Shaun of the Dead (2004)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Edgar Wright

Writers:

Simon Pegg (written by) and
Edgar Wright (written by)

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

It's just one of those days when you're feeling a little...dead.

Plot:

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Zombie | Record Collection | Cricket Bat | Pub

Awards:

6 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Simon Pegg	...	Shaun
Kate Ashfield	...	Liz
Nick Frost	...	Ed
Lucy Davis	...	Dianne
Dylan Moran	...	David
Nicola Cunningham	...	Mary
Keir Mills	...	Clubber 1 (as Kier Mills)
Matt Jaynes	...	Clubber 2
Gavin Ferguson	...	Football Kid
Peter Serafinowicz	...	Pete
Horton Jupiter	...	Homeless Man
Tim Baggaley	...	The Usher
Arvind Doshi	...	Nelson
Rafe Spall	...	Noel
Sonnell Dadral	...	Danny (as Sonell Dadral)

Also Known As:

Shaun of the Dead (France)
Tea-Time of the Dead (UK) (working title)
L'alba dei morti dementi (Italy) (Italy) (video title) [it]
Ein Zombie kommt selten allein (Germany) [de]
Muertos de risa (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Noc glupih mrtvaca (Croatia) [hr]
Shaun dei morti (Italy) (literal title) [it]
Shaun et les zombies (Canada: French title) [fr]
Shaun of the Dead - Ein Zombie kommt selten allein (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Soumrak mrtvých (Czech Republic) (DVD title) [cs]
To xysimo ton nekron (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Todo Mundo Quase Morto (Brazil) [pt]
Zombies Party (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for zombie violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:R21 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Archway, London, England, UK

Company:

Studio Canal

Trivia:

According to writer-director Edgar Wright in the DVD commentary, when Ed attempts to cheer Shaun up at the Winchester with plans of binge drinking, he is actually summarizing the events of the next day (Z-day) entirely in drinking references.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the gang attacks the pub landlord, you can see the dolly tracks on the floor.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John: Last orders, please!

Movie Connections:

References Bound (1996)

Soundtrack:

The Blue Wrath

Fried Gold!

Some 5 years before the making of this film the same team behind it wrote and directed series (season) 1 and 2 of an offbeat UK sitcom named "Spaced". Massively overlooked at the time of broadcast yet with a hardcore fan base of loyal devotees a third series was long overdue but never did materialise.

Shaun of the Dead is the continuation of what went before; of a similar format yet in a completely new setting, with new characters, plus new cast members and for the first time a feature-length run time for the big screen. So how does it play out? Even with such a departure from the original setting, the history of TV to cinema adaptations is a dodgy one to say the least. Fortunately for those of us who already fans or (more likely) if you've never seen the series before prepare to be impressed.

The style is all it's own. With inventive direction and editing making the visual impact which fans will instantly recognise, to the writing which importantly is firstly genuinely funny, interspersed with references to popular culture of the past two decades, always with a self-knowing grin, a wink to the viewer rather than a pretentious nod. And of course several self-references and in-jokes of the TV series all fill in the gaps between the tastefully presented killings. There is blood, after all this is a "rom-zom-com" or "romantic zombie comedy" - a self-proclaimed new genre and rightly so. This is as about as original as it gets. They actually manage to pull off humour, violence, decapitations, action, romance, suspense, sadness and joy all within the space of 90 minutes!

This is the best film I've seen in ages, and a real credit to British film, we already knew about "Fried Gold", now the rest of the World can see it too. An instant classic.