"Dogs can't look up"
Shaun of the Dead
Rating: **** (out of a possible 5)
Having had to take the bus through Vanier more times than I care to count, I am quite familiar with the Modern Urban Zombie (usually found in the company of the Modern Urban Mouthbreeder; they have similar markings and manners). The glazed-over gaze, the drooling, the incomprehensible mumblings and grumblings, the polyester... It's no wonder then that for the first 30 minutes of the movie Our Hero (Shaun) is completely oblivious to the fact that zombies are taking over London. They're virtually indistinguishable from the people he encounters daily, minus that horrible brain-eating habit they seem to have picked up.
But that's the whole point of Shaun of the Dead. Though not really falling into the social commentary genre, the film does succeed at its deadpan mocking of the zombification of the urban dweller's life style. Trips to the pub, trips to the corner shop, working minimum wage at a retail outlet... lather, rinse, repeat. Unfortunately, the subtleties of the film's dry, British humour may be lost on some members of the North American audience — there were quite a few instances in which the only laughter in the theatre was coming from me and my companion. But these are likely the same people who were overly confused by Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. My only complaint about the film were the rather schlocky attempts at sentiment towards the end. Without giving away too much, the dying utterances of one of the secondary players contains more treacle than the Hatter's tea.
Definitely a must-see for those of you who appreciate a tongue-in-cheek look at the horror genre, with 100% less Neve Campbell.
Comments