Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

8/10

Starring

Simon Pegg

Nick Frost

Directed by Edgar Wright

I wasn’t a huge fan of zombie apocalypse movies until I saw Shaun of the Dead.
The movie is nothing like the regular horrific, thrilling zombie flicks we’re used to, and it’s also nothing like the comedic zombie movies that try to imitate Shaun of the Dead. This movie is in a league of its own, and there’s no plan to dethrone it as one of the best zombie apocalypse movies—and the best comedic zombie apocalypse movie.

So, what makes Shaun of the Dead so great, leading to its critical and commercial success, not to mention the numerous awards and nominations it received?
The movie’s balance. That’s what Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (writers, with Wright directing and Pegg starring as Shaun) did so well. They made sure you’re laughing hysterically at the witty, belly-aching comedy while filling the movie with enough gore and killings to remind you it’s still a zombie apocalypse.

The movie starts with a brief intro into Shaun’s life. He’s dumped by his girlfriend for being a putz and decides to drown his sorrows with his best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), at their favorite pub, the Winchester.
Waking up the next day hungover, Shaun fails to notice that a zombie apocalypse has taken over London in the first few minutes of the movie.

It hits him when his neighbor attacks him and Ed in their small garden. The two, now fully aware of what’s happening, come up with a stupid plan: wait out the apocalypse at their favorite pub, the Winchester.

On their way to the Winchester, they branch off to pick up some other survivors, turning the whole movie into a wild, death-filled journey to the pub.

Shaun of the Dead is the first in Wright and Pegg’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, followed by 2007’s Hot Fuzz and 2013’s The World’s End. However, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are the most fondly remembered.
There’s nothing stopping the two from making sequels to this, other than the number of characters they killed off to make Shaun of the Dead a classic.

Its classic status is sealed by the numerous recognitions it’s received from various movie rating sites and notable figures like Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino, to name a few.
Shaun of the Dead is that one movie that sneaked in and left a lasting stamp on our minds, to be remembered for all time.