One of the best movies of this year, and one of the best zombie movies ever.

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2004)

I was hopeful when I saw previews of "Shaun of the Dead," but was a bit suspicious. Now that I've seen it, I'm happy to say that my concerns were unfounded. No doubt, this was one of the best movies I've seen this year. In fact, this was one of the best zombie movies I've ever seen. It matches both "Dawn of the Dead" in atmosphere and "Return of the Living Dead" in humor (and yes, I know "Return of the Living Dead" isn't part of the original trilogy... it's still my favorite film of all time though... well, it's now competing with "Shaun of the Dead.") Those of you that have not seen (or are not fans of) the original "Living Dead" trilogy will be missing quite a bit, so I understand if you don't share this view. But for those of you that have seen and loved the original trilogy, this movie is for you.
I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur of horror films (and zombie films in particular), and this movie did not disappoint. The humor (which was distinctly British... not a bad thing) kept the audience rolling in the ailes. Wonderfully, the humor was thoughtful, creative and well-placed; I laughed until I cried, but never felt as though I'd been made a fool of.
Admittedly, there were a few slow parts in the film, and there are some decidedly "thoughtful" parts of the film that detract from the overall mirth, but the film as a whole is amazing.
The homages to that which came before and the new twists presented made this movie a perfect blend of comedy, horror, satire, and social commentary. Those of you that are fans of Sony's PlayStaion 2's hit "Resident Evil: Outbreak" should particularly enjoy the "bar scenes." Personally, I can't wait for the DVD release as I'm sure I didn't catch half of the 'trilogy gags' that were there. I'll be watching (and loving) this movie many times again.