*Originally written June 7th, 2017*
"Ever have one of those nights that starts out like any other but ends up being the best night of your life?"
He we are, the end of Edgar Wright's
unofficial 'Three Flavors: Cornetto' trilogy. While the last two were a
horror film and an action film, this time we get sci-fi, and it is
another masterpiece that feels far more mature than the two
previous films.
Simon Pegg once again plays the lead, Gary King, a loser in his early 40's who still strives to live for those glory days as a teen, and decides to get his old friends back together and return to their home town to complete the pub crawl they tried and failed to complete as a teen, but the town isn't how they remember it and most of the inhabitants have been replaced with robots.
It's easily the most ambitious and different of the trilogy, and even though none of the events or characters are connected, it still feels like a climactic end, literally and thematically. There's a sense of finality about moving on and growing up that feels real, despite the madness of the events around the characters. One of the final scenes between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost really feels genuinely emotional and it's kind of heartbreaking to see the Pegg play such a desperately pathetic man-child who has nothing. What is amazing is just how good of a dramatic actor Pegg has become, I saw some of it shine through in Shaun of the Dead, but he truly has come a long way from that. This is easily the best performance of Pegg's career.
While it lacks the joke a minute laughs from Shaun of the dead and Hot Fuzz, it more than makes up for this with its dramatic elements. That's not to say The World's End wasn't funny, it's really funny, but nearly all the best jokes come at the first act of film, and all the stuff from that is complete genius. It has the same feel of Shaun and Hot Fuzz where there's the minor lines and recurring gags that pop up throughout, but The World's End really is a mature film about a man child who struggles to let go of his teenage years, as it was the peak of his life compared to all his friends who have moved on. Much like I related to Shaun, I feel that same attachment to Gary King. I can easily see myself being like him in my late 30's, struggling to hang on to my youth while all my friends have grown up.
Edgar Wright once again directs some really kinetic and frantic action that is extremely well choreographed. It's always nice to see action without shakey-cam bullshit that is well staged and easy to follow, yet still feels frantic. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were tributes to the horror and action genres, while The World's End is a love letter to sci-fi films. It strangely enough feels like a mix of Wright's previous two films with elements of The Invasion of Body Snatchers thrown in for good effect.
The Sci-fi elements work well. There is a genuinely interesting mystery here as to what's happening. Rewatching it, I always forget all the subtle hints the film gives us to the events that will occur later in the film. Like all of Wright's films, it is more rewarding with each watch. He really is a master of subtlety.
I hope Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright work together again in the future, but for now, The World's End is a perfect, mature and fitting end to their adventures that grows on me with every watch. Edgar Wright is easily one of the best filmmakers currently working.
10/10 Dans
The World's End is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
Follow us:
Twitter: @FigmentReviews, @DanBremner96 and @ArronRoke91
Instagram: @DanBremner96 and @ArronRoke
YouTube: Figment Reviews
Letterboxd: Dan and Arron
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Simon Pegg once again plays the lead, Gary King, a loser in his early 40's who still strives to live for those glory days as a teen, and decides to get his old friends back together and return to their home town to complete the pub crawl they tried and failed to complete as a teen, but the town isn't how they remember it and most of the inhabitants have been replaced with robots.
It's easily the most ambitious and different of the trilogy, and even though none of the events or characters are connected, it still feels like a climactic end, literally and thematically. There's a sense of finality about moving on and growing up that feels real, despite the madness of the events around the characters. One of the final scenes between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost really feels genuinely emotional and it's kind of heartbreaking to see the Pegg play such a desperately pathetic man-child who has nothing. What is amazing is just how good of a dramatic actor Pegg has become, I saw some of it shine through in Shaun of the Dead, but he truly has come a long way from that. This is easily the best performance of Pegg's career.
While it lacks the joke a minute laughs from Shaun of the dead and Hot Fuzz, it more than makes up for this with its dramatic elements. That's not to say The World's End wasn't funny, it's really funny, but nearly all the best jokes come at the first act of film, and all the stuff from that is complete genius. It has the same feel of Shaun and Hot Fuzz where there's the minor lines and recurring gags that pop up throughout, but The World's End really is a mature film about a man child who struggles to let go of his teenage years, as it was the peak of his life compared to all his friends who have moved on. Much like I related to Shaun, I feel that same attachment to Gary King. I can easily see myself being like him in my late 30's, struggling to hang on to my youth while all my friends have grown up.
Edgar Wright once again directs some really kinetic and frantic action that is extremely well choreographed. It's always nice to see action without shakey-cam bullshit that is well staged and easy to follow, yet still feels frantic. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were tributes to the horror and action genres, while The World's End is a love letter to sci-fi films. It strangely enough feels like a mix of Wright's previous two films with elements of The Invasion of Body Snatchers thrown in for good effect.
The Sci-fi elements work well. There is a genuinely interesting mystery here as to what's happening. Rewatching it, I always forget all the subtle hints the film gives us to the events that will occur later in the film. Like all of Wright's films, it is more rewarding with each watch. He really is a master of subtlety.
I hope Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright work together again in the future, but for now, The World's End is a perfect, mature and fitting end to their adventures that grows on me with every watch. Edgar Wright is easily one of the best filmmakers currently working.
10/10 Dans
The World's End is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
Follow us:
Twitter: @FigmentReviews, @DanBremner96 and @ArronRoke91
Instagram: @DanBremner96 and @ArronRoke
YouTube: Figment Reviews
Letterboxd: Dan and Arron
