Comedy Central aired Shaun of the Dead the other day. Since I didn’t see it when it first came out, I decided to check it out. There should be no spoilers in the review below – I will try to make this into a rule from now on. Review will go into the hReview box, and the spoilage and commentary will go into the main post body below the rating.
One of the better zombie movies I have seen in a while!
Shaun of the Dead is not really a comedy. Or at least not entirely. While the movie has plenty of amusing and downright hilarious moments, it also packs enough suspense and drama to keep you on the edge of your seat.
It starts a little bit like Clerks with the main characters droning at their dead-end jobs, fighting with roommates, and desperately trying to keep their romantic relationships from falling apart.
The characters are all likable, well developed and easy to identify with. They are all average, boring, everyday people. In fact they are all so wrapped up in their own lives and problems that they don’t even notice the zombie outbreak until one stumbles into their living room and attempts to bite them.
After dispatching the unwanted visitor, the titular character Shaun and his couch potato roommate devise a plan to pick up their relatives and loved ones and hide in the local pub till the things blow over.
Of course, this simple and easy plan turns out to be difficult and dangerous quest. Some people get bitten and turn to zombies, the crew is forced to ditch the car, and the street on which the pub is located turns out to be the most heavily zombie infested area of the town.
What started as a light hearted comedy turns into a suspenseful drama punctuated by witty, intelligent humor.
After watching previews, I expected to see a slapstick parody of zombie movies. But fortunately, instead of aping famous pictures, writers decided to do their own thing.
The plot is completely character driven, and the characters themselves are original. The humor is subtle and it stems from the well written dialogs or absurd situations and plot twists.
What is admirable, the movie also tries really hard to avoid using the classic deus ex machina. The characters face many difficult situations, and in most cases they manage to get themselves out of them without the need for some to suddenly enter from stage left and rescue them.
Unfortunately in the very last few minutes this formula is broken, and we are treated to a quite disappointing and anti-climactic rescue. Thus I docked the movie a full star.
Still, the movie is good enough to forgive that transgression. I highly recommend seeing it. It is not a Hollywood blockbuster, but it is well worth seeing.
My rating: stars
Yes, I do dock a full star for deus ex machina. It is a piss poor plot mechanic, and writers should be punished for using it. But it is a damn good movie too, so go watch it. Comedy Central will probably rerun it several more times in the next few weeks.
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