Matt's Movie Musings: Edgar Wright

Showing posts with label Edgar Wright. Show all posts

Saturday, 3 August 2013

The World's End

The World’s End is the third film in Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s ‘ice cream and blood’ series. There has been an awful lot of expectation for this film, largely because Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were both so successful. I was looking forward to seeing it and yet when I came out of the cinema I felt a little bit disappointed. It wasn't as good as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, and I didn't seem to enjoy it as much.

If you haven’t seen the trailer, The World’s End is about five friends who, one night in their teen years, attempted a pub crawl known as the golden mile. Years later they return to Newton Haven to complete the golden mile, but things are not quite as they seem. Everything seems to be the same, and yet completely different. They soon discover that the villagers have been taken and replaced by ‘robots’. The five guys try to complete the golden mile without arousing suspicion, but they soon come across an alien network intending to ‘civilise’ humankind for the benefit of the universe.

Now I did enjoy the film, but not as much as they other two. It was a funny film which made me laugh out loud several times, and this was genuine laughter too. The comedy was original in that it wasn’t entirely recycled from the previous films. I thought that this was important because otherwise The World’s End would just be an extension of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. However, it followed a very different template. I hope this makes sense, but Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz both seem to have a prescribed pattern where certain jokes are repeated for comedic effect. The World’s End doesn’t feel like a film of the same mould. However, this isn’t a bad thing as it makes it much more unique. The laughs aren’t manufactured either and feel perfectly natural in the context of the film

I particularly liked the message behind the film. Edgar Wright is quoted as saying that he wanted to focus on the “Wetherspooning” effect with the “strange homogenous branding that becomes like a virus” (http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2013-07/17/edgar-wright-interview-the-worlds-end). Much like all of the pubs seen in the film are essentially the same, the humans are being slowly replaced with a branded identical copy of each other.

Simon Pegg is spectacular in this film, which seems to go unnoticed because his character is really dislikable. His mannerisms and commitment to his character is perfect. Nick Frost is also, and unsurprisingly, brilliantly funny as the teetotal Andy. I thought The World’s End was particularly entertaining in that Pegg and Frost seem to have swapped roles somewhat. Whereas Frost was the silly one and Pegg was the more serious one, in The World’s End Frost plays the serious character who is unwilling to get involved with childish scenarios. This reversal of their chemistry works perfectly throughout the film, which is as much a credit to each actor’s skill as it is to the scriptwriting.

The supporting cast is equally fantastic and complete the ‘friendship’ theme which has characterised all three of the ‘ice cream and blood’ films. Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine all work perfectly in their roles, and none of them ever feel like they’re playing second fiddle to Frost and Pegg. Each of them is there as their own character and are an equal part of the cast. Rosamund Pike is also very amusing as Sam Chamberlain, and the scenes with her in are particularly amusing. There are a number of cameo appearances which are also very entertaining, such as Mark Heap, whose manner is a source of laughter in every role he plays.

Overall I think The World’s End is a very good film. It will suffer a little bit though from being part of the same series as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I didn't find it as entertaining as the other two, but still entertaining. I enjoyed watching it and genuinely laughed a few times. The plot was particularly interesting and felt relatively fresh and while some parts felt a little bit forced and manufactured, it was an entertaining and enjoyable watch. It’s not a bad film and if you enjoy comedies then you will like The World’s End. Complete with a message about trying to relive the past, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have produced a fitting finale for the ‘ice cream and blood’ trilogy.

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz is the second film in the Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright ‘ice cream and blood’ trilogy, and follows much the same pattern as Shaun of the Dead except there is a totally different storyline. In Hot Fuzz, Nicholas Angel is a dedicated and hard working police officer who is sent to the countryside village of Sandford. Here two different worlds collide and Angel uncovers a village-wide murderous rampage all motivated by a desire to win the Village of the Year Award.

It sounds pretty funny already doesn't it? It is quite difficult to know whether or not to describe it as a sequel. It has many of the same running jokes as were in Shaun of the Dead, such as crossing gardens by jumping over fences and the ‘do you want anything from the shop’ line. However the completely different storyline makes it more of a second collaboration than a sequel. With several of the same actors and actresses from Shaun of the Dead making a re-appearance in various roles, this is definitely a very similar film to Shaun of the Dead. However, it is good because it avoids following the same pattern too exactly. While there are obvious similarities, they are incorporated into the film rather than being relied upon.

So once again Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are hilarious in their role as best friends. Simon Pegg is the hardworking Nicholas Angel who finds the policing methods used in the countryside completely foreign to him. Nick Frost is the young police officer in Sandford who tries to help Nicholas switch off once in a while. Their onscreen chemistry is as perfect as it was in Shaun of the Dead and as I mentioned in the last post, this can only be aided by the fact that they are so close offscreen.

