The Worlds End Review

It’s really something to watch and talk about a trilogy. Mind you this isn’t like The Godfather trilogy or the Mad Max films. While all those have expanding narratives that make the characters a draw to watch. This one and the whole trilogy is unique where there’s no continuing thread or storyline. Just one director making three unique films that paid tribute to the films of the past in his own vision. Even rare is that the trio of films executed with their own blend of comedy and irony. The World’s End is the perfect cap off to a one of a kind trilogy. 

1. Pub Crawl

        As with the case with these films in the trilogy. There’s no connection between them as far as the story is concerned. If you’re one to take a peak at the trilogy, it’s safe to say that entries are their own different films. With this one, it feels like it takes some elements of Shaun of the Dead and does things differently. Replace the zombie aspect and input an alien invasion, as well as switching the character dynamics and you got something different. 

        You get a sense that in this one, it was probably a mutual choice between Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg to change Pegg’s character. The prior ones have him be the everyday man and the ideal police officer. It makes sense since those movies have him be the star and to be the audience representation of the everyday guy going through the wacky situations. This one, it somewhat feels personal, due to where we see Pegg’s character Gary in the film.

        We follow Gary as he’s a sad sack of a man. It’s established in the beginning of the film that he and his friends followed a pub crawl in their hometown. Most of them didn’t finish the 12-bar drinking odyssey, which prompts Gary to reunite with his friends to finish the trial. While I’ll talk about the gimmick for the film, I’ll elaborate on Gary’s character. As I stated a few sentences earlier, he’s a bit of a sad sack while his old friends have already grown up.

        He is dressed differently than his friends, as they each have professional jobs and just tolerate him to a certain extent. The main gist of his reignited journey is that he wants to recapture his youth and bringing his friends along. The feeling isn’t mutual right from the start where his friends have all grown up and went about their lives. What’s interesting is that in the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Gary and his friends when they were younger. 

        A nice touch is that the friends have a non-diegetic title of their names that have a style. Moments later when Gary reconnects with them and their names have a bland style that reflects their grown-up persona. The film has that element of reliving youth for Gary where he wants another try to his pub crawl. It all serves as a thing of closure for the character since it’s established later on that Gary had tried to kill himself since he hasn’t moved on like his friends. To me, it feels like a personal film juxtaposed with the alien invasion narrative. 

2. Invaders

        What better way to pay tribute to the films in the past by riffing on the alien invasion sub-genre. The first paid tribute to the revitalized zombie films and the second was Britain’s attempt to homage the past action police films of the US. The World’s End has Invasion of the Body Snatchers as the frame for the whole thing. Like the other film’s in the trilogy, the film flips itself when something weird happens. Such as when Gary fights a teenager in one of the pub’s restrooms. 

        The reveal that the youth is a robot was surprising. The violence basically has it setup where the invaders can have their heads and limbs removed forcefully. The best action moment is when the friends find Gary and engage in combat to stop the gang of Blanks. The Blanks are the name the friends dub the invaders. It’s all great with nearly all of them fighting and having the invaders squirt out blue blood, albeit not in buckets but in a classy way. Little did I know that it was initially setup as the gang goes back to their hometown. 

        I love how the threat gets progressively bigger when its revealed further that the whole town has been replaced. All of them have a hivemind approach where the gang tries to coast by them but get spotted. In a way, the aliens approach of taking over is what Gary wants. The aliens called The Network has created copies of it’s victims when they were younger. Gary tries to accomplish his quest all the while attempting to survive the alien invasion. Making it more engaging when his friends are slowly picked off. 

3. The Cornetto Trilogy

        So, after marathoning the trilogy for the past month is really something. In general, marathoning a film series is fun for me at least to see how a series or trilogy has come whenever I see the first entry. I can say that the redeeming value of this trilogy is that they’re all different. Most of the cast and crew are the same since Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg probably enjoy the camaraderie when it comes to making these films. I mentioned it when talking about Shaun, but the whole trilogy feels like something a group of friends make. Something akin to hanging out in a summer day. 

        They all have a connection when we focus on the characters being either slackers or too professional. Inevitably the main characters learn how to move on from being lackadaisical or too committed. Like their lives are the things that’s holding them back. All it takes is a zombie infestation, a secret society and aliens is what prompts the characters to realize who they are and change themselves for the better. All of it is personal, but it’s the execution of the ridiculous setup that makes the whole thing engaging. 

        One last thing that I’ll bring up before wrapping it up. I’m surprised that there were other trilogies from other directors that have no continuing stories. You have other works from directors John Carpenter and Damien Chazelle where there’s a “trilogy” per say. The only thing though is that they all have the same ideas and themes that make the films interconnected in a way. While I have yet to check out those films, this is probably unique where the releases have been met with unanimous praise. 

