Back in the 90s we’d learn all about the cool, wacky lives of 20-something’s through the adventures of a mysteriously close group of Friends; following the will they-won’t they off Ross and Rachael, Joey’s zany antics…. it was an ideal life filled with drama, joy, laughs and coffee!
But thats not what being in your 20’s is like, is it? It’s miserable and confusing and you have no money and it’s stressful and love isn’t a funny drama it’s something that rps your heart out your chest and destroys the very essence of your being and…. yeah, being that age sucks. Friends was a popular show, but it was built on a throne of lies.
Here in the UK we were a bit more honest. The idea of 20-something Brits was captured with a new TV show featuring a heartbroken aspiring comic book writer moving in with a ditzy aspiring writer and neither of them did anything of note after moving in together pretending to be a couple.
In contrast to the bright and colourful American sitcoms, Spaced was a good old fashioned British dose of reality filled with weird neighbours, sitting on your bum doing next to nothing and dreams so high that they only bring disappointment.
Spaced only ran for two seasons, and didn’t make big waves. But it did bring together a trinity of creative talents that would continue to grow beyond their Friday Night slot on Channel 4; beyond that, it would propel the little known Simon Pegg from just another funny guy into stardom.
Reuniting Pegg with Spaced co-star Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright all of whom were ridiculously close friends off camera – Shawn of the Dead was the story of two more layabouts living the bare minimum of existence. Just like in Spaced, Frost was the somewhat hopeless best friend, Pegg was the average guy living an average life with love life issues aplenty. Then one morning he wakes up, goes to the shop to buy a cornetto and notices something weird has happened; a zombie outbreak.
Panicked by the outbreak, Shawn needs a plan. He needs to make sure his girlfriend (or, ex girlfriend) is safe, that his mum won’t get eaten by his step dad Phil who seems to have been bitten and get to safety. In essense, it’s a film about going to the pub, having a nice cold pint and (everybody!) wait for it all to blow over!
Zombies are stupid. Sorry guys. But they are possibly the worst horror villain of all time. Traditionally they move slower than a pensioner on ket and if you’re stupid enough to let them get close enough to bite when they’re moving that slow, have massively huge weaknesses and are generally hopeless you deserve to pop your cloggs. Granted, films like 28 Days Later made the idea of an outbreak a bit more terrifying by turning zombies into a viscous, mindless killer that could catch you and rip you apart in seconds. But Shawn goes old school and makes an incredibly funny zombie spoof with an unashamed Britishness.
The first proper zombie confrontation lets you exactly what kind of film you’re watching. There’s no heroics and really, not much of a threat. Just two ordinary guys who spend most of their time together being utterly bored of themselves trying to kill a zombie with whatever they find around them and absolutely no clue what they’re doing.
As Shaun, Peggs leading man, shouts “For gods sake he’s got an arm off! “ the duo throw the remote, cushions and beer cans at the walking dead before an ash tray helps smash it’s brains to pieces. Then they go after two more in the garden with a washing basket filled with spoons, mugs and a toaster before throwing the record collection. Well, some of the record collection Can’t throw Purple Rain….
Edgar Wright is on point with ever aspect of the film; it has just the right level of silliness as it presents the amateur attempt at being a zombie hunter. For everyone that has a plan for such an apocalypse, Wrights view of what happens after the outbreak has a comical and refreshing realness as Shaun and his pals argue, complain and generally become action heroes without a clue.
Pegg and Frost are always a fun pair, and the supporting cast play their parts perfectly in adding to the chaos and frustration.
It’s one of those films thats just monumentally stupid and doesn’t shy away from the fact. Even the action scenes, which are often filled with fear and panic in the genre, are sprinkled with outlandish silliness that makes each moment fun; one of the high points being a zombified barman being beaten to death with pool cue’s to the rhythm of Queens Dont Stop Me Now.
Twenty years after it’s release Shaun of the Dead holds up really well and is filled with incredibly memorable quotes that, rather bizarrely, live on all these years later. Having launched Pegg to stardom, it remains not only a great example of British comedy, but no matter how many times you’ve seen it, doesn’t fail to give you a laugh!
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