Touching Homage to the Zombie Genre

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2015)

Shaun of the Dead is a zombie comedy-horror movie directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the team behind the TV series Spaced and the movies Hot Fuzz and The World's End which together they form the Cornetto Trilogy.
The movie stars the titular Shaun, a man who doesn't have a clear direction in life. He doesn't like his job, he has problems with his girlfriend and his family, and must always stand up for his lazy, housemate, jobless friend, Ed. All those seem to be the least of his problems when apparently there's a zombie apocalypse taking place outside. Edgar Wright does a brilliant job directing the movie and proves to handle with great touch both humor, drama and action. In the beginning of the movie, we are presented with lots of tips and imagery that the zombie apocalypse is impending, however, since Shaun has to deal with all his personal problems, he barely notices all the signs. There's even a scene where all the news channels talk about this problem, but he just flips the channels carelessly. It's a great comedic touch considering how much it takes for Shaun and Ed to realize there are actual zombies invading.
Shaun of the Dead is clearly an homage to every zombie movie ever made, especially George Romero's movies. The script, written by Pegg and Wright, is full of references and tributes to classic zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and so on. The trio of Pegg, Wright and Frost really treat the genres of movies they love with lots of respect. The same can be said about Hot Fuzz, which is clearly inspired by buddy cop movies or The World's End, who has it's roots in classic science-fiction stories.
If you're a hardcore zombie fan, this is the movie for you, but it also works great for a casual viewer, who maybe is more interested in the comedy aspect that than the horror. The movie combines excellent touches of humor with some powerful drama. There are a few strong, full of impact scenes that are clearly needed, so that the viewer will know that this is not just a silly parody. It's a real, solid movie with great performances and a funny, clever script. Clearly worth a watch, 8 out of 10!