4. Overall

        The World’s End is one of the best sci-fi comedies and one of Edgar Wright’s essential viewing. 

Hot Fuzz Review

        My look into Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy continues. After the success of Shaun of the Dead, it made sense for both Wright and Simon Pegg to continue with their collaboration. What’s interesting is in this film is that it’s not so much of a continuation of the prior film but it’s an entirely different film altogether. From what the director says, he wanted to make a cop film since the Brits didn’t have a tradition of making action/cop films like the Americans. So it made sense for him to create one that is a tribute the only way Wright can make. I would say that this is the best entry in the trilogy. 

1. Police Farce

        So yeah, this is a completely different film that pays tribute to past films that have cops in action situations. Right from the start, we follow Nicholas Angel who’s once again played by Simon Pegg. It’s established that he’s one of the best officers in the London Police, although he’s been transferred to a small community outside the city. While I’ll talk about the evolving story in the next tab, I got to talk about all the things that Edgar Wright did right with this one. The overall M.O. for the film seemed to be to try to make the whole police experience being comedically mundane and unbelievable. 

        The funniest part is the editing with everything Nicholas does such as opening the door, making a purchase and doing the seemingly ordinary task of police paperwork. All of it is executed in a way where there’s heightened tension such as doing the paperwork and mugshot taking as disarming a time bomb. It’s hilarious and authentic to the actual profession since mostly any media of the police never shows the actual paperwork that goes into the actual aftermath of the arrest. The comedy is perfect with the execution in the editing. 

        So back to Nicholas, you would think that he’s just a mindless drone that executes his job to the perfect T. He’s a very by the book person since he takes his job seriously where you have to admire his level of awareness when reviewing security footage. His character is very different from Shaun where Nicholas isn’t a slouch in the least bit. Albeit, continuing with the seeming tradition of putting in a relationship issue for the character. At the core, he’s the film’s straight man for the ridiculousness that he’s experiencing. 

        They gave him depth instead of him being a perfect example of a police officer. It’s the tiny moments that gives him more humanity since it makes sense to get an understanding why he chose to be an officer. When we see Nicholas and his partner at the pub, Angel is asked why he chose to be a cop. All of it is in line with who our main character is, he felt inspired by his family member and he feels good about delivering justice. In a way, he’s a biotic version of Robocop when you get down to it. 

        It has to be emphasized enough where for the comedy to work is to have us be with the character and just react to the other weirdness that he encounters when he gets transferred. Like, we’re with him in the long haul and just find it odd that the place that he’s been transferred is a seemingly peaceful town where Nicholas wants to do something that just be comfortable. That’s where Nick Frost’s Danny appear as an opposite to Nicholas. Frost’s character is very in tune with the action films of the past since he confides with his partner that he wants to be like him. 

        And I love how the duo ultimately become one where Nicholas arrests Danny thinking that he was a town drunk. That encounter practically sets up the new world that Nicholas has to live with. The whole town of Sandford is seemingly normal since there’s hardly any crime just random accidents that happen to people who object to the local neighborhood watch. The police force where Nicholas is reassigned is seemingly incompetent since the whole force laughs off the accidents as that. 

2. Genre Switch

        As I mentioned earlier, the way the movie is shot and edited is reminiscent of the action/cop films of the past. To the point that Danny has an extensive collection and is a plot point for Nicholas’ growth in the story. With the ridiculousness amped up by making the seemingly mundane task of paperwork thrilling with how it’s shot and edited. One other thing that is to be shown is just how the genre switches so easily. At the start of the film, Nicholas is established as the best of the best. 

        Later in the runtime, the way the film flows is a mixture of mystery and suspense since Nicholas is curious for the town’s seemingly calm nature. Part of it feels like a horror film since the people that interacts with Nicholas is mysteriously killed by a hooded figure. All of it is great since we see Nicholas examine the crime scene that doesn’t match what actually happened. Like, there’s no careless approach with the movie to not do any quick investigation, but having it where Angel is very perceptive. 

        While I won’t give away the twist of the film, its when the whole thing turns into a conspiracy. What I will say is that Timothy Dalton is charming as a conniving civilian. The former James Bond actor for the most part has played villains in his filmography. He can pull off the seemingly innocent person, but what immediately gives it away is that he’s not very sly when it comes to saying stuff that is threatening to someone. To me it’s interesting to have someone organize a neighborhood watch and have someone on the inside of the police force. 

        After everything is revealed, it’s when it turns into a straight action film. There has been complaints that the film feels slow since there’s multiple developments with what Nicholas has seen and experienced. Like, the action doesn’t quite ramp up in the middle. When it does, it’s completely worth it. And Nicholas is wielding multiple weapons and fends off the antagonists and it’s just great. You can’t go wrong with the shootouts and the blood squibs that are used. It’s a film that demands patience and rewards the viewer with what they wanted to see. 

