A comedy you can take a bite out of

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2004)

'Shaun of the Dead', directed by Edgar Wright presents us the tale of Shaun (Simon Pegg, who also co-wrote the script) who is an Average Joe, living in London who has your normal, run of the mill problems. He has an unsatisfying job, girlfriend troubles, no one gets along with his best friend Ed (the hilarious Nick Frost) and zombies are hunting him. He not only has to try to survive the day being surrounded by them, but has to protect his friends and some of his family while trying to defeat the living dead. For a guy who is very content to live his life in a rut, this proves to be quite a challenge.
Luckily the jokes in 'Shaun of the Dead' are a hell of a lot funnier than my summary line for this review. I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard and so much at a film that didn't have anything to do with the Coen brothers. Not only is the humor in 'Shaun of the Dead' about as dark as it gets, but there are such witty moments that I was left shaking my head at the brilliance of the script. There are several moments where the humor is subtle, yet uproariously funny. A good example is when Shaun wakes up the morning the zombies have taken over, and, incredibly hung over, walks in a daze to the corner convenience store, he doesn't notice that there are huge bloody hand prints on the cooler door then suddenly slips on something the audience doesn't see, but assumes is some kind of blood or gore. This could have gone two other ways  either he wouldn't slip at all, or we would see what he slips on, but the way it was presented made it one of the many times I found myself crying from laughing so hard. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are also absolutely brilliant as best friends and our main protagonists. Their fantastic and natural acting, coupled with the 'real' feel of the dialogue made for some truly standout performances. I am not familiar with either actor, but if they are not already stars, this is surely their breakout film.
The only criticism I have of the film is something that I may have even missed with all of my laughter  I have no idea why there was this sudden plague of the living dead. For a film as entertaining as this one, however, that kind of explanation is something that really isn't necessary; something that I am normally a stickler for. There were also some unexpected poignant moments that seemed out of place, but none of these criticisms diminished the overall effect the film had on me. I so thoroughly enjoyed this film that it is disappointing to say that this is not a film for everyone. Make no mistake, 'Shaun of the Dead' is at times extremely violent and quite gory, and it's blackest of black humor is not going to appeal to many, but if you want to see a brilliant comedy that is going to make you cringe while making you laugh out loud, this is your movie. I haven't had this much fun at the movies in a long time.
--Shelly