h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A loser in life and love, Shaun has just been dumped by his girlfriend, castigated for ignoring his mum and step-dad’s wedding anniversary, and ordered to evict his lay-about flatmate. All these problems, however, pale in comparison to the fact the undead are walking the streets of London, and the survival of him, his family and friends may depend on getting to the pub before zombies can tear them limb-from-limb.

It’s been said before, and I will stoop to the level of saying it again: this is one of those films that really defies classification. Describing itself as a ‘rom-zom-com’, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is part romantic comedy, part horror movie, and part spoof, and like nothing I – in my admittedly limited experience – have ever seen before. For all that it manages to be all these things, it still feels like there’s something not quite right – as if there’s one big joke that you’re not clever enough (or perhaps twisted enough) to see. For its sunny suburban setting, there is very little light in this film – the humour is dark and often brutal, and the plot confronts the characters with difficult, sometimes heart-breaking decisions. The irony of the situation, whereby Shaun and his companions fail consistently to really understand the situation they are in, is stretched to breaking point, and finally becomes more frustrating than amusing.

The thing is, that looks like a list of complaints – you’d get the feeling I didn’t enjoy watching this movie, when I actually did. Managing to be consistently entertaining throughout its length, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is a film that will keep you laughing as it drags you down into darkness. Very few lines are completely devoid of humour, no matter how murky that humour may be, and there are some fantastic laugh-out-loud moments scattered around with perfect timing. The squeamish may want to avoid this movie, but everyone else who gets the chance to see it, should.

R25968 01:08 17/4/04