This is the one that REAL zombie fans have been waiting for!!

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2004)

I was practically giddy watching this film... as a zombie movie, despite being a comedy, this film really is the one I've been waiting for ever since discovering the Romero classics in high school. It truly is the smartest, most reverent, and possibly -best- zombie movie made since DAY OF THE DEAD... maybe even DAWN OF THE DEAD! ( yes, I realize that's a form of heresy )
The key here is that everything was just done so right! As a comedy, it works... the performances are very strong, especially in our main lead. You never really feel that the characters' only reason to exist is to set up a zombie punchline. The writing is fluid and clever, and you care about Shaun and his friends too.
It's also important to point out that although this is a comedy, it is NOT a parody. Although there are some hilarious, occasionally satirical moments, the film is predominantly "straight". It simply treats itself as a sincere British blue-collar comedy... as invaded by bonafide Romero-zombies! There is nothing completely absurd or slapstick here... the circumstances are deadly earnest. All the situations are wonderfully reminiscent of those fleeting daydreams we all have had after seeing DAWN OF THE DEAD, applying the possibilities of zombie attack to our own mundane realities. Where would you hide? Where would you find a weapon? Who would you save? Would you crack under pressure or would you be a real survivor?
Add to this that the zombies themselves are actually quite pathetic, obstacles more than true threats. Yes, that's right... slow zombies!!
I've long held that fast zombies are an aberration, going for the cheap fright, and ignoring what zombies are really all about. Fast zombies are like werewolves that shoot lasers out of their eyes... sure it's "more dangerous, more scary", but it misses the point. It's good to see here that the spirit of the Romero zoms is being kept, er... alive?
Overall, a solid film... and as a genre homage, brilliant! This one really rises out of the mire of the zombie-retreads we've seen lately. A must-see!