is now being released stateside, “Shaun of the Dead” is a spoof of the zombie genre as only the British could make. Unlike American parodies, which are usually filled with obvious puns and broad slapstick, the comedy found in “Shaun of the Dead” is as bitingly dry as a straight shot of gin but without the bitter aftertaste. Writer-director Edgar Wright and co-writer Simon Pegg (both known in their country for the TV series, “Spaced”) are exceedingly droll jokester whose humor is of the subtle, quick-witted variety, and they do not miss a beat at also making a statement about the more mundane sides of modern living. Indeed, if the viewer does not pay adamant attention, they may be in danger of missing some of the biggest laughs.

Shaun Of The Dead isn’t your typical zombie movie. In fact, the zombies don’t truly enter the story until almost a third of the way in. So what’s it really about? A man named Shaun, played by Simon Pegg, who lives in London and is a bit of a loser. He works in a dead-end job at an electronic goods store and spends most of his spare time at the local pub or playing video games with his unemployed roommate, Ed. One day Shaun’s girlfriend, Liz, decides she’s had enough of his lazy attitude and decides to leave him. When the city suddenly gets taken over by the living dead Shaun finds the perfect opportunity to prove himself to Liz, so he sets out to save the day, win his girlfriend back and keep his mum, Barbara, from being eaten by his step-dad who’s slowly turning into a zombie.

Don’t let the title and premise fool you, this isn’t a simple spoof of Dawn Of The Dead, it’s more a romantic comedy that just so happens to be littered with the undead. The film is also very clever, with a clear social commentary running throughout. The jokes that stem from this are absolutely hilarious but will probably be lost on any non-Londoners. It’s actually quite unlikely that this film will translate to anyone outside the UK and this is a real shame and perhaps the films biggest flaw. But if you do get it, then good for you, because there is a lot of great stuff to be seen here. The script is wonderful and throws up many comedic moments, such as when Shaun and Ed are looking through Shaun’s LP collection for a suitable vinyl to throw at two oncoming zombies, “Dire Straits?” “Chuck it!”, or when Shaun and his friends beat up an elderly zombie in the pub using cricket bats, all to the rhythm of Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. The humour comes thick and fast, never have I laughed so consistently during any film before, it only pauses briefly for a few dramatic scenes, all of which work surprisingly well. In fact the film tends to genre-hop quite a lot, and while some find this unappealing I think it works in its favour.

“Shaun of the Dead” is an undoubted entertainment, but it is also flawed. Sporadic passages are either not quite as funny as they want to be, or make the mistake of taking things too seriously, especially during the climax. It is surprising to grow attached to some of these characters and two separate love stories—a romantic one between Shaun and Liz, and a platonic one between Shaun and Ed—but enough time is spent developing them as real people for the involvement to be well-deserved. Still, the pacing lags in spots because it is sometimes difficult to figure out what tone director Wright is going for at any given moment. More confusing are the random spurts of extreme gore, which aren’t over-the-top enough to be remotely comedic.

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