Shaun of the Dead: CR #35

While Star Trek did come out this week, I wasn't able to see it. What I was able to do was see one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. It's a comedy that I've seen at least 20 times and still love to watch it. It also introduced me to my favorite director Edgar Wright. This is...

PLOT
Shaun is not having the best day. His girlfriend Liz just broke up with him, his roommate and best friend Ed won't grow up and their other roommate is tired of it, Shaun has a crappy job and a step-father he hates. Today is the day he decides to turn his life around where he'll get his girlfriend back and fix his life in general. Sadly, today is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Now, Shaun has to gather his friends and family, try to survive, and set his life right.


PROS
"Shaun of the Dead" is one of the funniest movies and most clever movie I've seen. There's jokes all over the place. In the foreground, background, references, dialogue, body language, everything. There are even jokes within jokes! Even having seen the movie 20 times, I still find new jokes! The best part is that 99% of them hit, with very few that don't.

The main stars of the film, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, have a real camaraderie and are instantly likable  This goes for everyone else in the film, but those two especially.

There are a ton of references in this film and all of them are clever. What makes them funny and not annoying is that they're actually incorporated into the plot. One example is that Shaun's mom is named Barbra. Shaun and Ed decide to go save her and when she protests, Ed yells into the phone "We're coming to get you Barbra!" This reference is great because it's apart of the story and not just some throwaway scene.

This film is kind of a parody of zombie movies, but what makes this great like "Airplane" of "Blazing Saddles" is that you don't need to have seen or even like the movies they're parodying to get most of the jokes. But, you'll get so much more enjoyment if you do love horror movies.

While "Shaun of the Dead" is a comedy, it does deliver on the horror aspect, giving you a good amount of gore and zombies.

The directing style of Edgar Wright is very fast and frantic, and somehow doesn't feel disorienting. It actually helps to make some scenes even funnier and makes it fun to go back and see what you missed.


CONS
Um....yeah, I've never had a problem with this movie. After seeing it again and trying to come up with a problem, I find it impossible.



CONCLUSION
As you can see, I love this film so much. I also love it's spiritual sequel "Hot Fuzz" and can't wait for the last film in this trilogy "The World's End", which is coming later this year. Either way, "Shaun of the Dead" is, in my opinion, the greatest comedy of all time. It's infinitely re-watchable and will make anyone laugh at least once, I guarantee it.


RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!