As British comedy films go, it doesn't get much better than Shaun
of the Dead, the first in the ‘ice cream and blood’ trilogy from Simon Pegg and
Edgar Wright. It is a typical zombie movie, where the hero (Shaun, played by
Pegg) and his friends (including Nick Frost) are some of the only survivors
when a mysterious zombie plague affects most of the city. Naturally they have
to find a way to survive and in doing so, entertains the audience in a number
of ways.
With jokes and lines running throughout Shaun of the Dead it is
still funny after a few watches. It got to a point where each time I watched
it, I picked up on something new. However, now I can practically recite it so I
think the novelty has worn off. It is fantastically written and each
actor/actress delivers their part with a perfect level of comedy.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost really broke through with this
film (I think). At the very least this was the first point that I became aware of them.
As a partnership they are fantastic and bounce off each other exceptionally
well. The best part of their friendship on screen is that you can tell how
close they are off screen. In the three major films that they have starred in
together (the other two being Hot Fuzz and Paul), they are best friends as
well, and for me it is this friendship that brings the whole film together.
Both actors deliver an immensely comedic performance in Shaun of the Dead and
they both manage to portray the best friendship perfectly, with all its little
idiosyncrasies and quirks. Most of all they are believable as best friends
(largely because they are I reckon).
The supporting cast is also very entertaining and there are a
number of stars in the cast. Bill Nighy is every bit as deadpan as ever in his
role as Shaun’s ‘father’ and works very well with Penelope Wilton. One of my
favourite scenes of the whole movie is where Shaun is talking to his mother
about the difficult relationship he had with Phillip as a child, and both Pegg
and Wilton deliver perfect comedic timing in this scene, which makes it quite
amusing (to me at least). Peter Serafinowicz appears as Pete, the flatmate of
Shaun and Ed, and despite his role being relatively small, he does very well.
Kate Ashfield plays Shaun’s long-suffering girlfriend Liz, and
works wonderfully with Simon Pegg to convey the difficulties of their
relationship. She also works brilliantly with Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran to
create a little friendship group. It’s just occurred to me that one of the main
reasons why Shaun of the Dead is a very enjoyable film is because the
characters are relatively relatable. Shaun is stuck in a job that he hates and
his life has grown stale. His girlfriend hates this and decides to change
things by leaving him. Throw in a zombie epidemic and the whole thing becomes
much more entertaining. Dylan Moran works perfectly and delivers such a unique
performance that he became one of my favourite comedic actors. I loved Black
Books and find him so funny in every role he’s in. In Shaun of the Dead his dry
and sarcastic attitude makes him one of the funnier characters of the film.
Overall I think Shaun of the Dead is a unique idea. Obviously the
zombie genre is not unique or original, but Shaun of the Dead takes a typical
zombie film and reshapes it to the style of Pegg and Wright. This works perfectly,
and with a fantastic cast who link very well together the whole film becomes
very entertaining and immensely engaging. I love watching Shaun of the Dead and
it makes me laugh every time I do so. The success of Shaun of the Dead has
resulted in two ‘sequels’ being made, with Hot Fuzz being equally successful
and The World’s End which has just been released.
If you haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead yet then you really must see
it as soon as possible. It is an exceptionally funny film and will be guaranteed
to entertain you in one way or another. It’s an original British comedy film
with a very amusing cast which shines in this film.
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