Usage of Queen Music:Always a Bonus!

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2005)

I just saw this film a few days ago on video--I don't recall if it ever made it to my hometown,it might've made it to Lawrence,which is 20 plus miles east of here--and was VERY impressed. I found myself drawing comparisons of this show to the remake of "Dawn of the Dead" remake,which came out both in theatre and video/DVD relatively close to each other. While I liked and was sufficiently entertained by DOTD 2004,I was more impressed with this effort,mostly due to the copious amount of comedy and pathos that gives this zombie flick a little more depth(I also enjoyed this ending more than DOTD's,but that would be a spoiler if I told you why).
The English sensibility of this film(i.e. a lot of arguing,a sort of Soccer-hooligan sensibility to its violence)makes the horror element of this film both real and hilarious,no mean feat there! The hero,Shaun,you become familiar with as a basically good guy with low aspirations and a sinking sense of boredom in life. His best friend,Ed,is a disgusting yet amiable loser and his girlfriend,Liz,might seem grating and prattling on first observation,but she is basically kind and sensible,a perfect foil for Shaun. The fact that zombies are taking over London slowly sinks in,and isn't helped by the fact that(and this bit I have no doubt was the filmmakers tongue-in-cheek jab at London/British urban lifestyle)many locals are already lethargic,slow-moving,inarticulate sorts. There is much confusion over who is undead and who is merely drunk in this film,and there are some great visual similarities between the undead and Shaun himself. By the time it is eminently clear that London,perhaps all of England and maybe even the world,is being overtaken by the walking dead,it becomes a full-on race and struggle for survival. Par for the course there,the signature of any ordinary film of this genre. But the way the principal characters react to the situation and each other is both very palpable,aggravating(it doesn't dawn on them until about 2/3 of the way through the film that they should SHOOT THE ZOMBIES IN THE HEAD?)and funny. The ending may seem a bit of a cop-out for some,but it fits the rhythm of the movie as it was set up.
Horror-comedies are rare(and I'm ready to give a rhetorical beat-down to the next person who thinks the "Scream" movies are parodies. The "Scary Movie" films ARE.)and probably somewhat difficult to make. I suppose "Love at First Bite" or "American Werewolf in London" might be considered examples. But this film is able to balance the scares,gore and other conventions of thriller flicks with - daffy,pratfall comedy,and that makes this film very special. The amount of pop music references and usage(Queen in particular)is something that sealed the deal for me.
I probably would've voted a 9.5 for this one,since I don't really fancy myself a horror movie aficionado,but since you cannot vote like that on IMDb,so I rounded up.