Well done, a true successor to Shawn of the Dead.

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2007)

I was anxious to see this film, but I had my doubts. Shawn of the Dead was great, but it also had a much better premise. Would a "cop film" really have as much potential as a "zombie film"? Read on...
Within the first few minutes of the film, Shawn of the Dead (SOTD) fans will be reassured. The cinematography, dry wit, and occasional sight gags are all in full force.
Arguably, this is a "funnier" film than SOTD. There's the dry wit and some citchy dialogue, but there's also a lot more direct laughs and "just over the top enough" scenes. The cinematography is used to an even greater extent for humor, and usually successfully. Also, this movie has something SOTD lacked: a great villain. Timothy Dalton is, hands-down, one of the funniest parts of this movie. And that's saying a lot.
However, this movie is far from the perfect comedy. Pacing is an issue, especially in the down scenes. It wouldn't be so bad, but the movie's ever-present quick-cut style of editing (the exact same from SOTD) gives us the impression the down scenes are supposed to be funny. This, for me, made some of them feel longer and almost forced.
The characters are also a bit lacking in this movie. There are exceptions...Timothy Dalton really is great, Pegg does a GREAT job, showing he can really act. Frost is somewhat endearing. Other than that, WE DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYBODY. SOTD definitely wins out for realistic and identifiable characters. I hate to complain about this because all the actors do a fine job, but the characters feel more appropriate to a farce than a satire. One interesting character (Pegg) isn't enough.
My last complaint...the plot really is rather thin. Again, it's not about the plot, it's about making fun of the plot. Still, the movie has to explain so much and it's actually rather long. Since this movie is a satire/parody, there's nothing that original or fresh about the plot...so when there's a break from the comedy, there's little to fall back on.
But, this movie's triumphs are greater than its faults. The jokes are mostly spot-on, the main characters are quite funny, and...without giving too much away, this movie has some of the most satisfying action/comedy scenes since Army of Darkness. I wouldn't say it's going to be a classic, but it's definitely two hours well spent.