Shaun of the Dead
Dir. Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran
DVD Release

Brought to us by the same group of people who were responsible for the cult Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, Shaun of the Dead is a real treat, not only is it packed with teeming hordes of the undead it’s the first comedy I’ve seen in recent times that’s deserving of the title. Spaced became a firm favourite amongst late night TV viewers, occasionally shambolic but often inspired, it mixed black humour, slapstick and some sharp dialogue.

Shaun of the Dead is an assured big screen debut, easily bearing comparison with the only other laugh out loud funny zombie movie, Peter Jackson’s Braindead. The eponymous Shaun (Simon Pegg) has reached somewhat of a personal crisis. Freshly dumped by his long term girlfriend he divides his time between the local pub and a job in an electronics store. After a beery night down the aforementioned pub Shaun decides to attempt to patch things up with his girlfriend and to turn over a new leaf. This process of reconciliation is somewhat complicated by the sudden and unexplained arrival of the undead.

Some of the film’s funniest moments occur when Shaun and his flatmate Ed get drunk, walk home, wake up and go to the shop all while remaining completely unaware of the zombie carnage unfolding around them.

When the penny finally drops the flatmates soon devise a plan to save their nearest and dearest and to decamp to their local pub. Their odyssey through a zombie packed suburban London makes for a refreshing change from the American locations we have become so used to in these sort of films.

The zombies although often used to good comic effect are genuinely scary and there are a number of truly visceral and scary moments in the film. Thankfully in terms of zombie invasions this lot are old school; shambling, stupid and with the disappointed air of “a drunk who’s lost a bet”. None of this new fangled screaming running zombie nonsense that seems to be all the rage these days. Sadly not one of the undead moans “brains” at a crucial moment but that’s only a minor quibble. On the comedy front it’s packed with laughs. The script is sharp and it has a number of excellent visual gags which are worth the rental fee alone.

The film only flags once the motley crew of survivors finally reach the tenuous sanctuary of the local pub. As the zombie menace grows outside the lightness of touch with so characterised the earlier parts of the film is lost as characters begin to squabble amongst themselves. Thankfully the lull doesn’t last too long and events soon come to a rather bloody climax, which in the context of a zombie movie is hardly a surprise.

The acting is superb throughout with various cast members of Black Books, Little Britain, The Office and A League of Gentlemen appearing along the way. Ed the flatmate is one of the many highlights and is an orang-utan impersonator of considerable skill. So confident in their talents are the filmmakers they can afford to miscast one the funniest man alive. Dylan Moran is relegated to the relatively minor (and somewhat irritating) role of David. He still manages one of the best lines in the film when contesting Shaun is the kind of guy whose idea of an impenetrable fortress and venue for a romantic night out are one in the same.

The DVD extras show a remarkably amount of care and detail and should provide a lot of laughs even for those that have seen the film. A number of the films plot holes are explored further. Commentaries include one from Simon Pegg and Dylan Moran and another has a couple of the zombie extras from the movie amiably discussing their roles and on occasion moaning in an amusing fashion.

No doubt this DVD has a quote on it somewhere proclaiming it to be in to be the best British comedy in ages, which, in my opinion is damning it with faint praise. Shaun of the Dead is, without doubt the most entertaining movie of the year so far.

words: Shane Herraghty