Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman
It’s another end of the world movie as we know it but this time the Brits nail the hammer on the head and deliver the best comedy of the summer!
One of my favorite directors, Edgar Wright, returns to complete his famous Cornetto Trilogy, which began with 2004’s cult classic hit “Shaun of the Dead” followed by 2007s “Hot Fuzz,” and it’s just chaotically hilarious as its predecessors.
“The World’s End” may not become a classic like “Shaun of the Dead” but it’s still one of the year’s best.
The film tells the story of five childhood friends who return to their hometown to complete a famous pub crawl that they couldn’t to finish back in high school.
The leader of their pack, Gary King, is a washed up loser who is trying to bring back the nostalgia of the good old days as his life has dipped since their ancient night of drunken escapades.
However, when they return they discover things aren’t what they seem and completing their pub crawl maybe more dangerous than expected but it won’t stop them from getting wasted anyways.
I really hope this isn’t the last of Edgar Wright’s “trilogy” because all three of these films have been fantastic from start to finish.
Edgar Wright is a genius in an otherwise pedestrian comedy landscape these days in Hollywood and his films prove that.
His films are rich with great writing, comedic timing, baiting and switching and some great original humor.
It would be a shame if this is truly the last film in the trilogy but after these three films he has earned the right to take a break.
“The World’s End,” like “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” thrives off Simon Pegg’s and Nick Frost’s comedic energy.
The two are brilliant together and play their buddy comedy roles perfectly.
“The World’s End” had a nice switch too with Pegg playing the childish loser and Frost being the straight arrow between the two for a change.
It was a nice change and it brought a new dynamic to the film.
(An appropriate sign for Pegg’s character)
The rest of the cast is great too with Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan all playing well alongside Frost and Pegg.
Along with a few surprise British cameos, the film’s cast is well rounded and enjoyable to watch.
(The Wright Stuff!)
The movie really thrives though, once again, off Wright’s great writing.
The scenarios he puts his characters in always start out small but they build up to great comedic climaxes.
The film starts a bit slow because of this, as the first third of the film starts to lose gas toward the end, but as soon as the second third starts, boy does it take off.
(“Ignore the scary robots, just keep drinking)
Putting this cast of five on a pub crawl in the middle of an apocalyptic alien invasion is brilliant and as the characters get more and more wasted the humor thrives off it and never lets up.
The drunken stupor of Pegg and Frost, as they fight off robots and each other, will be probably one of the funniest things you see this summer.
(Sums up a lot of these characters)
Now you may be asking “How does this movie compare to ‘This is the End’” another apocalyptic comedy that came out this summer.
Well, apologies to James Franco and Seth Rogen but Edgar Wright and his Brits beat out the Yanks in this case.
(Suck it Rogen!)
While the two films are very different, the humor is more original in “The World’s End” and has far more memorable moments and better writing.
Rogen’s film was too simple, it relied too heavily on the actors just acting silly instead of doing or being in silly situations.
Pegg’s crew is more fun to watch in this case, from the copious amounts of alcohol they drink to fighting off brain washing robots, the movie is just a more enjoyable and interesting comedy.
In the end, even if you haven’t seen Wright’s first two films this is a comedy you shouldn’t miss this summer.
Once again, Edgar Wright delivers a smash hit British comedy and fans of his previous work will not be disappointed.
It may be perhaps the weakest of the three films but in this case that’s like saying the third time you had sex with Kate Upton was the worst.
(Obligatory Kate Upton gif because why the fuck not?)
Get your cornetto on and go watch it, you bloody bastards!
Verdict:
4.5 out of 5