3. Overall

        Hot Fuzz is in my opinion the best in the Cornetto Trilogy. 

Shaun of the Dead Review

        I’m back. It’s almost crazy to think that we’re almost done with this decade. A lot has changed that’s for sure. In case you haven’t been following me for a good while, every January is when I talk about a franchise. Typically varying with a trilogy, series, or sequels of films that I’ve already talked about. Most of them are mixed and some that I talked about are beloved in a sense that it’s interesting to see how a story continues in a sequel or series. This year I’ve decided to spice it up by talking about an unorthodox trilogy. By unorthodox, meaning that there’s nothing really connecting them aside from the cast and director having a hand in making the film. 

1. Shaun’s Zombie Odyssey

        I feel that the film came at a time when the zombie sub-genre was at its peak with the release of 28 Days Later. Whenever a genre is popular, you have the obligatory parody where it mocks genre by pocking holes at the overall story and plot. It’s rare to execute a parody where it pays tribute to the sub-genre while also being hilarious when having the characters deal with something as serious as a zombie outbreak. This was also the time when the parody movies where in a decline with the overabundance of the “Movie” Movies. 

        The name itself is just perfect as a comedic parody of the movie. Additionally that it’s not just a basic zombie movie but a character driven one where the main guy has his name plastered on the title and poster. It’s ironic since he’s not buff or just covered in blood and guts, but a basic guy who’s trying to survive alongside his friends and family. And that’s the kind of thing that the film has going for it, being ironic while also being a movie about an everyday guy being confronted with something that disrupts his usual day in the life. 

        We follow Shaun, as he lives with his friends Ed and Pete in the English neighborhood. Shaun is a bit of a slouch who puts up with Ed’s uncleanliness and not being a good boyfriend to his girlfriend Liz. We see how his life is as uneventful as it is as an electronic salesman. Shaun lacks being able to take the lead and try to have any authority in his life. I just love the moment where Shaun goes about his day when getting his drink at a corner store. All the while being completely oblivious to what’s happening around him. 

        What I admire about the film is that the characters play it completely straight when we see the outbreak progressively get worse. Shaun is totally oblivious as he’s a slacker that it’s only worried about himself and his girlfriend. Like we slowly get moments in the background of people coughing or just being attended to by the paramedics. There are moments where we get scary stinger sounds but it mostly contrasts with something ordinary that spooks Shaun or is just not ordinarily scary. 

        What makes the film work is Shaun. Just him being completely oblivious with the zombie infestation with him thinking it’s just a regular day is perfect. We really do get the same shot of him going to the store, albeit with damaged cars, zombies and the obligatory running survivor. It’s both him and his friend that try to learn how to beat the zombies with conventional tools that make the comedy work. Like, the whole film works like a sort of film a couple of friends make but making it engaging and believable. 

        Might also talk about the zombies and the juxtaposition of regular people. I love how from the very beginning there’s really not much difference between the living and the reanimated. I love the montage that was used to show the people existing in a zombie like state of utter boredom or contentment. It harkens back to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead by having a not-so-subtle statement how regular people going about their lives as a zombie. Albeit this one takes it to a ridiculous degree of absurdity. The kills are great too as both Shaun and Ed start off small to kill them. Then it really ratches up as the best kill doesn’t involve the zombies but Shaun’s girlfriend’s male friend as he gets ripped to shreds. 

2. Edgar Wright

        This will be the third film that I’ve talked about that Edgar Wright directed. He’s not so much a mainstream director but one where he has a particular style when it comes to making his movies. He’s an auteur for the most part and a very niche one since most of his craft doesn’t cater the mainstream but is something different for anyone that is curious. This isn’t the first film that I’ve watched of his, but this is the one where he made a name for himself due to it’s success and surprise. 

        If you were to really understand how and why the film is executed in a way, it is that it’s editing helps flow the story more. When we follow Shaun, the edits click when he puts his clothes on or doing something. How it’s cobbled together makes it more interesting and intense with how much the zoom snaps to something ordinary like a faucet handle. More so that there’s a lot of background details that sell just how bad the situation is. To the point that both characters don’t explicitly point that a couple is still kissing outside a pub. All the while they don’t notice that the couple are zombies. 

        One more thing that must be addressed is the overall character arc that Shaun goes through during the whole ordeal. We see him as a lackadaisical guy where he’s a slacker to a lot of people. His girlfriend’s friends don’t even think that he’s good enough for him. We feel for him since he doesn’t have the pushback to stand up for himself. Amid the outbreak is where we see him take control. Just his whole elaborate plan along with the editing perfectly lines up with Shaun’s thinking. With the ending of the film, it perfectly aligns with what he’s been needing in his life. 

3. Overall

        Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead is one of the best comedy/horror film ever made.