Shaun of the Dead

*****
UK Release Date: April 9th 2004

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Director: Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The World's End)

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Rafe Spall, Peter Serafinowicz

Shaun of the Dead is one of those rare occurrences in cinema. At first glance it looks like your typical zom-com, but underneath is panache and a relishing satire. Contained within is a layered structure waiting to be taken apart with every viewing. There's always something new that might have been missed before.

Set in the South London, SOTD couldn't be better located. The streets with their terraced houses along with the convenience shop and the now very popular Winchester pub, aren't your typical locations for a survival film. It beats being in New York or L.A.. That would be boring.

None of the characters slip in to the cliché spectrum. Featuring a huge roster of television and cinema talent, including the likes of Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton, it's fundamental that everyone gets a shot, or two.

We're in for an equal balance of scares and laughs. The zombies are useless and slow, making fun of the ones seen in Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.  Shaun (Pegg) and company use whatever comes to hand to defeat them, be it a cricket bat, laundry basket or some crap vinyls, but the funniest of the lot is Shaun and Ed's (Frost) bromance. A partnership exists that we'll want to see for years to come.

The most embarrassing and humourous aspects are what happens in the background. Shaun goes about his morning business as usual; stumbling and yawning his way in to the living room, listening to his bemoaning housemate (Peter Serafinowicz is gold) about a certain lodger. Whether he walks to the shop, or on the bus to work, everyone around Shaun gradually deteriorates. It's daunting how similar to life it really is. Shaun is completely oblivious, but we're aware of the humans and their transition.

Shaun of the Dead is easily one of the best zombie-comedies to ever grace our screens. Its hilarious even when it tries to be serious. Zombieland, which showcases American humour compared to SOTD's British, is the only film that comes close in terms of levels of entertainment in the last decade.