Movie Review of Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead is destined to become a cult classic.  Some might say that there's no 'destined' about it.  It already is.

It's a very rare phenomenon - a movie which is almost universally loved by everyone who watches it.  I wanted to see it again as soon as the closing credits began. 

I imagine that this film rewards many repeated viewings. The cultural references alone are too numerous to catch them all on the first run, and there's always things going on in the background.

The obvious homage is to George Romero's 'Living Dead' trilogy.  We're all familiar with lumbering zombies out for brains in American malls and the like.  But what about a British pub and corner shop?

Simon Pegg plays Shaun, an assistant in a television shop.  He lives with his housemates - the gamer drug dealer Ed and the executive Pete.  Mostly he referees their constant bickering and tries not to take sides. 

Shaun's also busy trying to stop his girlfriend Lizzie dumping him, due to his inability to 'sort his life out'.  It doesn't help that he's not really prepared to go anywhere but the pub. Every night. With Ed. And Lizzie's friends David and Diane.  She's bored stupid.

Then the zombie apocalypse occurs. Proper Romero style zombie apocalypse, but on British streets. It's beautifully surreal, particularly as hardly anyone notices.  They're all too set in their routines to actually look up.

By the time the situation actually impacts upon Shaun and Ed's world, the rotting undead have nearly surrounded the pub!  Drastic action will have to be taken.  Obviously after they've had a cup of tea and dealt with the zombie in the garden.

If the worst qualities of the British are pastiched in the zombies, then all that's great about my compatriots was fondly celebrated in the response to them.

This wasn't the stilted cliche of Britons under siege. It was much more realistic than that.

Our protagonists reacted with understatement, humor, ridicule, disdain, stupidity, resourcefulness, low-level panic and a constant regard for what everyone else might be thinking.

(Though the streets are covered in brain-eating baddies, we do have to be careful not to step outside too many social conventions. Even more so in such unusual circumstances as the zombie apocalypse. 

Forget the horrors of decomposing figures trying to devour us, most Britons would be more scared by the fact there's no established precedent for how we're supposed to react! Fortunately there's always the Blitz Spirit to default to in an emergency. And tea. And beer.)

I spent most of the film laughing aloud, because I could identify with it all. At each new development, I kept thinking, 'Oh my God! Yes!  That's precisely what would happen!  Yes!  And that too!'

I'm not used to that. Usually if zombies are invading, they're doing it in America, where the culture is just different enough for me to not quite relate. Or else it's dark and gritty, a la 28 Days Later or In the Flesh. The very unexpectedness of US style zombie hordes in British buildings made it both surreal and hilarious.

I particularly enjoyed the array of improvised weaponry.  Britons can't reach for the gun cabinet, as we generally manage to do without them. Hence our heroes made do with whatever presented itself at the time.

Shaun charging out with a cricket bat in his hand was perfect on so many levels.  Ed's spade wasn't bad; the Molotov Cocktail was better. I'm not too sure about David and Diane opting for brollies.  Though I guess the effectiveness there would depend on the angle and the swing. Liz's hockey stick was a triumph! But the less said about Barbara's bouquet the better. What was she going to do?  Petal them to death?

They all change their choice of arms so often.  A really enjoyable watching of Shaun of the Dead might be spent blithely assessing each item in their arsenal. Just to work out which, if any, would be fit for purpose in a zombie stand-off situation.

Then look around your own room and tell me what you'd grab!

The Bechdel Test evaluates the role of female characters in a movie.

In order to pass, the film must have two or more named women or girls. They will have a conversation, which isn't about men.  It's amazing how many don't make the grade.

Shaun of the Dead manages it with a single scene, unless you count Barbara and Liz exchanging 'hellos' halfway through the film. I would ordinarily describe what happens, but the dialogue in question is quite pivotal and most definitely a spoiler.

I'll merely say that it's Barbara and Liz again.  They step aside from the group and discuss something important.  Though Shaun is mentioned, he's not their main focus. It's a clear pass for the Bechdel Test.

I would add that the test isn't always a useful gauge of female role models in movies.  You can have very strong lone women, who never speak with each other.  Equally, you can have two-dimensional, weak females, who chatter on incessantly.  The former would fail, while the latter would pass.

Shaun of the Dead is one of those rare movies which includes a plethora of named female characters.  They are vividly portrayed and fundamental to the narrative.  They don't necessarily rely upon the men to guide their lives and rescue them from the zombies.  In fact, Diane goes in after David.

And it passes the Bechdel Test too.  Bonus!