Laugh? - I nearly started............

Rating: 4/10 (3 March 2011)

As someone who has never seen "Shaun of the dead" I may be almost uniquely qualified to offer an unbiased and independent opinion on a movie that has been lauded as a comic masterpiece and a great piece of British cinema. Two words here you might not like to read...it isn't. Lampoons,irony skits,parody,satire,call the genre whatever you wish but it is not easy to do well.Poor satire is a cheap and easy way of getting laughs on the back of other people's hard work and "Hot Fuzz" never veers from the obvious path for its whole length. Cop shows generally have become self - parodying,there's no point in taking the p*ss out of actors like Keanu Reeves who are already taking the p*ss out of earlier action movies in the first place. To the millions out there who clearly love seeing blood spilled in an "ironic" way I can only say "duh?" If "Hot Fuzz" really is funnier than "Shaun of the dead" then I would say my decision not to go and see the latter was - for me - the right one. And witless mugging is not great comic acting either. If you want to see a great genre parody watch "Dead men don't wear plaid".It has no gouts of blood,no bad language - but it has charm and wit by the shed load.Both of which are conspicuous by their absence in "Hot Fuzz" I'm afraid.