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Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Rogue Pictures, 1 hr. 39 mins.
Starring:
Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Pete Serafinowicz, Lucy Davis,
Dylan Moran, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy, Jessica Stevenson
Directed by:
Edgar Wright |
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It is very difficult to experience a
true riotous effect when it comes to the zombie movie genre. After all,
aren’t the majority of these walking dead flicks meant to be cheesy and
inherently comical in nature? Well, the devilishly dandy flesh-eating
farce Shaun of the Dead certainly fits the bill as a monstrously
subversive parody that delivers the ghoulish goods. With its
British-oriented sense of stinging wry wit coupled with some truly genuine
gloomy gumption, Shaun of the Dead is a delightfully sick-minded yet spry
frightfest that captures the twisted imagination. Uniquely hilarious and
horrifying, this sensationalized send-up of zombie flicks would tempt a
cannibal to dine on veggies as a compromise. Convincingly crude and flat
out hysterical, this fleshy fable would make gory guru George A. Romero
(Night of the Living Dead) simultaneously proud and envious.
For the most part, there has been some decent zombie movies made that have
created an entertaining buzz during the past year or so. Danny Boyle’s
riveting 28 Days was atmospheric, intelligent and riveting in its dark
seediness. Plus, this year’s Dawn of the Dead remake was pleasantly
passable and thoroughly involving. But the roguish Shaun of the Dead has
the distinctive triple threat of being a true and blue “3-F” candidate
(funny, frightening, and frivolous).
Writer-director Edgar Wright and co-writer/Shaun star Simon Pegg concoct
an inventive and cleverly shrewd scare tactic spectacle that resonates
with absolute giddy charm. Along with the invaluable assistance of
cinematographer David M. Dunlap’s tenacious touch behind the camera lens,
there’s a penetrating look and feel to this zany zombie romp that’s both
cheeky and chilling in forethought. The handlers maintain a remarkable
balance as the material knows how to use its seriocomic effect to
perfection. The turmoil is often ribald if not pleasingly subtle at times.
And the loopy laughs do pour out flowingly much like a river of blood from
a zombie’s missing eye socket. Hands down, Shaun of the Dead belongs with
Romero’s trilogy of masterful zombie films as one of the best
skin-snacking cinema bits to ever hit the creepy consciousness of
horror-harboring worshipers everywhere.
Twenty-nine-year old underachiever Londoner Shaun (Simon Pegg) is the
unlikely hero of our terrifying tale. He leads what is perhaps an
arbitrary existence as a slacker-in-waiting. He has a not-too-exciting-job
working at an electronics store and basically goes through the everyday ho
hum motions. On the homefront, things aren’t that encouraging as well.
Shaun lives with fellow housemate Ed (Nick Frost), a plump and pointless
unemployed drug-induced hanger-on whose only vices consist of constantly
playing mindless video games or frequenting the local pub The Winchester
with his buddy Shaun. In associating with lump-on-the-log Ed, Shaun is
routinely stunting his own growth as a responsible adult that needs to
grow up and start searching for an ambitious bone in his bored body.
When contending with the sluggish influence of Ed’s irresponsible ways,
Shaun also has to deal with his demanding but sensible girlfriend Liz
(Kate Ashfield) who insists that he get his act together and ditch the
slovenly Ed if he knows what is good for him. Thus, Shaun has to choose
between the leisurely lunkhead Ed and stay content in his permanent
stagnation or adhere to Liz’s challenge to abandon the listlessness of his
livelihood and venture beyond the self-imposed foolishness. Just what will
Shaun do to rescue himself from such a delirious dilemma that concerns his
ambivalence toward adulthood? Better yet, will Shaun be a little more
creative in treating his galpal Liz to a better time than hanging out with
her at the claustrophobic Winchester?
