Bloody Brilliant! Literally!

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2004)

"Shaun of the Dead" is not only the best zombie flick I've seen in a long time, it is simply the best film I've seen in a long time, PERIOD! Clever, witty, sweet and nasty and, at times, gory and horrific, SOTD has it all. Of course, I didn't think I could go very far wrong with a film that George Romero himself said he enjoyed.
Shaun (Simon Pegg) isn't having a very good week. His co-workers have no respect for him, his uptight stepfather is on his back and his beloved girlfriend Liz has had enough of his laziness and inconsideration. Really, Shaun isn't such a bad guy, but he has no ambition and seems to prefer the company of his unemployed, flatulent, video-game obsessed slob of a flatmate Ed to anyone else. And as if this were not enough, the dead have risen and are walking the earth in search of human flesh to feast upon. Shaun doesn't notice this fact as quick as he should, but Shaun is somewhat of a zombie himself, lost in his own world and distracted by his own thoughts as he strolls right past the rotting cadavers that now fill the streets of Britain. Not even news flashes can get through to Shaun, as (in an incredibly hysterical scene) he channel surfs rapidly, every station finishing the sentence of the one before and giving everyone but the oblivious Shaun the grim news of what is happening in the world. When Shaun and Ed finally do realize what is happening, it quickly becomes a race against time: save Shaun's mum, rescue Liz and go to the pub where they can wait out the zombie infestation with a pint and a smoke.
Of course, not everything goes as smoothly as planned. There's undead flatmates to deal with, "bitey" zombies along the way, petty arguments between friends and Ed's cell phone going off at inopportune moments. But Shaun, armed with a cricket bat, is determined to save the woman he loves and nothing is going to get in his way!
This film should be seen side by side with Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" as both films cleverly and sarcastically comment on our zombified society and virtually show no difference between the living and the living dead. There's not much gore here, but there is one very unexpected and Savini-worthy moment in "Shaun" when the zombies rip a living man to shreds, yanking out intestines and tearing off limbs. I really hadn't seen such a gory scene coming and was too stunned to look away. It's truly graphic and nauseating...and, though I usually hate gore, very well done. For a low budget film, the zombies are pretty menacing looking and there are some genuinely scary moments to be found in "Shaun." There's also several touching scenes between Shaun and his mum and dad...sorry, I mean stepdad. Shaun himself is forced to grow up and take charge as the zombies close in around them.
I don't want to give away the incredible ending of "Shaun" except to say that the living dead are not immune from pop-culture commercialization, and though loved ones may die, video games are forever.
SEE THIS FILM!!! You do NOT have to be a fan of horror movies to appreciate the sublime satire that is "Shaun of the Dead." I haven't seen a movie this good for a very long time. 10 stars.