Shaun of the Dead

Released 9th April 2004, Shaun of the Dead follows Shaun as he is sucked from his mundane life to face a zombie apocalypse. This film operates as a comedy which, with the help of Edgar Wright’s direction, is absolutely hysterical and clever. Wright is able to apply numerous recurring gags which are elevated by their recontextualization through the narrative to be both logical and comical. Another Wright-ism which garners comical results his use of quick-cuts to convey mundane tasks that he carries out; in contrast he also manages to utilise one-take shots to slowly pan Shaun’s environment and illustrate the individuals there only to recontextualise them later on. These physical gags succeed in (obviously) providing comic relief to the film but they also manage to shape a fresh identity for Edgar Wright’s comedic films.

Simon Pegg stars as Shaun and delivers a versatile but strong performance. His delivery and facial mannerisms are impeccable for his comedic moments; however, he also displays powerful emotion through his vocalisation and facial performance. Sharing the spotlight (and a powerhouse of chemistry) with Pegg is Nick Frost as Ed; he acts as the bumbled idiot friend and Frost does a strong job at matching Pegg’s comedic energy thus forging a synergy that would lead to the two starring in several other projects together. Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran give quirky performances as Phillip, Liz, Dianne and David that provide necessary plot drama where necessary and comic-ripe conflicts. Penelope Wilton gives a firmly wholesome performance to Shaun’s mum Barbara and she is very much the innocent of the survivors posse through the narrative.

Oddly enough, one of my main problems with the film is that it often dips too far into drama; while it avoids melodrama and contains strong performances at moments of emotion, it’s tone conflicts sharply with the otherwise hysterical comedy that is being distributed every other scene. While the film has an original score (which provides a strong energy to match the visual comedy), Wright is able to apply licensed music with vast success e.g., beating up a zombie in time with Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. Overall, Shaun of the Dead has fantastic comedy, great performances and strong directing from one of cinema’s best comedy directors.