There's something fantastically in-your-face about
Shaun of the Dead. This is, without a doubt, the finest comedy of 2004, but more than that: It's so much better than 2004 American zombie offering, Dawn of the Dead. It's not hard to draw similarities; they're both zombie films, and they very nearly share a name. The difference is: while Dawn of the Dead is all about the thrills and chills of a mutant infestation,
Shaun of the Dead manages to bring a very human spin to the scenario, and comes out the better for it.
It all starts one cold morning in North London. Shaun (Simon Pegg) gets up, goes to work and comes home. On the way, he manages to fall out with his step-father, break up with his girlfriend and find himself the responsible party in the eviction of his best friend Ed (Nick Frost). While he's absorbed in his own problems, and let's face it - they're bad enough, he's completely oblivious to the rise of the dead all around him.
An imported disease is spreading fast among the population of North London; a single bite has the power to kill. But that's not the worse part - you'll be bought back to life as a zombie. A pair of them in Shaun's back garden is the first to alert him to the impending crisis, and it's not long before he and Ed are making plans to save their friends and family and wait out the zombie invasion.
From the first few scenes it's clear to see
Shaun of the Dead is destined to be a mould-breaker. There is a reticent uprising for the whole of the first thirty minutes that the audience isn't patently let in on. The zombie threat steadily increases in the background, but that information is broadcast in background noise, on televisions and radios. The crux of the initial story is on the romantic element of the script, Shaun getting dumped. So normal is it to see zombie behaviour from commuters in London that not a thing seems out of place.
In fact, we see Shaun perform two similar routines and it's only for comic flourishes and audience awareness that you'll notice any change. It's moments like these that stands
Shaun of the Dead apart from the average brainless horror. Leaving aside the comedy of the script,
Shaun of the Dead is anything but brainless. This is a clever zombie movie; well-scripted and well-executed.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are every bit as wonderful as you could imagine. They work brilliantly together, and their relationship is perfectly conceived. Lucy Davis is the real surprise in the cast. The reserved-quietness of her character in The Office is long removed from Dianne in
Shaun of the Dead. She's ditzy, a little fruity and unafraid to speak her mind. When she does, she speaks sense but there's always something in the back of her mind telling her to be stupid. Davis brings a beautifully written character to life without a spot of bother, and she makes a wonderful addition to the Spaced cast.
Shaun of the Dead comes across as a terrific satire on life in the city as well as a fantastic parody of the zombie-movie we all know and love. How it manages both, I can't even begin to understand; but its exquisite cast, perfect scripting and on-form directing will likely have a lot to do with it.
Shaun of the Dead will appeal to audiences of all ages and tastes, and is a fine example of British comedy done well.
Subject: shaun of the dead 2004 
Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:20 pm
