Dead. Funny.

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2006)

I have to admit that I'm a "Spaced" fan. Maybe that's why I enjoyed "Shaun of The Dead" so much, because I'm not much of a Zombie Movie fan. I rented "Shaun of The Dead" out on DVD and watched it guiltily on my own, as my wife doesn't "do" horror.
Despite the creators' conceit of calling it a "Romantic Zombie Comedy" (although RomZomCom is an amusing abbreviation)the film trips along at a steady pace and manages to mix the Slacker wit of "Spaced" with a low-budget homage to George A Romero's "Dead" movies.
The "Romantic" part of the movie is pretty wet. I can't imagine any attractive and intelligent young woman wanting to be with a tosser like Shaun, even if he did manage to save her from being turned into a zombie.
But forget this minor niggle. "Shaun of The Dead" is otherwise chock-full of entertainment. "Spaced" fans will spend their time merrily spotting references to their favourite cult TV series, as well as counting cameos from its cast. Celebrity spotters will also pick up on the cameos by various well-known TV comedy actors and there's some "Stop there! No, back a bit," fun to be had trying to find the uncredited celebs who appear as zombies. As in "Spaced", the movie is littered with filmic references and it's a shame that there isn't a "Homage-O-Meter" option in the subtitle menu to point them all out.
The obvious fun that director Edgar Wright and writer/actor Simon Pegg had making this film translates onto the screen. If you're a "Spot The Plot Hole" kind of person you'll hate this film, but if you like a giggle and a dollop of ketchup then it's right up your eerily deserted suburban street.
Well-acted and even genuinely emotional in places, "Shaun of The Dead" is a good advert for low-budget British film-making. Go see!