Funny British Comedy, with Zombies

I'll admit, I love British comedies. Whether it's Monty Python or a Hugh Grant, it's just my genre. This movie is personal a 5-star, but because of my bias, I'm saying it's a 4 to everyone else. It's funny, because they're just normal people in a weird situation. If you like British comedy, you'll love this.

About the zed-word: You don't have to love zombie movies, I don't. I have a friend that does, but I'm more of 'a once you see one undead person, you've seen them all' type of person. What I liked was the fresh approach on an absurb topic. The movie looks at the humor behind putting a normal person in an abnormal situation. The zombies are just the choosen abnormal situation, it could have been aliens or vampires. The zombies do make it a bit gory so it's not for the faint.

All-in-all, I am glad that I received this and have it in my collection. It has repeat-watchablity.

Shaun of the dead

Its impossible not to love this movie.It has Zombies, romance, scares and even a tear or two. Its without a doubt the best movie to come out of the UK in the last five years.

Simon Pegg is wonderful as Shaun, the ultimate everyman with his sidekick Nick Frost as Ed. The rest of the cast are wonderful and a veritable whos who of British comedy, with Lucy Davis from the smash hit "The Office" and utterly fabulous Dylan Moran who is perhaps one of the greatest Irish standup comics ever.

The film was not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting a kind of typical spoof on all levels, with lots of "in jokes" for people who love Zombie movies. But that isnt what I got at all. It actually had a plot. A good one at that. You feel for these characters, especially Shaun who has to see more than a few of his loved ones fall prey to the flesh eating followers. I was choked up at the scenes with his mother and the goodbye to Ed in the cellar. There is genuine tension created with the character David, proving Dylan Morans wonderful range as a dramatic actor. As a result this film has just as much credibilty, if not more, than the recent remake of Dawn of the Dead.

On the extras front, this is a perfect example of how to produce a real dvd. The wealth of commentaries (on the uk release) is wonderful. I love commentaries and loved the group one with all the principle characters together clearly enjoying each other company and, it would seem, getting a little drunk (at least on Dylans part)

I love this movie, mainly for the fact that it suprised me. It was wonderfully funny but also tugged at the heartstrings and had the odd scare here and there. A perfect movie.

SOMETHING OLD YET NEW IN THE ZOMBIE GENRE

Let's get something straight. This movie is not a parody, satire, or homage to zombie movies. Any of those labels undercuts this entertaining film. Just because a story has a healthy dose of humor that doesn't mean it should be dismissed as merely a comedy send up. Shaun of the Dead is much more sophisticated that that. Mostly.

The cleverness of this film is that it understands that zombie movies have been done to death, and that makes them predictable. But the question is, if we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of one, how long would it take us to notice? It takes Shaun quite a while, and when he does, he's like any of us. Scared, confused, and more than a little incompetent, which leads to a lot of comic situations.

But this is not just a comedy. People die. Gruesomely. Shaun experiences real loss. And the best and worst of people is explored in a way that is often seen in zombie movies but still somehow seems fresh and interesting in this one.

The only weak spot is the end, which is a bit jokey and in my opinion, just a step out of tune with the rest of the film. But it's still kind of funny, and a small sin. So enjoy this film. But please don't dismiss it if it causes you to chuckle now and then.