However, for me this film isn’t as focused on Pegg and Frost in the same way that Shaun of the Dead was. Hot Fuzz focuses more on the supporting cast who play a bigger role than previously. Jim Broadbent plays Inspector Frank Butterman, who is leading the murderous rampage in Sandford. As ever, he is thoroughly enjoyable in this role, and delivers his more comedic lines with a serious and deadpan manner which makes them much more amusing. There are a number of other actors and actresses who play the residents of Sandford who you swear you have seen before somewhere. The most notable of these is Anne Reid, who has appeared in quite a lot of television series. I was astounded to find out that Simon Skinner was played by Timothy Dalton, who I just did not recognise from his James Bond days. I haven’t seen much else that he has been in since Bond, and so was pleasantly surprised to see him in the cast. I also loved Olivia Colman in this film. She is such a versatile actress and seems capable of adapting her style to perfectly suit the role she is in.

As with Shaun of the Dead, a lot of the quality of Hot Fuzz can be found in the writing and direction, which Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright excel at for a film of this type. Instead of a Hollywood blockbuster which tries to seep laughs out of the audience, Hot Fuzz (and Shaun of the Dead) feel like two films that are simply the work of Pegg and Wright enjoying themselves with a series of actors and actresses.

Hot Fuzz is much more gruesome than Shaun of the Dead in many ways, and although there are some pretty grim scenes in Shaun of the Dead, you sort of expect it because it is a Zombie film. With Hot Fuzz, the blood is more spread out, and comes in much higher quantities. The scene where the segment of the church roof falls onto Tim Messenger is the most gruesome of the film, and yet the script writing for the film makes this potentially disturbing scene into a good laugh for the audience.

In much the same way as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz seems to engage the audience. You find yourself entirely captivated by the story you are presented with and cannot help but enjoy yourself as you watch it. It is a film in a very similar mould to Shaun of the Dead, but it stands as an individual film as well because it is quite different. It is no less funny than Shaun of the Dead though, and if you liked Shaun of the Dead and haven’t seen Hot Fuzz then I strongly suggest that you do before you see The World’s End.

Saturday, 27 July 2013

Shaun of the Dead

As British comedy films go, it doesn't get much better than Shaun of the Dead, the first in the ‘ice cream and blood’ trilogy from Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. It is a typical zombie movie, where the hero (Shaun, played by Pegg) and his friends (including Nick Frost) are some of the only survivors when a mysterious zombie plague affects most of the city. Naturally they have to find a way to survive and in doing so, entertains the audience in a number of ways.

With jokes and lines running throughout Shaun of the Dead it is still funny after a few watches. It got to a point where each time I watched it, I picked up on something new. However, now I can practically recite it so I think the novelty has worn off. It is fantastically written and each actor/actress delivers their part with a perfect level of comedy.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost really broke through with this film (I think). At the very least this was the first point that I became aware of them. As a partnership they are fantastic and bounce off each other exceptionally well. The best part of their friendship on screen is that you can tell how close they are off screen. In the three major films that they have starred in together (the other two being Hot Fuzz and Paul), they are best friends as well, and for me it is this friendship that brings the whole film together. Both actors deliver an immensely comedic performance in Shaun of the Dead and they both manage to portray the best friendship perfectly, with all its little idiosyncrasies and quirks. Most of all they are believable as best friends (largely because they are I reckon).

The supporting cast is also very entertaining and there are a number of stars in the cast. Bill Nighy is every bit as deadpan as ever in his role as Shaun’s ‘father’ and works very well with Penelope Wilton. One of my favourite scenes of the whole movie is where Shaun is talking to his mother about the difficult relationship he had with Phillip as a child, and both Pegg and Wilton deliver perfect comedic timing in this scene, which makes it quite amusing (to me at least). Peter Serafinowicz appears as Pete, the flatmate of Shaun and Ed, and despite his role being relatively small, he does very well.

Kate Ashfield plays Shaun’s long-suffering girlfriend Liz, and works wonderfully with Simon Pegg to convey the difficulties of their relationship. She also works brilliantly with Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran to create a little friendship group. It’s just occurred to me that one of the main reasons why Shaun of the Dead is a very enjoyable film is because the characters are relatively relatable. Shaun is stuck in a job that he hates and his life has grown stale. His girlfriend hates this and decides to change things by leaving him. Throw in a zombie epidemic and the whole thing becomes much more entertaining. Dylan Moran works perfectly and delivers such a unique performance that he became one of my favourite comedic actors. I loved Black Books and find him so funny in every role he’s in. In Shaun of the Dead his dry and sarcastic attitude makes him one of the funnier characters of the film.

Overall I think Shaun of the Dead is a unique idea. Obviously the zombie genre is not unique or original, but Shaun of the Dead takes a typical zombie film and reshapes it to the style of Pegg and Wright. This works perfectly, and with a fantastic cast who link very well together the whole film becomes very entertaining and immensely engaging. I love watching Shaun of the Dead and it makes me laugh every time I do so. The success of Shaun of the Dead has resulted in two ‘sequels’ being made, with Hot Fuzz being equally successful and The World’s End which has just been released.

If you haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead yet then you really must see it as soon as possible. It is an exceptionally funny film and will be guaranteed to entertain you in one way or another. It’s an original British comedy film with a very amusing cast which shines in this film.