He's Dead Next Time I See Him (Shaun Of The Dead (DVD))

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Shaun Of The Dead (DVD)
Date:	28/01/05 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great Comedy, it's British, Not your typical Zombie film

Disadvantages: May not be scary enough for people expecting a full on Zombie fest

Normally Zombie films don’t appeal to me in anyway. I usually sit down and watch them on TV and turn over after 10 minutes as they just don’t hold the interest. That was until Shaun Of The Dead was released early last year. From the brains behind the hit TV series Spaced, Shaun Of The Dead is the first ever Romantic Zombie Comedy or Rom Zom Com as it’s been billed. I know that probably doesn’t sound too appealing but it does work and it works well.

We first meet Shaun (Simon Pegg) in his local the Winchester Arms on a date with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield). Along with them are Simon’s friend Ed (Nick Frost) and Liz’s Friends David (Dylan Moran) and Dianne (Lucy Davis). It turns out this is a regular date for Shaun and Liz and she’s had enough of spending every night out in the Winchester. So Shaun being the gracious guy that he is promises to take her out for dinner the next night, some where different.

The following day things around Shaun’s Crouch End home are fairly normal and he starts another day. However gradually during the day he notices that people are acting a little strangely. The longer the day goes on the more strange behaviour there seems to be around. Unfortunately Shaun has forgotten to book the table and when he tells Liz she dumps him. But the Zombie problem is getting worse as people are being attacked all over the place. That leaves Shaun and Ed with one choice, To go down the pub of course.

But while Shaun and Ed drink themselves silly things are getting ever worse. To the point where they wake up the next morning and almost everybody’s a Zombie, even their flat mate Pete (Peter Serafinowicz). So it’s up to Shaun and Ed to save his Mum, Liz and Liz’s friends and get them to the one place they think they’ll be save, The Winchester.

The film is original and probably the funniest I have seen in a long time. Although the Zombie theme isn’t original, to make a Romantic comedy out of it was a great idea. If you liked Spaced you’ll love this, if you’ve never seen Spaced well your missing out, but that’s for another day. Although there are a couple of bits, which make you cringe it’s not that graphic, which will widen the appeal.

One of the factors that really drew me to this film were the writers who as already mentioned were 2 of the 3 brains behind Spaced. Although Jessica Stevenson does make a cameo appearance as well. This though is the baby of Edgar Wright (Director/Writer) and Simon Pegg (Writer). Wright’s direction keeps the film moving along nicely, letting it flow in a similar way to episodes of Spaced. It helps a lot that he’s worked with the majority of the actors during his work on Spaced and knows how to get the best out of them.

Although the film feels a little slow during the romantic portions there aren’t too many of these. Thankfully SOTD doesn’t rely heavily on the romantic element using it as a sub plot and referring to it occasionally. The idea for the Zombies comes from an episode of the previously mentioned TV show where Tim became obsessed by Resident Evil on the Playstation. Instead of going for serious looking Zombies, they have gone for a more comical look, which works well.

On the whole though the special effects all look good and fairly realistic. This adds a great deal to the film and doesn’t turn it into a tacky Zombie film. The locations picked also work really well and Crouch End will probably never be the same again after the decent of the Zombies. The Winchester is probably the best setting in the film as it’s a more traditional British pub and even includes the sort of regulars you’d find in your own local.

As for the acting I think Simon Pegg really stands out as Shaun. For a change in a Zombie film you get a lead character your actually care what happens to. The way Simon plays Shaun Is almost identical to his role of Tim in Spaced and this is probably why he was so good. He portrays the relationship with Liz well and although the romantic element doesn’t over run the film, the parts there are done really well. You can even sense a bit of chemistry between Shaun and Liz, which develops that aspect of the film well.

However its not just chemistry between Shaun and Liz you can sense a close connection between Shaun and Ed. Ed, played by Nick Frost is also very similar to Nick’s character from Spaced, Mike. Moving the friendship between Simon’s Character and Nick’s onto the big screen works well. Although in different settings seems to be exactly the same. This also helps with the comical timing as Ed provides most of the films funnier moments.

The remainder of the cast fit well into their roles, especially Dylan Moran who really stood out for me. Also Bill Nighy is superb as Shaun’s step dad Philip and although he’s not in the film for long makes a real impact. Plenty of cameo appearances as well from the likes of Matt Lucas and Martin Freeman (Tim from the Office). The cast list reads like a this is your life book for Simon Pegg with everyone he’s met or worked with appearing apart from Bill Bailey.

I couldn’t review this film without mentioning the soundtrack. It includes Queen, Ash and the 80’s Matchbox B Line disaster all adding excellent tracks to parts of the film. The use of White Lines by Grand Master Flash is incredibly funny as Ed and Shaun sing it leaving the pub and are joined in their rendition by a passing Zombie. All the music really suit’s the film and makes the soundtrack worth buying.

So would I recommend Shaun Of The Dead? Without a doubt. It’s probably the funniest film I’ve seen in a long time and has a good mix of all three Rom Zom Com elements. If you are looking for an easy going, funny Zombie film that still has a bit of edge this is definitely the film for you. It’s one of the few movies I’ve seen recently that has something for everyone. Even if you aren’t a fan of the zombie genre, I’m pretty certain you would enjoy this. It’s not often you get a decent film that has such wide appeal.


* This is an entry to the 'favourite movie' competition.

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