Thursday, October 29, 2020

Shaun Of The Dead

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran

From: Several companies

What I thought was humorously absurd in the past... suddenly doesn't seem as much so in 2020.

Last night was the perfect time to finally revisit this slice of horror/comedy; I did not love Baby Driver like most did but I hoped my enjoyment of this film had not diminished all those years later. Thankfully, it hasn't; while at times it was “try too hard”, it was far more excessive in Baby Driver.

It was also a relief that I was not annoyed by slackers Shaun & Eric, who are directionless fools that sometimes are rather buffoonish. At least with both, they experience character growth as the plot progresses. At the time, how oblivious they were to the zombie apocalypse seemed a little far-fetched... after what's happened this year, I do not feel that way any longer! The fact that all this chaos is happening due to what is in essence an infectious disease whose impact is lessened if you stay at home and isolate... that is a big reason why seeing this in this hellscape of a year was highly appropriate, at least for me.

Anyhow, the movie is still pretty funny between all the jokes (often set up for the purpose of its payoff later in the movie), visual humor, insults, quips, and the one really graphically gory moment being done for laughs. Yet it also has its poignant moments and those were done well; even the romantic aspect is not tiresome... whether it's the romance or the bromance. The core group of characters were all interesting in their separate ways. Another big asset-not surprisingly-is the music you hear throughout. Some popular songs are mixed in with various genres-and also musical cues from the original Dawn of the Dead. Hearing Zombie Nation, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Chicago AND Goblin... hell yeah.

Even w/ the glut of zombies we've gotten in entertainment since this came out, this still feels fresh... actually, perhaps because of this glut containing mostly mediocre (or worse; this is mostly based on hearsay on my part) product, that makes this original story which does not disrespect zombies... that makes this still a grand old time for fans of the genre.

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