11) Shaun Of The DeadDirected by Edgar WrightReleased in 2004If any British comedy from this decade will be looked back on in years to come and regarded as a classic, it's undoubtedly going to be Shaun Of The Dead. From the creators of Spaced, the film tells the story of Shaun and his lazy roommate who, following an uprising of zombies, try to find a safe haven at the local pub along with Shaun's family, friends and ex-girlfriend, Liz, who he is trying to win back.
The film deserves to be praised alone for perfectly combining two genres that have rarely worked before: comedy and horror. While films like Scary Movie and Eight Legged Freaks were a total disaster, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have succeeded in creating a picture that is hilarious, clever and original all the while being violent and bloody. It's the Evil Dead for this generation and it's a movie that will influence other horror comedies for years to come.
In particular, the zombie slaying scene set to the Queen song 'Don't Stop Me Now' is among the funniest moments in any comedy of the last ten years. However, there are countless moments in Shaun Of The Dead that had me laughing out loud, from the group practicing blending in as zombies to Shaun and Ed deciding which records are worth throwing to decapitate the undead.
Personally, I also loved the little digs at British culture towards the end as the aftermath of the zombie uprising is shown; zombies being used to work at supermarkets, a game show involving zombies and a debate on Trisha with a woman who wants to marry a zombie.
Shaun Of The Dead is almost so funny that you forget just how good Edgar Wright's direction is. His trademark quick flashes give the film an energetic pace while the tracking shots of Shaun's walk to the shop in which the rise of the zombies is first made known to the audience are brilliant.
Moreover, there is also a great character drama at the heart of the story as the viewers witness the loving friendship between Shaun and Ed, the relationship between Shaun and his mum, the love triangle between David and Shaun and, most of all, the demise of the romance between Shaun and Liz and his desperate attempts to show her he can change in order to win her heart again.
4/5
2 comments:
I lurve this film. On an intellectual level as much as a entertainment one.
8/10
That's what I think is so great about Shaun Of The Dead. You can be thoroughly entertained by it, but at the same time it's such a great film to watch for it's style and narrative and editing and cinematography. :)
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