Shaun of the Dead - 12/01/08 - *****

Review of the Film Shaun of the Dead (15).

Advanced warning: this review contains some plot spoilers.

The 2004 so called romantic comedy with zombies, Shaun of the Dead, is probably both the most critically acclaimed comedy and also British film of that year. On the surface it might seem to be just an excuse to have a few laughs with some squirm-inducing gore thrown in, but for the viewer who is willing to become more fully immersed in this work of entertainment it is so much more than that, and for none more so than those who live in the capital of the United Kingdom! Let us begin now by getting the largest part of this review out of the way… on to the good points.

Before we even get into any of the zombie/horror action in the film, we are treated to some slightly stylised portrayals of typical Londoner’s walking the streets. Funnily enough… their manner is frequently reminiscent of a classic horror film monster, the zombie. …And later on when these same characters reappear but now dead and re-animated, they really don’t seem very different from when we first saw them, apart from perhaps some blood on their faces, and also various missing chunks that have been bitten out of them.

The humour in this film is so biting (pun intended) and spot-on in it’s satire of the average middle-class South Londoner’s way of life, that writing as a South Londoner myself the odd in-joke that I can particularly identify with makes me feel as if I know the characters involved like they were my own dear mates! If this is transferable to viewers who are not South Londoners, or even not from England at all, (and judging by the positive reaction of most international critics and audiences it is,) then this is not just a film for it’s most obvious target market, having a far more widespread appeal.

Of course the issue of blood and gore is off putting to a lot of viewers, and there are indeed plenty of incidents featuring incredibly violent and shocking dismemberments as well as other grisly happenings and much blood-letting. For the most part though this is done in a way that spoofs the horror film genre, and in particular of course zombie films, as is most obviously demonstrated by the films very tongue in cheek title which references probably the most famous (or perhaps infamous…) zombie film, 1978’s Dawn of the Dead. (Shaun in this film is in fact the main character, played with wonderfully life-like normality by the marvelous Simon Pegg.) One could argue that in certain scenes the filmmakers did go too far with the blood and gore filled moments of horrific carnage, but they really are just moments on the most part and the real fun to be had here is in ‘recognising’ figures who might as well be people that you know, in the crowds of shuffling, hungry un-dead.

Shaun himself does not want to believe that they are in fact zombies… and whenever somebody says that they are he gets annoyed with them for using the ‘z’ word. His real opinion on the matter however is never revealed… but it is indicated through various hilarious news reports in the film that religious groups are hailing the phenomena as a sign of the coming apocalypse. These news broadcasts that film’s characters listen to on the radio or watch on television at certain points, also include advice to the public on how best to deal with said ravenous assailants walking the streets… such as this piece of advice given by none other than the real Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson, and to which the main characters seem to take most heed! “…remove the head, or destroy the brain.”

The film does have it’s weaknesses, with a couple of secondary characters who are really only there to help move Shaun’s story along. The plot basically revolves around him attempting to redeem himself to his ex-girlfriend at the same time as surviving in the zombie infested streets of London. Another slight weakness is perhaps that the numerous cleverly set-up ‘jump’ moments do begin to get a tad predictable after a while, and also the film’s ultimate ending feels a little too neat and convenient to be entirely satisfying.

But fortunately, this is definitely a case of a film where the good points massively outweigh the bad, and when you are in the right mood, and particularly on repeat viewings the bad points fade into near non-existence. So I say to you, feast your eyes on Shaun of the Dead and if you can stomach it you will be far from disappointed!

Rating: *****

Written by,

.Peter.D.Marsay.

Originally completed: 12/01/08.