Shaun of the Dead

A great movie. How long would it take you to realize that a zombie invasion was taking place in your community/life? I think we all walk around in this same haze throughout our lives. But social commentary aside, "Shaun of the Dead" rivals all of the other zombie flicks out there. It truly stands alone as a satire/horror movie. When it needs to be funny, it delivers. When it needs to be gruesome, it also delivers. One of the few horror films that takes the time to develop the characters in the film.

this is a good movie but dont expect it to be as good as hot fuzz

This movie is a bit hard to categorize, as it is a zombie movie, a dark comedy, a parody of zombie movies, and, beneath all that, surprisingly, a social commentary in a very unusual vehicle.

Story: In contemporary England, Shaun is a twenty-something, going-nowhere, stuck-in-adolescence, assistant team leader at an electronics store. He spends his days exchanging disrespect and worn-out, insincere motivational phrases with his team at work, and he spends his nights drinking beer with his friend and room-mate, and/or taking his girlfriend to the same pub night after night.

But, then Z-Day comes. Z-Day is the day that a suspected virus hits, causing people to turn into zombies. An increasing number of the Undead began shambling around suburban England, trying to catch, bite, and eat unaffected people. They especially like brains. If bitten, a person gets a headache, feels progressively worse, and eventually does two things: die, and try to gnaw on a neighbor, friend, family member, or stranger. The zombies can only be stopped if you remove their heads or destroy their brains.

Once Z-Day hits, Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his friend/room-mate, Ed (Nick Frost), gradually (they're none too bright) realize what's going on, set off to rescue Liz (Shaun's girlfriend, who has just dumped him, portrayed by Kate Ashfield), and head for the safe haven of . . . the pub. Going to the pub was Shaun's idea, for reasons he can never clearly explain. Of course, the motley gang arms itself . . . with cricket bats (Shaun's weapon of choice), golf clubs, and whatever else is handy. Will they get to Liz in time? Can they rescue Shaun's mum? Will they reach the pub? Is the pub the invulnerable fortress that Shaun imagines it to be? Will any of them survive?

I had many reasons to not like this movie. Shaun and his best friend, Ed, are not people I would want to befriend, as they are unmotivated and, to me, boring. There is also a lot of profanity, to the point that much of it seems gratuitous. There is a lot of violence, although, in all fairness, most of it is directed toward people who are not only already dead, but are also obsessed with eating others' brains. Anyway, there is a lot of violence and gore (i.e., arms ripped off, throats ripped open, torsos punctured, brains chewed on).

With all those reasons to not like this movie, I still did. I am not saying it is one of my Top Ten, or anywhere near that, but I did end up appreciating enough aspects of it to give it four stars and to recommend it. I might even watch it again.

What did I like, you ask? For all his many (numerous, enduring, manifold, pervasive) faults, the protagonist is a good guy, in that he is very loyal, to his girlfriend, his friend, his mother, and his pub. The group that follows him has some interesting characters in it, too.

I liked the film even more, though, because of the somewhat subtle social commentary it holds. As the film starts, people are seen going through their everyday routines, including some of the main characters. They do what they did yesterday, and last week, and last month, and they will do the same things tomorrow, and next week, and next month. Are they already zombies? Then, strange things start happening in the background, like crimes occurring, and military vehicles convoying down the street, and nobody notices, as they are too absorbed in their routines. Are they zombies yet? You know they are zombies when you see them shambling down the street, with missing limbs. By then, the difference seems more quantitative than qualitative.

Shaun is a prime example of the phenomenon. He does something at work, he does something at home, and nothing changes. Only when his life is in jeopardy, do we see signs of life and creativity, albeit stunted, in him.

The not-subtle humor in this movie comes from things near the end. We see a talk-show where a woman tries to explain why she decided to stay with her husband, who is now a zombie and does occasionally try to bite people. She never answers when someone asks if she still sleeps with him. There are also clips of zombies being trained to do certain civil service jobs, plus zombie games, where the contestants run obstacles courses, in order to get to a hunk of raw meat. Plus, the fate of poor Ed, Shaun's room-mate, has some humor in it. Also, watch for the scene where Shaun and Ed battle zombies, using vinyl records as weapons.

I think this is the DVD that I have seen that had the most bonus features or extras. There are out-takes, deleted scenes, demonstrations of how the special effects were done, and pieces on the casting and the making of Shaun of the Dead. There are actually so many extras that I found it difficult to navigate around them.

The main conclusion, for me, is that there were several good reasons why I should not like this movie, but I did anyway. As far as age recommendations go, it is not for young children, who might find it scary, gross, or uninteresting anyway. The prime target audience would likely be adolescents and young adults, given the nature of the story and the humor. For me, this likely falls into the "guilty pleasure" category.

Strengths: Some of the humor, the social commentary

Weaknesses: Excessive profanity, nearly-brainless characters

Conclusion: If you want a parody of zombie movies, with some social commentary mixed in, look here, but not if you dislike profanity. This is much better than Hatchet (Unrated Director's Cut)

This movie is the most fun you can have with flesh-eating zombies! When your girlfriend's dumped you, your job sucks, you spend most of your time drunk with your best bud and the walking undead are all over the city and after your flesh, what do you do? Grab your ex, her friends, your pal, your mum and go hole up in your local, of course. Don't forget to have a good, solid cricket bat to whack zombies with! Oh, and don't try to give your girl the flowers you bought for mum. Otherwise sit back with a beer and some pork scratchings and enjoy!Shaun of the Dead

I do not know what it is about that cold little island that makes such interesting people. A real fun comedy!