Shaun of the Dead Review.

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2017)

Shaun of the Dead is one of only a handful of films, where no matter how far it is into its runtime, if I see it on TV i'll stop what i'm doing and watch it until its credits. This is one of the funniest films I've ever seen, and one that gets better upon repeat viewings. It's an Incredibly fun film that is endlessly quotable. Edgar Wright directs this film with a high level of energy and stylish panache. Shaun of the Dead has one of the best scripts written for a comedy, it rivals classics like Young Frankenstein, it's one of the most thought out, intelligent genre comedies around.
Simon Pegg plays your average every-man Shaun. Shaun is lazy, carefree and floating through life like a figurative zombie. He's some-one that's constantly taking the easy option, much to the annoyance of his girlfriend Liz(Kate Ashfield). So when a Zombie outbreak occurs, Shaun and his equally oafish roommate Ed(Nick Frost) are completely oblivious to the chaos encompassing them.
This leads to some truly hilarious situations such-as when Shaun is walking to his local convince store. He's completely disconnected on his everyday route to the local convenience shop, he Ignores a crashed car, a woman running away, an approaching zombie that he assumes is a beggar wanting change. Even when he slips on a pool of blood he's not attune to his surroundings. Being an Edgar Wright film, there are tons of visual gags and Easter eggs that accompany the situation, and the film as a whole. This makes re-watching the film just as fun and engaging as the first time, if not more-so.
There's even interesting social commentary to be gained from the film as- well. Much like George A. Romero's Dead trilogy it looks at how oblivious society has become, and how mundane our daily lives are, that not only does a Zombie apocalypse come and go without any notice being taken, but also how much real people act like Zombies, doing the same jobs and tasks day after day, becoming increasingly disconnected with society and each other. Whilst this aspect is explored in greater detail in Romero's Dead films, there's still a healthy serving of satire in this film to be gained. The fact that Wright can extract gags from some of the most mundane scenarios like a pen leaking on a shirt is a testament to his wonderfully creative writing and directing skills.
However once Shaun and Ed come to realise the situation they're in, the film really kicks Into gear. After Shaun and Ed fend off an assault from two zombies in hysterical fashion, by sorting through their un-wanted vinyl records, and trying to lob them at their heads. Though when that failed they have to resort to a spade and a cricket bat. They then devise a plan to take Shaun's mum and his girlfriend Liz as-well as her two roommates, and hide-out at their local pub. In Shaun's words "Go to the Winchester, have a pint, and wait for all this to blow over."
Naturally during the course of the film things don't go smoothly, and despite being a comedy, it is after all a Zombie film. There are moments with lots of gore, as-well as brilliantly timed Zombie kills to the beat of Queens - Don't Stop Me Now. Shaun of the Dead manages to converge these two tones, and deliver one of the best genre mash ups of all-time.
Shaun of the Dead was my first exposure to the Incredible talent that is Edgar Wright. His writing and directing, and especially the way his films are edited to the beat of a drum show how confident and creative of a director that he is. Despite this being his debut film(no i'm not counting A Fistful of Fingers), he is like a puppet master that is in full control of every frame. I can't find a bad word to say about Shaun of the Dead, for me this Is the pinnacle of comedic film-making.