A fresh change to the mainstream we see nowadays - 8.7/10

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2007)

Hot Fuzz is the latest film from comedy genius' Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright. Their first big screen foray, Shaun of the Dead, prove to be an instant hit, especially to fans of their cult classic TV series Spaced. Shaun of the Dead got it right in so many ways; it had a decent storyline, great comedy, and enough action to keep you interested throughout, even throwing in some 'jump' scary moments. It would be hard for the trio to top this, and I think Shaun of the Dead set the expectations a little high.
Hot Fuzz's opening half hour or so is quite bland; the cameo roles from actors like Steve Coogan didn't quite use up the full potential that they could have, and the introduction to Sandford was basically what we'd seen in the trailers. However, this worked to their advantage; they managed to avoid showing the truly great parts of the film in the trailers, like so many films do nowadays. This meant that we were oblivious to most of the rest of the film.
As Angel settles into sleepy Sandford, he discovers that things are amiss; the quirky misfits of Sandford Police 'Force' take life at a dawdle, and his partner in crime is quite incompetent with his job.
As the film lifts off, fans of the previous work of the comedians will chuckle as references are made, and jokes re-used in a new manner, adding to the wealth of new material that was written for the film.
By the end of the film, we see our main protagonist riding into a seemingly empty Sandford aboard a white stallion, armed to the teeth with guns. Made me laugh anyway.
All in all, Hot Fuzz was a well put together film; the plot was good enough, the jokes were better, and the acting was top notch. I still think the film didn't live up to it's full potential though, and just falls short of Shaun in my collection. Maybe after a few more viewings I might change my opinion.
8.7/10 - I couldn't give it a 9, but 8 was too low.