Milkduds

Shaun of the Dead (8/10)

January 31st, 2005

Shaun of the Dead was a great change of pace in the genre of horror movies. It’s obviously a satire of Dawn of the Dead, but the effects were pretty well done and there were actually elements of suspense throughout the movie. As far as the plot goes, the movie is about an almost-30 slacker, Shaun (Simon Pegg), that overcomes his slackerness to save his group of friends and mother from the flesh-eating zombies of London. His best friend and super-slacker room mate, Ed (Nick Frost), is hilarious and makes for most of the comedy in the film.

The reasons the movie got points knocked off were 1) since it’s British, I couldn’t understand them sometimes, and 2) the movie started actually getting serious towards the end. I know the first is unavoidable, but the second isn’t. There may actually be value in making the story more serious towards the end since things start to look pretty grim, and it is also a way to captivate the viewer and hold them to the end. But, the first 3/4 of the movie isn’t and that’s what made it so funny! The part when they first find the zombies and are trying to figure out how to kill them is unforgettable. Other notables are the writing, the acting, and especially the camera work. The film had just the right amount of shake during the suspensful parts and worked really nice. And if you really like it, the DVD has some good extras, which I also enjoyed.

Entry Filed under: Movies