The Film
Who knew zombies were so funny? Obviously, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, who teamed up to write Shaun of the Dead, possibly the world's first romantic zombie comedy (aka rom-zom-com).
The first in the duo's "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" is possibly the best thing to happen to the horror genre since the Evil Dead movies. However, it's really hard to say that it is part of the genre, because frankly, it's so darn funny.
Shaun (Pegg) is in a dead-end job, with a dead-end best friend (Nick Frost) and at the dead end of his relationship with Liz (Kate Ashfield). If that's not enough, London appears to be crawling with the undead. We don't know why they are there and we don't care.
What's important is that Shaun and his friends need to make it to the local pub for safety and possibly endless refreshments. Armed with only a cricket bat, Shaun soon learns a lot about love, family, and well, the best way to kill a zombie.
If you're used to watching horror through the cracks of your fingers,
Shaun of the Dead is a welcome surprise. The film doesn't need to rely on too much on gore to get your attention (although there are plenty of entrails); it's quirky, witty and just plain fun.
Want to dig up a little more on this comedy? Check out Joe Lotizo's theatrical review of Shaun of the Dead.
The Picture
Shaun of the Dead could teach a lot of Blu-ray releases a thing or two. Despite the $4 million budget, it looks awesome on Blu-ray. There are a lot of drab colors, but we don't expect our zombies to wear spring colors and bright prints. If you're looking for something to pop, there are lots of blood splatters as well as the flowers that keep popping up throughout the film. Fleshtones look good, even on the undead. Other than that, this 2.35:1 transfer includes a lot of detail, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it (again, entrails).
The Sound
Like a lot of horror movies, sound plays a huge part here. Be prepared to jump out of your seat, even before seeing the first bloody handprint. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack pumps out a lot of loud, effective bass, and that's just scratching the surface. There's a lot of sound to project, including constant car alarms, crashes and an array of zombie noises. The music also stands out. Aside from Pegg and Frost kicking it with "White Lines," the use of Queen on more than one occasion works really well here.
The Extras
Commentary fans will have quite a quandary: Which of the four included tracks to listen to? There's one with Pegg and Wright; one with Pegg and the rest of the cast; one with Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton, who play Shaun's parents; and of course, one with the zombies. There are also plenty of outtakes, video diaries, casting and makeup tests, storyboards, and even the Zomb-O Meter, which is a pop-up trivia track. Two interesting tidbits are Plot Holes, which actually explains three of the movie's unanswered questions, via hand-drawn images; and TV Tidbits, a peek at the blink-and-you'll-miss-it TV spots that pop up in the movie -- one of which includes Coldplay talking about their participation in Zomb-Aid.
Final Thoughts
Even without the oodles of extras, Shaun of the Dead is a gem. Hardcore horror fans will appreciate the nods to the genre, most prominently to George Romero (like the title - duh). However, others shouldn't be scared away; the film actually allows viewers to use their brains -- and not just for a good noshing.
Product Details
- Actors: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (French, Spanish), Dolby Digital 2.0 (English)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: R
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: September 22, 2009
- Run Time: 100 minutes
- List Price: $29.98
- Extras:
- Feature Commentary with Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
- Feature Commentary with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield & Lucy Davis
- Feature Commentary with Bill Nighy & Penelope Wilton
- Feature Commentary with the Zombies
- Missing Bits
- Raw Meat
- TV Bits
- Zombie Gallery
- Trailers
- Storyboard Gallery
- D-Box Motion Enabled
- U-Control
