jusco's review: Shaun of the Dead

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2011)

What do you get when you put the apocalypse, zombies and the chaotic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost together? You get Shaun of the Dead, a marvelously crafted, written and acted comedy with everything thrown in: troublesome parental relations, a girlfriend who's drifting away, idiotic and exasperating friends and of course, a ton of zombies and Simon Pegg armed with a cricket bat to bash their heads in. Brilliantly written by both Pegg and Edgar Wright, it is the first and solid debut of three films that form the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy (Hot Fuzz, the second film, is even more hilarious and a must-watch).
Pegg plays Shaun; 29-years-old, struggling to please his girlfriend and doesn't know what to do with his life. Frost plays his housemate, Ed, who is just well, crude. The two find themselves awaking one morning to find the apocalypse at their doorstep; or more specifically, too many zombies wandering in the streets trying to eat people up. Shaun teams up with his friends and parents and decides to do something about it, for once in his life. So begins the mass killing of zombies accompanied by the audience's laughter the entire journey.
This is a hilarious film and both Pegg and Wright have already established themselves among the best in comedic writing. Though there are those who don't find zombies as exciting, the humour is enough to give it a watch. The clever plays by the cast combined with the irresistible and gory bashing of zombies makes for a film that provides Shaun with a new focus and meaning in life. It doesn't quite contain deep and moral lessons for us, but it's entertaining, and that's all that matters.