The problem with zombie movies is that, well, they feature zombies -- some of the most boring cinematic monsters ever created. Sure, they've been scary at times and various films have tried to paint various new coats of novelty on them. Yet, and for the most part, they're the same old, boring if ravenous living dead that we've seen time and again.
As a result, both they and the films in which they're in often tend to get a bit silly at times. If that's going to be the case, why not just make a comedy featuring them? And I'm not talking about a spoof per se, but actually something slightly akin to a romantic comedy. Sound impossible?
Well, the cast and crew of "Shaun of the Dead" have managed to do just that with a film that should expand this sort of offering's audience beyond the traditional, hardcore, zombie-loving fan base. Now, other zombie flicks have included funny material, moments or asides, but few if any have been as hilarious or, yes, even charming as this offering that's obviously lampooning all of the George Romero and other zombie flicks.
Featuring a lot of the talent from in front of and behind the camera of the British TV comedy, "Spaced," the picture offers an equal dose of laughs and bloody mayhem. What really makes the film work so well, however, are the engaging characters. For most such efforts, such creations are present just as fresh meat for the cinematic grinder, with a viewer's interest in them limited to wondering who will survive and/or in what order they'll meet their grisly demise.
Here, and despite or perhaps because of their many faults, we not only get to know the characters, but also care a bit about them. That is, at least as much as is possible in a goofy film filled with all sorts of silly jokes. The humor is very British and begins with the opening title sequence. In it, director Edgar Wright ("Fistful of Fingers") shows how ordinary people and their mindless, everyday routines have resulted in a society of automatons who obviously aren't that far from being zombies, aside from culinary tastes of course.
Working from the script that he co-penned with star Simon Pegg and using an imaginative if quirky touch, Wright introduces us to the main characters and general situation, repeatedly making sure to point out that nothing is meant to be taken seriously (the guys are oblivious at times to the growing zombie situation around them).
The fun is not only in turning the situation on its head, but also from the way the main characters react and respond to this unexpected turn of events (when they eventually get around to noticing them). In true British comedy style, they don't shriek, cower or panic. Instead, they fight back by choosing their "weapons" carefully, such as shovels, cricket paddles and only the most expendable products in one's album collection.
They eventually decide they must seek safety in their favorite watering hole where they debate whether the Winchester Pub is named after its ordnance namesake. The rest of the film involves their quest to get there and then defend themselves -- Alamo style -- from the growing zombie hordes.
It's then that the film starts to spin its wheels and drag a bit as it repeats material from many such pictures and the humor subsides a bit. Thankfully, it doesn't derail at this point and the fabulous ending wraps things up with a fresh bit of highly effective humor.
As the lead characters, Simon Pegg ("The Reckoning," "24 Hour Party People") and Nick Frost ("Underground") are terrific. Goofy, charming and funny in a dry, British style, they're the cement that holds the film together and provides much of its comedy -- both nuanced and hilariously exaggerated. Kate Ashfield ("Fakers," "The War Zone") appears as the other half of the romantic comedy duo (although that element gets shortchanged once the body parts start flying), with Dylan Moran ("Notting Hill," "The Actors") and Lucy Davis ("Nicholas Nickleby," TV's "The Office") joining them as the other survivors.
Penelope Wilton ("Calendar Girls," "Iris") and Bill Nighy ("Love Actually," "Blow Dry") play the protagonist's mother and stepfather respectively, but considering how good the latter often can be, I felt a little gypped that his material wasn't stronger than it is. Even so, and when looked at as a whole, this is a bloody good time at the movies.
While it obviously won't be for all viewers, those who like their zombie blood and gore with a heaping dose of silly, smart and imaginative laughs will surely think they've died and gone to cinematic heaven (or turned into zombies as it were). Whatever the case, the highly entertaining "Shaun of the Dead" rates as a 7 out of 10.
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