Shaun of the Dead
Release Date:
September 24, 2004
Limited release
Movie of the Day for Sunday, August 1, 2004
See other Movies of the Day
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 6/55 |
Reagen Sulewski |
Simon Pegg is like unto a God. |
| 6/48 |
Les Winan |
Destined to be a word-of-mouth cult classic. If not, it should be. One of the most creative and well-written comedies in a long time. |
| 16/126 |
Kim Hollis |
Watch this zomromcom. Then import Spaced from Britain and watch that too. |
| 44/133 |
Dan Krovich |
Apparently only the British know how to make zombie movies |
If you did a spur-of-the-moment survey to ask a room full of Americans to name their favorite British television comedy ever, you'd probably get answers like Monty Python, Black Adder, The Young Ones, Absolutely Fabulous, and Coupling.
All of those answers would be wrong.
Little seen in the U.S. other than a few crappily edited episodes that aired on Bravo, Spaced is the true champion. Co-written by and starring the gifted and sardonic Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, the ingenious show applied its biting satire to such wide-ranging subjects as Star Wars fanboys, comic book shops, gun nuts, Resident Evil, Robot Wars, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Say Anything. Along with director Edgar Wright, the duo created a show with faultless comic timing and a willingness to go over the line that most shows are reluctant to take.
Now Pegg and Wright are re-teaming for a film that expands on the "subtle blend of lateral thinking and extreme violence" expounded upon in Spaced for a comedic take on the zombie disaster flick. With tag lines like, "Bought coffee. Called Mom. Dodged zombies" and "A romantic comedy. With zombies," Shaun of the Dead is already looking like a can't-miss proposition.
The film itself is described as an ordinary story about life and love -- and the living dead. The central story revolves around a group of friends who must deal with a zombie holocaust that has its beginnings at their local pub.
Considering the extraordinary number of zombie flicks to receive theatrical release in the last couple of years -- Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, House of the Dead, Undead and 28 Days Later -- the timing on Shaun of the Dead couldn't be more perfect. Set for an April 2004 release in Great Britain, the film should find a small but enthusiastic audience once it makes its way across the sea. I know I'll be there opening night. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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