Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Written by Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
The concept of Shaun of the Dead is such a stroke of genius that they probably shouldn't have actually made the movie, because it's ultimately a good deal more fun to tell people about it than to actually watch it. Once the ha-ha factor of crossing a zombie flick with a lovable-loser romantic comedy wears off, there's not much more to the film than, say, A Night at the Roxbury. That Shaun was made by hip Brit comedians rather than "SNL" stars doesn't really take things to any different level.
Simon Pegg is Shaun, the typical Britcom loser who aims to win his ex-girlfriend back and uses a sudden zombie infestation to prove his mettle. The zombie hijinks remain mere backdrop for a long while, which is amusing, but the joke goes on and on, and when the real havoc starts to happen, it's just not very inspired. I expected to love SOTD, being a big fan of zombie movies as well as BBC comedy, but when it comes right down to it, I prefer steady laughs to ingenious concepts. This film is a great party joke taken much too far.
Review by Rodd Fexx |