Should have been compressed.

Rating: Null/10 (25 September 2004)

The cast attracted me to this DVD. Simon Pegg and Lucy Davis in particular were the names that shone from the DVD case. When I read the other cast names, I knew this was going to be something special.
And it didn't disappoint. The cast is fabulous. The direction is great and is a clever blend of UK blandness and comedy genius. Residents of the UK will recognise so many of the cast members but those outside of the country will still appreciate their abilities.
Zombie movies in the past have been numerous and predictable and Shaun Of The Dead is still very predictable. This is a good thing - I found myself looking thirty seconds into the future and I was usually correct. Not a bad thing though - it almost immersed me into the film.
My biggest criticism is that this whole movie could have been (and maybe should have been) shortened into something like an hour special. There are a few scenes (additional to those included on the DVD extras) that I felt could have been excluded. When you see the deleted scenes you realize the reasons why they were deleted, but also pick out other scenes that probably should have been left out too.
The story was always going to be pretty basic. The characters are great and they all have their particular relevance in the film. The seamless inclusion of Sky News footage of the outside world is great and is a brilliant touch and adds more UK-ness to the whole thing. Without it, the movie would have been missing something. American disaster movies always try to insert CNN footage to intensify the effect and Sky is the obvious UK alternative.
The reasons behind the zombie infestation is never revealed and I like that. It would have made the plot far more complex. It didn't really matter while I was watching the movie why these zombies had appeared and the characters didn't really dwell on it either - it was always about survival.
It's a great Saturday night post-pub movie that requires you to turn off your brain and switch it to funny mode. It's funnier if you are British because of the music references and a few of the actors, but it's still completely universal (no pun intended). Never take it seriously.
I enjoyed it. I'm giving it a seven out of ten. It's missing more points because I found a few scenes particularly unnecessary which makes me think that it could have been shortened to an hour for a TV special rather than a feature film, but I'm glad that Simon Pegg is attempting these projects and have always enjoyed his material. Everyone involved in this movie is destined for more, so remember their names.