A Review by Phil Calabro
2004, Universal/Studio Canal, Dir. Edgar Wright - Starring Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Nicole Cunningham, Peter Serafinowicz, Horton Jupiter, Tim Baggaley, Arvind Doshi, Rafe Spall, Bill Nighy
With the premiere of remake of 'Dawn of the Dead' arriving in theaters this spring, director Edgar Wright had to move the date of 'Shaun' to later this year. I believe that this would have served as a great counterpart for those who didn't want to be scared entirely, but have a great helping of goofy slapstick comic relief as well. The writing, setup, and execution of 'Shaun' provides a whole new look at the zombie genre, with this particular one entitled 'rom-zom-com', for romantic zombie comedy.
It just seems like an ordinary day for Shaun (Pegg), but as the day progresses, he finds himself dumped by his girlfriend (Ashfield), commanded by his stepfather (Nighy), and shoved around by his piggish roommate Ed (Frost). But when he wakes up the next morning, he's surrounded by bloodthirty zombies - and so he and Ed team up together to save all his friends, patch some relationships, and aim for the head (the proper way to kill a zombie).
Simon Pegg is a great protagonist - he's not too overactive, he's a very mellow and controlled character who feels like so realistic in such a goofball environment. He's plays cool for every scene he's in, and has great chemistry with Nick Frost who plays Ed. Frost has the characteristics of Horatio Sanz, with the exception that he's actually funny. He's a pig, dirty, and loves to goof around. Bill Nighy is up to his old tricks at his evil stepfather, shadowing many familiar past roles of his.
The film isn't all funny, but is a light satire with much much gore. It handles both hand in hand, and although it's supposed to be scary to the characters, they play off it so well, that each and every scene can be laughed at with a grain of salt. It's got its topical references to bad music, cable news, and other little tributes to old zombie films, with the likenesses of Fulci, Romero, and Boyle written over a lot of plot. It's no Naked Gun, but it's certainly funny. At some points, it seemed like it deserved to have a little more comic relief, but in another terms, it covers up well enough to make this a good enough comedy.
Shaun of the Dead is a funny little movie, and is worth a see, especially if you're a 'DotD' fan in any means. You'll love the jokes, you'll love the characters, and you'll get a bunch of laughs. Whether it be funny or slightly serious, the movie packs quite a wallop - aiming straight for the head.
3/4 stars
