What do you when the zombie apocalypse happens?
Simple:
“Take car. Go to mum's. Kill Phil [the stepdad who was bitten by a zombie], grab Liz [the ex-girlfriend], go to the Winchester [your favorite pub, also an impenetrable fortress], have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How's that for a slice of fried gold?”
That’s the master plan that Shaun and his best friend Ed came up with when they finally noticed the zombie apocalypse happening around them in the cult classic Shaun of the Dead (2004).
Described as a "romantic comedy with zombies", Shaun of the Dead is an homage to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978) and a parody of the British rom-com. It tells the story of a slacker salesman named Shaun and his drug-dealer best friend Ed, as they try to ride out a zombie apocalypse in their favorite pub, the Winchester.
Why the Winchester? According to the two friends, apart from being stocked with food and drink, it is also a familiar and safe place, plus they can smoke in it. But before they can go to the Winchester, Shaun and Ed must first rescue Shaun’s mother Barbara, kill Shaun’s stepfather Phillip (he was bitten by zombies), and pickup Shaun’s ex-girlfriend Liz who broke up with him the night before.
That’s pretty much the plot of the entire movie. It sounds simple, but that’s ok, because despite the simple plot the movie is still a step above other comedies and horror films in delivering jokes and gore. This is thanks to the movie’s director and co-writer, Edgar Wright, as well as its two stars Simon Pegg (who also co-wrote the script) and Nick Frost. Together, they created a cult classic that is funny, scary, and fresh.
One of the things that separate Shaun of the Dead from other comedies is the director’s use of visual gags to tell a story. For example, Wright transforms even the most mundane scenes like Shaun getting ready for work into an energetic sequence of fast-cuts intersped with funny noises to tell jokes, while still getting across his point that Shaun is a slacker living a humdrum life and whose existence is already zombie-like.
Thus, Shaun of the Dead is a "show-don't tell" kind of comedy that uses even the smallest detail to get a point across and tell a joke. Other visual jokes include phones comedically coming into frame, a zombie fight scene timed to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”, and a fresh retelling of the “four-eyes” joke.
On a side note, this film made me realize what a wasted opportunity it was that Edgar Wright dropped out from directing the first Ant-man movie. I mean, Ant-man (2015) turned out OK with Peyton Reed directing. But I can just imagine how much funnier it could have been with Wright in the director’s chair, especially since he wrote the script for it.
It’s also unexpected that with the movie being so funny, it turned dark and delved into the serious business of zombies halfway through the film. Suddenly, characters die in terrible and devastating ways, relationships get tested, and we are left wondering who will survive and whether anyone will make it out alive.
Ed (left) and Shaun (right) discuss how to kill the two zombies in their yard.
The two leads, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, were also perfect for their characters. By portraying Shaun and Ed as a relatable everyman, it's easy for us to root for them and get invested in their survival. Sure, it's awesome to watch a badass like Rick Grimes lead his group of survivors to a safe zone, while fighting zombies in The Walking Dead. But if we're being honest, aren't Shaun and Ed more relatable for folks like us?
As real-life friends, Pegg and Frost also made you believe that Shaun and Ed wouldn’t have spent the zombie apocalypse with anyone but each other. So, we care what happens to them and to their friendship. Personally, I think the movie's tagline “a romantic comedy with zombies” refers to the two characters' friendship, as much as Shaun and Liz's relationship.
Beyond the laughs and scares (and there are a lot), the movie also manage to make a thoughtful commentary on the ‘soulless’, day-to-day existence of the working-class man.
From the opening credits that show living people walking and acting like zombies, to the multiple times that the main characters mistake zombies as living people, and the incredible success that Shaun and his friends had at imitating the zombies, the movie is saying that modern life has turned us all into zombies. This is also embodied in Shaun’s character who is stuck in a repetitive, sluggish, and zombie-like routine of work, pub, and playing video games with his best friend Ed.
Final Notes:
Who is this movie for? It’s for anyone looking for a funny, witty comedy, as well as those looking for a different take on zombie movies.
My favorite scene: While trying to get to the Winchester, Shaun, Ed, and the rest of the gang come across Shaun’s friend Yvonne and her group. Spoiler alert: the groups are mirror images of each other.
My least favorite scene: One of the death scenes. It was too gross for me.
Movie trivia. Shaun of the Dead is the first installment in Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. It's an anthology of comedy movies directed by Wright and starring Pegg and Frost. It was followed by the cop movie Hot Fuzz (2007), and the alien invasion movie The World's End (2013).
For more information check out the movie’s IMDB Page.
Finally, here is the movie trailer.
Fair Use Disclaimer:
This post was written for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes only. Under Title 17, U.S.C. Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for the "fair use" of copyrighted materials for purposes that include commenting, criticizing, parodying, reporting, research, and teaching. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to their respective owners.