By M. William Smith
Staff Writer
It’s difficult to say when Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz officially became part of a “trilogy.” The two films work extremely well when viewed together, and exhibit much of the same style and sense of humor, but they follow different characters, skew different genres, and take on different situations. What Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost have accomplished is nothing short of remarkable: they’ve taken two relatively unrelated films (save for a few recurring jokes and themes) and managed to tie them together into their long-promised latest release The World’s End to form something that seems like a grand master plan, even if there wasn’t really one to begin with.
The World’s End follows Gary King (Simon Pegg), as he attempts to relive his glory days by gathering up his old friends and attempting “The Golden Mile,” a ritual in his hometown to have a pint in twelve different pubs across the village. In keeping with the other films in this loose trilogy, the film has a genre twist. Where Shaun took on horror and Fuzz did action, The World’s End focuses on science fiction. Like Shaun of the Dead, there isn’t an immediate jump into the genre; rather, the film shows it off gradually, letting the mystery of what is happening be part of the fun. Oh, and it is very fun. Wright is one of the most dynamic directors working today, and maybe the most important comedic voice the cinema has seen in the past decade. I’ll admit to a trace amount of bias in this review, if only because Wright’s last three films (the aforementioned Shaun and Hot Fuzz, plus my favorite, the hyperkinetic energy ball that is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and his television series Spaced are some of my favorite works in any medium. With that said, The World’s End is predictably a delight, and surprisingly sweet as well.
The World’s End isn’t just another entry into the Cornetto canon. Rather, the film takes Gary King and turns him into a pathetic figure, someone who is firmly stuck in the past and can’t function in the real world (he’s essentially where Shaun from Shaun of the Dead would have ended up if he didn’t have to fight his way through waves of zombies). This gives the film a twinge of inherent sadness that isn’t present in the other two films, and creates an interesting reversal on the dynamic between Pegg and Frost. In general, Pegg tends to be the straight-man and Frost the buffoon, but here’s it’s the exact opposite: Frost’s Andy is a businessman, who genuinely pities Gary and is embarrassed to be around him. Both deliver incredible performances and the chemistry between the two is still as fresh as ever. But this film also returns to the group dynamic seen in Shaun of the Dead rather than the buddy-cop duo on display in Hot Fuzz, and the actors rounding out the ensemble, including Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, and Rosamund Pike, deliver some great comedic work as well.
What sets these films apart from other films of their type is, contrary to what some may believe, these aren’t parodies or send-ups of any particular genre. All three are very, very funny, and all three pay homage or reference other films of their kind, but each works as an entry into the genre they attempt to skew. The World’s End is no exception, and utilizes its science-fiction bent in a fun way that does what the genre does at its best. That is to say, it makes the film not necessarily about the cool sci-fi stuff, but utilizes it as a metaphor for the real story underneath. It’s a bit of clever screenwriting by Wright and Pegg, and pays off in a big way by the end.
But all this isn’t illustrating just how incredibly funny this movie is. Wright packs so much into a single frame and the jokes are so fast and so layered that it’ll be near impossible to absorb it all in a single viewing (Heck, I’m still catching jokes years later in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz). The film may move a bit slower than its predecessors, but by taking its time it allows the absurdity of the situation to blossom to its fullest effect. Wright proved how well he could direct action in Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim, and that trend continues here, as he delivers some of the best fight scenes in theaters this year (a trait which I’m sure will prove useful when he gets around to directing Marvel’s Ant-Man in 2015). Plus, the climax is a Douglas Adams-esque piece of genius, and worthy of the price of admission all on its own. The World’s End, like its predecessors, works well as a standalone film. But, looking at the three as a whole, Wright has crafted something of a masterpiece in modern storytelling: three separate films, each tackling similar themes, dealing with different genres, and always with an incredible sense of humor. It could have been easy for one to be a weak link in the whole affair, but the Cornetto trilogy stands as a brilliant example of filmmaking at its finest, and The World’s End is the cherry on top.
Final Grade: A-
