Film Review - Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead is a romantic, comedy with zombies or a (rom/com/zom), starring Simon Pegg. The story is tells of our protagonist "Shaun" being told by his girlfriend that she isn't satisfied with their current situation in their relationship and yearns for them to broaden their horizons as a couple. This results with Shaun having to try change things in order to relight the fire that was once there. However, strange outbreaks of flesh eating zombies suddenly appear endangering everyone. Now Shaun must fight for survival as well as protect his loved ones with very humorous results.

The narrative is told in a unique style; e.g there is a scene where he is making breakfast but the scene is edited with very fast cuts that just about show us enough for us to understand. This suggests that although it is important for the narration of the story to include these scenes, it isn't as important. It also suggests that these are day to day tasks that the character does everyday. This speeds up the story telling of the film allowed for more screen time for the more important scenes.

At the beginning of the film we are shown Shaun and girlfriend "Liz" having a conversation in their local pub. As they converse over their problems, other characters names are mentioned whom we are then made aware that they are sitting right beside our main characters. By merely zooming out of the shot we are introduced to all the main characters instantly and also in a comedic fashion.

I think that the film overall is very cleverly edited alongside the cast's brilliant performances. Director Edgar Wright pays homage to zombie film veterans, George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead, Diary of the Dead) and Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead). A common theme in zombie films is for characters at one point to be trapped inside a building with hundreds of zombies attempting to enter, which Wright uses as the final setting of the film. Shaun of the Dead was initially inspired by the episode "Art" of the television programme "Spaced", which Wright had also directed. The Style of the direction from the television series can also be seen within the film.

I would definitely recommend this film to all, as it incorporates great film making techniques with great viewing entertainment.