Out
of nowhere, the dead have began to once again walk the Earth. While
the zombie apocalypse is not yet actually upon us, the once-decaying
film genre of zombie horror is mysteriously once again a hot property.
With the recent success of films like the Dawn of the Dead remake,
Danny Boyle’s outstanding 28 Days Later, and countless zombie-themed
video games, it seems like all things living dead are sure-fire
these hits days. Like Boyle’s film, the wonderful Shaun of
the Dead, which was written by, directed by, and stars Simon Pegg,
has recently washed up on our shores from England. This time, the
story has been turned on its side in a deliciously fun comedic way
not seen in the genre since Dan O’Bannon’s classic Return
of the Living Dead mixed horror, comedy and a punk-rock attitude
back in 1985.
This self proclaimed “rom/zom/com” (romantic zombie
comedy) tells the story of Shaun (Pegg), a 29-year-old with a dead-end
job who spends most of his time hanging out in the local pub with
his roommate Ed (Nick Frost). Early on, we learn of his constant
struggles with not only his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), but
his mother and forever creepy stepfather, Phillip (Bill Nighy).
As Shaun goes about his dull daily routine, Pegg shows us the zombie-like
mindless culture that already exists in the life of his working-class
hero. People mindlessly file in and out of shops and wait in line
while Shaun tries his best to get by in his working-stiff world.
Once the dead begin to walk, Shaun, with the help of his friends,
becomes an avenging zombie killer as he rescues his girlfriend and
family and becomes the hero he was always destined to be.
Then film heads towards it’s much darker second half, during
which Shaun and his crew of survivors take refuge in the local pub.
Some audience members may groan when the eternal cliche dilemma,
“What to do with the loved one who has been bitten by a zombie?”
rolls out once again. Anyone who has ever seen a zombie flick knows
exactly how this situation plays out and it’s a drag to see
the scenario show up again here. Still, the overall charm of the
film makes up for any of the recycled concepts that turn up. Sometimes
the conventions work just fine; Shaun of the Dead shines when it
poses the always timely question, “Which is worse, dealing
with hordes of the brain-hungry living dead or nagging girlfriends
and bizarre stepparents?” without getting preachy.
Featuring gloriously gruesome makeup effects by Start Concern, the
film was a smash overseas when it was released way back in April
2003. Finally hitting screens here after making its way around the
bootleg video circuit, the film is sure to impress. Pegg and co-writer
and director Edgar Wright show a real skill for telling a fun, fast-paced
story with rapid-fire editing and a tight, punchy gag-filled script.
A scene in which Shaun and Ed try to decide which records from their
collection they can spare to use for removing zombie’s heads
is destined to go down as a cult-classic moment. Like any other
love letter to the zombie genre, Shaun of the Dead will appeal to
those already smitten with the living dead, but the film also has
enough quirky spunk to amuse those who don’t know George Romero
from some corpse attempting to eat your brains. A2P
|
|
