The hilarious British zombie-com import, Shaun of the Dead, was just out in Stateside theatres three months ago and now it is hitting the store shelves just in time for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, Yule, or whatever the holiday you may celebrate in December. It’ll make a sure-to-please (and sure-to-quease) gift for yourself or that special someone on your list (i.e., a person you feel obligated to buy for).
The quirky story unfolds as follows: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play Shaun and Ed, two flat-mates who, without realizing it are, in a sense, zombies. Shaun is almost 30 and he’s stuck in the rut of middle management in a retail shop. His life is a constant cycle of getting up, going to work, going the same pub with his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) after work, getting drunk, going home and passing out, then repeating the whole cycle all over again the next morning. Ed’s existence is even more lifeless, revolving solely around the sofa and video games. While Shaun and Ed may be a metaphors for the living dead, they soon discover that the real thing is a lot scarier. As the blank eyed, shambling, ravenous creatures overtake the neighborhood, Shaun and Ed gather up their closest friends and family and head for the supposed safety of their favorite pub.
Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of the whole zombie thing… but in this movie they are so well, um, fleshed out you just can’t help but love them. The main characters are totally realistic while managing to be absolutely, hysterically funny. It’s the realism and the relatable people that makes Shaun work so well, I think: It’s one of the few movies that successfully fires on all its cylinders, presenting side-splitting, playful laughs with head-splitting, gory horror. Director Edgar Wright has done a bloody good job of making a movie with something for everyone, without homogenizing it. It’s a winner.
I wish I could say the same for the bonus release material on the DVD. While there is undoubtedly quantity, there isn’t a whole lot of quality. Simon Pegg's Video Diary is an eye-glazing presentation with all the allure of Aunt Stella’s home videos of her vacation to Topeka. Edgar And Simon's Pitch To The Studio is nothing more than a endless flip book of writing and drawings, each and every page shown to the point of brain freeze. The Casting Tapes show people sitting around doing table readings. Yawn. The extended scenes are all right, and so is the EPK featurette. The Outtakes are far from funny, and the rest of the bonus material goes down from there — and yes, I really like those guys! I feel badly for them that the additional tidbits are so dull and poorly presented... dare I say it? The extras are "dead".
But don’t let any of that stop you — buy the DVD for the movie. It’s one of the best of 2004 and an instant classic in my book.
