Real life with a bit of excellent comic scripting makes excellence

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2009)

After his girlfriend dumps him, loser Shaun (Pegg) must get his life together, only Britain is subjected to an outbreak of zombies that is threatening life all over the world.
After the success of TV series Spaced in 2001, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright would continue their rise to the top with the Blood and Ice Cream trilogy with this 2004 release the first instalment to the frankly brilliant saga so far that takes the concept of horror and love to a whole new and tantalizing level.
Britain it is fair to say has created sound astounding horror flicks over the years. Danny Boyle's 28 Days later portrayed a horrifying prospect of a country subjected to a rage virus and the director created some breathtaking scenery by deserting the capital for atmospheric purposes. Even Stanley Kubrick's the Shining was filmed partly in Britain and that is perhaps one of the most renowned horrors today, along with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. The last couple of years we have seen more teen horrors than we need from The Hole, to Donkey Punch and recent release Tormented, we get the general picture of teen angst juxtaposed with some blood thank you and so, here, we have a brand new vision, horror with a wonderful spurt of comedy.
Shaun of the dead is a rarity, the comic pairing of Frost and Pegg will never be appreciated enough and the quick, very quick, montages of Edgar Wright's bring astounding appreciation to the viewers.
The release brings around a wonderful collection of justification to a variety of meaningful topics such as relationships, parenthood, friendship and survival with a wonderful inspirational get your life together ideology. The fact the scripting is hitting hard at some important issues, it would seem hard to cram in any type of comedy, but behold the marvel of the pairing of Pegg and Wright.
From throwing classic records at zombies, to the imitations of the dead, this is a comic gem that will consistently make you smile.
Pegg and Frost have become one of Britain's best comedy duos with this film the marker in which they hit the big screen in groundbreaking fashion. From Frost's ape impressions to Pegg's likable loser antics, we can sit back and enjoy the partnership and playful banter between the two actors.
Wright's direction breaks boundaries with the montages but there is a skillful approach to the handling of the zombie attacks. When outside the Winchester there is a very well handled approach to the way the dead are acting and Wright's sublime setup helps adds a chill and a sweet comic touch.
This picture is simply the beginning of the trilogy with Hot Fuzz establishing the actors and directors on to bigger and better things but what a hit Shaun is.