REVIEW: The World's End

PLOT: Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival.

REVIEW: The World's End was my most highly anticipated movie of the year, considering that this troupe's first hit film in Shaun of the Dead is my absolute favorite film to watch at any time. That film then spawned Hot Fuzz, which was a smart parody of sorts but this time of the action genre and not zombies. Then the fan base cried for more, and because of small connections between the first two, the group of films then became known as the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy because of the reappearance of Cornetto ice cream in the first two films. It became a trilogy as well due to the "three flavors" of genre chosen by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost to be parodied but at the same time you could say that these films are intricate studies of the genres as well. I for one absolutely love Shaun of the Dead because of its commentary on the genre of zombie film as well as it being a really great zombie film all on its own. I've found that something special is always present in Edgar Wright's films and it isn't the comedy that is so rewarding, but it's that it is done with so much care that he doesn't take away from it being part of the genre it's making fun of.

The World's End is probably the weakest of Edgar Wright's three films in this "series", but that doesn't mean at all that it is subpar in any way. Wright has yet again found a way to perfectly blend the sense of humor of his character actors Simon and Nick, as well as analyzing a genre that he's gotten closer and closer to in his career over the last few years. With the possibility, and proable reality of his Ant-Man film being made in the next few years, it's nice to see that his exercise in the genre of science fiction went quite well because that's where he's going to be spending a good amount of time soon. Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World also was a great example of how his style of filmmaking not only analyzes and parodies the subject material, but becomes part of it simultaneously. The World's End takes all of the typical happenings of a science fiction coming to Earth story, and makes it his own via his band of merry pranksters that I couldn't see ever disbanding. I hope to all that is holy that these three continue to make films and that there could even be a possibility for another trilogy of the same type would be a great one.

Simon Pegg plays the rogue type, nothing is off limits personality this time around as he's edged closer and closer towards it in the previous two. In the first film he played a very down on his luck, almost shy guy with not a clue as to how the real world worked and Nicholas Angel in Hot Fuzz was a little closer to that bad ass personality but not quite to this degree. Pegg plays as the one and only Gary King, or The King if you'd like, and he's planning to assemble his group of friends back together from high school to attempt The Golden Mile. The Golden Mile is a pub crawl in their hometown of Newton Haven that involves drinking a pint at each and every pub in a certain order to complete the challenge. In high school they were unable to complete the mile as it became riddled with issues and distractions, which is explained at the beginning of the film and surely missed by the end of the film. I love Pegg's rough side on display here, and he really breathes a lot of life into the film because even though the rest of the actors playing the friends in the film are great, they don't bring quite as much energy as Gary.

Nick Frost stars sort of alongside Pegg again as Andy Knightley, his high school friend and practically brother, who is on the wiser end of the list when it comes to the group in its entirety. Throughout the film an event is referenced as a reason that Andy would never speak to Gary again, and it's one of the questions that lingers throughout the film and is perfectly revealed towards the end. The friendship on display in these films though between the two actors always appears so authentic, and I think that's what makes their relationships between their characters in these films so special. You can see the love between these two guys, and despite them playing characters in movies they always seem to be true to each other in a special way that brings chemistry to the characters in the film. I personally thought that this film was a stronger outing for Nick Frost, who has continually played the bumbling idiot in Wright's films, is now playing the wiser, smarter, and more mature character of the two, and actually all five here in The World's End. I was happy to see that despite Simon Pegg's obvious turn as the main character, Frost was able to star alongside and be the role model of the group when he typically isn't.

Also in the film is the star of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Martin Freeman, who is already a proven actor but is now a little more well known due to his portrayal of Bilbo Baggins. He also stars in BBC's Sherlock series as Watson, and does a fantastic job in that show, but here he plays the slick and suave O-Man. Along with Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan, they round out the other three of the group who are as much involved as the rest and each have their own quirks. Out of the three I particularly liked Peter Page, who is played by Eddie Marsan, and his strange relationship with certain characters in the film, including Gary King. He wasn't really the bravest or funniest of the three, but he was the easiest to laugh at and he has quite possibly the best comedic moment in the film towards the end. The group of them played out really well together and I was worried about adding the other three after the first two films in the unofficial trilogy mainly starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with each other and using the others as side characters. This time around they are part of a bigger group, but it all works for the better and provides for some interesting story when it gets down to the nitty gritty.

I really liked this film a lot, and even though it doesn't even come close to Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz for me, I would still rank it amongst some of my favorite comedies. Edgar Wright's stylized direction for the sci-fi/comedy romp comes in handy as The Network (name for the aliens) surges to life in a pub's men's restroom and steadily becomes the threat that our group of silly heroes face. I still can't see Edgar Wright doing any wrong when it comes to film, and I'm extremely excited to see him now get to work on Marvel's Ant-Man and let's hope that the news of Nick Frost being Hank Pym is true (not really, but it was a funny joke). I can't recommend this loose trilogy to people enough, as the first two films are among probably my top five favorite comedies of all-time and this one, while it may not rank amongst some of the greatest, it is extremely enjoyable. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz even rank pretty highly in their respective genres, because they are that great. The mindless robotic violence that is present throughout the film is highly entertaining, and I love the way the "gore" is presented in blue. It's all very fun, and not once through the film does it drag and feel like you need it to hurry to the next part. Each bit is slowly revealed after the previous one, and more and more is found out about The Network as it progresses to its apocalyptic end. The fight scenes were probably some of the funniest as the combat against these alien foes was completely outrageous, and Nick gets to have a good old Hulk Smash moment, or two, or three. All in good fun seems to be Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost's mantra as a group, because the conclusion to the Three Flavours Cornetto is as entertaining as ever and leaves you again wanting more from this well-directed dynamic duo.

ACTING : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

EXECUTION : ( 10 / 10 )

POSTER : ( 6 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )