"serious moment->broken by the fat guy->serious moment->broken by the fat guy"

Rating: 3/10 (22 August 2010)

People loved it, critics loved it, people who make movies loved it.
And I really don't get it.
The makers obviously do have some interest in zombie films and from interviews appear to have great affection for them. Yet the film came off as sneering giggling.
Zombie films themselves have never had pretencions of their own importance even a film such as Dawn of the Dead which has great social commentary has moments that make you giggle at the absurdity of it. Shaun of the Dead has few ideas really how to mock this genre because once it gets past the fact that "oh look aren't they slow" we descend into serious moment->broken by the fat guy->serious moment->broken by the fat guy and it isn't good enough.
Their is a cheap, survivor gets bitten moment tagged on for good measure but it is forced. If you want to subvert the genre have the lead guy bitten or the girl, the rest has been done before.
A lot may hinge on whether you like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost or whether you have seen enough zombie films to realise that what they're doing isn't as innovative as other reviewers would have you believe.