movie review - shaun of the dead

I know that it has been a few years since this movie Shaun of the Dead came out, but we just picked it up at the local library, and I felt compelled to share my thoughts. Ever since I had seen the previews for it, I was curious to see it. I don't think it lasted very long in the theaters, but don't trust that as an indicator of its quality.

I'm a BIG horror movie fan, particularly zombie movies. The "night/dawn/day of the dead" trilogy by George Romero are some of the favorite films, which this movie plays off of a bit. Based on the previews and the name, I originally assumed that Shaun of the Dead would primarily be a spoof of Dawn of the Dead. Fortunately, it isn't. This is no ridiculous horror spoof like Scary Movie. Instead, we're treated to a very funny British comedy that combines walking dead ala Dawn of the Dead with the dry wit of the comedy series The Office.

There's no Ricky Gervais on this one, but a couple of his costars appear in the film. Shaun, in fact, has a few Gervais moments here and there. The film takes a very matter of fact approach to the zombie concept, reminding me a bit of Fright Night's approach to vampirism. The makeup and special gore effects are top notch, the acting is decent, and the plot is sensible. The movie has a good flow from beginning to near the end. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, as it seemed to lose momentum, but it wasn't bad.

I don't want to give much of it away, but I seriously recommend that you see it if you are a horror fan, especially if you are a George Romero fan. There are scenes that are obviously dedicated to George Romero ("We're coming to get you, Barbara"), and it even uses some of the same music. Shaun's tubby flatmate is a hilarious slob with some obscenely comedic one liners. It had us rolling out of our seats in laughter. Check out the special features for some great outtakes, too.