Shaun of the DeadDid you ever have that feeling that every day was the same as the one before, and that you're just shuffling from station to station, living the same humdrum routine? Maybe it's a case of arrested development, and you're stuck with the same habits and mannerisms, the same familiarities keep you complacent--going to the bar/pub, hanging out and drinking, playing games, doing the nine to five. Like a zombie. I mean, the big difference being that we don't, you know, eat people. But then maybe something happens one day, and well, the rest of that changes. Maybe you don't notice it at first, but eventually you're forced to make a stand, and change or die. Maybe both?
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Shaun of the Dead is the story of, well, Shaun (Simon Pegg), a lower-tier retail drone putting in his hours between hanging out with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), his buddy Ed (Nick Frost), and the rest of Liz's friends, David (Dylan Moran) and Dianne (Lucy Davis) at The Winchester, the local watering hole, named for the symbolic (perhaps functional) rifle adorning the wall above the bar. But Liz wants more out of life, and calls Shaun out on his staid routine, his penchant for finding comfort in the same old same old. Frankly, Shaun is unmotivated, uninspired, and doesn't have the attention or drive to manage a real relationship...not until things start going belly up, and the dead start walking the streets. Shaun's no action hero, but he is driven by his love for Liz, as well as his mom, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), all of whom Shaun seeks to rescue and protect in the wake of the zombie apocalypse. Without this kind of motivation, it's pretty clear that Shaun would have never had the guts to go and rescue Liz, or really do anything requiring any real committment. That's not to say that Shaun's a bad guy, but that he's stuck in a rut, and as we know, when you're in a rut, spinning your wheels doesn't do much good--you need some kind of push. Shaun of the Dead is often described as a "romantic comedy with zombies"; however, I see the movie about a man at a crossroads, at a moment where Shaun is forced to accept the terror surrounding him as genuine, and adapt to it. His forced resilience makes him a leader of his group, even if he doesn't really fit the bill as one in general--he has no real survival skills, he can't shoot a gun, he isn't even a violent person; but when pressed and those he loves are threatened, he does man up and do what he can, even if it isn't great. It's this kind of drive, this determination which is what Liz has missed and what rekindles their relationship. This is no lovey-dovey film--it is actually quite gory--but there is a romance which needs that spark revisited.
Just as Shaun's life starts coming together as the world is coming apart, director Edgar Wright's story about the walking dead is a mix of humor and tragedy, not entirely one or another. Characters die and the grief for them is touching, even though there are still moments of silliness and mirth in the movie, like Shaun and Ed's first feeble attempts to halt the advance of zombies invading their home by chucking LPs at them, choosing which ones to throw based on Shaun's preferences. Lots of moments introduced--lines of dialogue and framed shots and situations--are revisited later in the movie, played for dark comedy as the moments take on a ghastly tone with the added presence of the undead shambling throughout, like the jukebox--always on "random", it seems--playing Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now", as Shaun and company beat up a zombie with pool cues in time with the music. Or the ambitious tracking shot where Shaun makes his morning sojourn to the convenience store, revisited later after he is hung over, and the city is a deserted mess in the wake of the looming zombie plague. As the severity of the infection spreads--and Shaun has gathered his family and friends together to increase their chances of survival--there are moments when he and his clan become closer, learning a little more about one another, as Shaun learns more about the life he has taken for granted. In the face of death, Shaun begins to truly appreciate those who have been there for them, and this bolsters his courage...at least as far as it can go. Ironically, Shaun doesn't want to hurt anyone, and this attitude has left him straddling the sidelines, taking the easy path of hanging with Ed more often than he probably should, friend though he is; ironic in that in the end, Shaun must fend off the legions of the dead with a cricket bat to actually defend those he wishes to protect. Shaun of the Dead is a movie about choice, and how the choices we make may not always be the right ones, but sometimes--right or wrong--we have to make them and go forth into peril, shambling corpses and all.
Recommended for: Fans of zombie movies, especially those looking for something which subverts the genre in a clever and humorous way. The characters are exceptionally well-rounded for a zombie film, even if they knowingly embody many of the tropes of the style.
Just as Shaun's life starts coming together as the world is coming apart, director Edgar Wright's story about the walking dead is a mix of humor and tragedy, not entirely one or another. Characters die and the grief for them is touching, even though there are still moments of silliness and mirth in the movie, like Shaun and Ed's first feeble attempts to halt the advance of zombies invading their home by chucking LPs at them, choosing which ones to throw based on Shaun's preferences. Lots of moments introduced--lines of dialogue and framed shots and situations--are revisited later in the movie, played for dark comedy as the moments take on a ghastly tone with the added presence of the undead shambling throughout, like the jukebox--always on "random", it seems--playing Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now", as Shaun and company beat up a zombie with pool cues in time with the music. Or the ambitious tracking shot where Shaun makes his morning sojourn to the convenience store, revisited later after he is hung over, and the city is a deserted mess in the wake of the looming zombie plague. As the severity of the infection spreads--and Shaun has gathered his family and friends together to increase their chances of survival--there are moments when he and his clan become closer, learning a little more about one another, as Shaun learns more about the life he has taken for granted. In the face of death, Shaun begins to truly appreciate those who have been there for them, and this bolsters his courage...at least as far as it can go. Ironically, Shaun doesn't want to hurt anyone, and this attitude has left him straddling the sidelines, taking the easy path of hanging with Ed more often than he probably should, friend though he is; ironic in that in the end, Shaun must fend off the legions of the dead with a cricket bat to actually defend those he wishes to protect. Shaun of the Dead is a movie about choice, and how the choices we make may not always be the right ones, but sometimes--right or wrong--we have to make them and go forth into peril, shambling corpses and all.
Recommended for: Fans of zombie movies, especially those looking for something which subverts the genre in a clever and humorous way. The characters are exceptionally well-rounded for a zombie film, even if they knowingly embody many of the tropes of the style.