Soon, Wright’s edgy exposition will tap into its sardonic overtones. As
the audience deals with agonizing Shaun’s disillusionment and detachment,
we are caught up in more than our perplexed protagonist’s personal
conflict. Very steadily, the camera focuses its winking eye on the other
sources of disillusionment and detachment going on that surrounds an
indifferent Shaun. Curiously, we witness the strange hypnotic habits of
random people looking dazed and confused as they begin to exhibit
emptiness in their stoic approach to performing what was considered
previous animated tasks in their daily living. Workers, commuters, street
punks, lovers—they’re all engaged in a slow-moving ritualistic glazing
that restricts the usual norm of this community’s functioning. Robotic
movements from blank-faced citizens and the flaming vehicles in the sordid
streets of London aren’t registering at all with the aloof Shaun. The
disconnection of Shaun’s emotional baggage is so alarmingly ridiculous
because he doesn’t even realize that the society around him is completely
off the mark in normalcy.
Shaun of the Dead is a glorious goof on the rigid standards of
stiff-lipped British protocol and the raucous results of what happens when
the corruptive forces of cannibalism offsets its prim and proper societal
structure. It’s profanely absurd and deliciously disturbing to see how
something as grim and ghastly could go unnoticed as some sort of sham in
the way we are conditioned to selfishly be so self-absorbed with our own
inner struggles that we ignore the overall mass-related concerns at hand.
The bottom line: it’s how we cope as a collective unit when it comes down
to grouping despair and desperation on a wide scale.
Both Wright and Pegg are so observational and insightful about the varying
elements of unpredictable human nature well beyond the flesh-ripping
platitudes. Maybe it’s that suggestive British sense of humor—the caustic
comedy of having English middle-class bystanders immersed in such misery
and macabre mayhem while coping with other dimensions of angst that is
just too hilarious for words. It is so clear and calculating to see how
inspired these wacky British horror-comedy collaborators were in their ode
to celebrating the high-minded savagery of George A. Romero’s bonus
blood-thirsty showcases. The wicked joke at hand is indeed a visceral,
horrific hayride to say the least—the brain-bashing tendencies of having
slow-walking body part beasts munch on human ham sandwiches is a deadpan
humorous metaphor for how lost we really are as misguided people with
fragile psychological shells as protected armor.
As a slap-in-the-face blood-splattering commentary, Shaun of the Dead is
harsh but perversely hearty in its crass convictions. The filmmakers
behind Shaun are widely known to English television audiences thanks to
the flaky sitcom Spaced (Wright directs the televised comedy; Pegg and
Frost star in it). The spunky social satire is infectious and the zombie
attacks (and attacking of the zombies) are graphic yet occasionally
tongue-in-cheek. This is one zany zombie campaign that’s smart, engaging,
and percolates with zesty personality. Showing folks being devoured like a
hotdog at a sporting event is utterly insane in the free-spirited manner
that is so casually comfortable.
The performances are exceptional especially with Pegg as the disengaging
Shaun who seems so trapped yet oddly content in his dubious day-to-day
quagmire. With the big 3-0 around the corner and life seeming like a staid
chain of moments where his exasperated girlfriend and uncouth pal surround
him in the familiar comforts of his safety net drinking hole, Pegg’s Shaun
is the epitome of a lost guy in an unshakable rut. When Shaun actually
snaps out of his nagging funk and starts to care about something when
combating the overzealous zombies that he previously dismissed due to his
inner strife, it’s then that his woeful life becomes fueled with urgent
meaning and purpose. Shaun is hapless and hopeless but he wants to shake
things up a bit if only facing a new phase in his being wasn’t so
daunting. Surprisingly, Shaun steps up to the plate. And in doing so, he
shows some savvy as a spontaneous leader of this magnified crisis.
The supporting players are effectively exhilarating in their contributions
as well. Frost’s Ed is the consummate loser/lackey that wears his
dishonorable badge with pride. Ashfield’s Liz plays the suffering
companion with the right amount of pathos. Penelope Wilton (Calendar
Girls) and Bill Nighy (Love Actually) are joyously on cue as Shaun’s
mother and stepfather. And who can forget the flesh fiends in the film
that put on their bloody best behavior as carcass-eating creatures
wandering the uncontrollable London alleys.
The verdict is in about the rollicking Shaun of the Dead—you’ll have an
outrageous experience being cozy with the outlandish participants that
make up this weird wonderland of flesh-and-blood. This is one exhaustingly
compelling vehicle that you can literally sink your teeth into! With the
intentional pun intended, Shaun and his cannibalistic cohorts will truly
get under your skin. |
