Great Flick

Rating: Null/10 (2 October 2004)

Man, what a fantastic movie.
First off, a zombie or horror movie that starts with a half an hour of character development needs due praise just for that. What follows is one of the most insane zombie fests I've ever seen.
The film starts off like a kind of dark romantic comedy, following the life of Shaun and Ed, his slacker friend. Shaun breaks up with his girlfriend Liz, and begins to drink his sorrows away at the pub. Then the zombies enter. In one particularly great scene, Shaun walks from his house to a convenience store and doesn't even notice that there are zombies all around him... because England is like that ALL THE TIME!
The writing in the movie is impeccable, definitely not what you would expect from typical zombie fare. Simon Pegg gives a terrific performance as Shaun, and the entire supporting cast is great. The film skirts on being hilarious and frightening, but for the most part it's just funny. Also, the violence (which is mostly impaling) is pretty non-graphic, which I think suits the film fine.
Horror nuts will love the countless referrences to other movies ("We're coming to get you, Barbara!"), but pretty much everyone will enjoy Shaun of the Dead.
The Final Cut:
Direction: B
The direction of the film isn't perfect, but it works just fine. I found the constant cutting to be pretty obnoxious, but you have to love the use of tracking shots.
Writing: A+
Probably the best script I've seen all year.
Acting: A-
Almost everyone is just fine.
Style: A
Completely original, totally off the wall.
Music: B
Nothing really special (but the scene with the LP's! CLASSIC!)
Overall: A-
You will probably like this film tons.