Shaun Of The Dead

Shaun Of The Dead
Genre: RomZomCom

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Nicola Cunningham, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran

Release Date: April 9th 2004






     Shaun is a bit of a loser.  He works as a middle manager at an electronics store, he spends every night at the pub with his friend Ed (who is an even bigger loser than Shaun), and his girlfriend, Liz, has just dumped him.  He's made a complete mess of his life.  Shaun is, simply, a failure, and he knows it.  He also knows it is going to take drastic action to get his life on track, and get Liz to take him back.

     Then, zombies overrun London...

     In the face of the apocalypse, Shaun has to man up, fight some zombies, kill a few loved ones, save the day, and get the girl.  Now if he can just figure out how to manage all that without screwing it up.

     The term "RomZomCom" (or Romantic Zombie Comedy) is a pretty common part of the industry vernacular today.  It hasn't been that way for long, though.  Shaun of the Dead not only set the standard for the genre, but was singly responsible for its birth.  Prior to its release, zombie movies were just another part of the horror genre, taken in far too serious of a light by the industry and audiences alike.  Even those with excessive gore or laughably bad acting were making too much of an attempt to be taken seriously, in my opinion.

     Shaun of the Dead broke the mold completely.  It certainly helped that director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg are avid horror fans.  What they managed to create went far beyond what you would expect, though.  You might go into it thinking you're in for a silly spoof.  Possibly you are expecting a labored homage to the greats of the zombie movie such as Romero.  That doesn't begin to describe it, or to do it justice.

     The film is so carefully thought out, so precisely executed, that they have transcended being a spoof of any sort.  Instead, through the use of classic British wit and perhaps surprisingly good special effects, they have created a masterpiece of both the horror and comedy genres.  Ask any afficianado to name their top five zombie movies, and I can almost guarantee, Shaun of the Dead will come up.

     Additionally, by adding the truly brilliant humor, along with a touch of romance, they have single handedly made the genre more accessible to the average movie goer.  People who would never give horror the time of day have found themselves in equal parts cringing from and laughing at the "horror" of it.

     The humor adds another dimension to the film that so many others lack.  Where other zombie flicks try to create unease in the viewer through simple "shock cuts" and mood lighting, Simon Pegg as Shaun truly is an everyman.  The audience can connect to him, can get behind him, in a way they can't with other horror heroes.  You get sucked in, because you know that what Shaun does is exactly what you would do.  When faced with a dismembered man in a tuxedo, your first thought isn't to grab a gun and shoot for the head.  It is rather more like Shaun's reaction; to jump back, screaming "Oh my god!  His arm's off!"

     Shaun is also uncomfortable (as I imagine we all would be in his shoes) with using the term "zombie".  It simply makes it too real, and Shaun's reaction to the horror is what most everyone does when faced with the unbelievable.  They simply refuse to believe it.

     Along with Pegg is a brilliant supporting cast.  Nick Frost (Pegg's real-life friend) is Ed, a man idiotic to the point of being tragic, who still does a nice job of "rolling with punches".  Kate Ashfield as Liz is sweet yet severe, willing to take charge when need be, making her a perfect counterpoint to Shaun's indecisiveness.  Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran are hysterical as the bickering couple Dianne and David.

     The real highlights of the supporting cast for me, though, were Nicola Cunningham and Bill Nighy.  Cunningham is Shaun's mother, Mary.  Rather than being stupid or oblivious, as she comes off at first, she is simply too sweet to believe, or even to comprehend, the events unfolding around her.  Bill Nighy is Shaun's step-father, Philip, a serious, authoritarian man who is certain his bite wound will be fine.  Why?  Because he "...ran it under a cold tap."  In his short time on screen, Nighy draws the viewer in (as he always does) and manages to simultaneously touch and repulse us.

     Finally, for being made six years ago, the effects are on par  with anything released in its time, and even most zombie films since.  The gore is used perfectly, and the only places it might normally start to feel excessive, it doesn't.  Those are the times you are laughing the hardest.

     In summary, this is not your normal horror film, or your normal comedy.  It stood out so much, that when he was making Land of the Dead, George Romero offered cameos to Pegg and Wright (which they, of course, accepted).  Shaun of the Dead is, and always will be, a standard by which great zombie movies are judged, and will proudly hold its title as the first RomZomCom.

Concept: 5 out of 5
Story and Script: 5 out of 5
Effects: 4.5 out of 5
Originality: 5 out of 5
Overall Rating: An enthusiastic 5 out of 5!