Shaun of the Dead DVD Review:

Shaun (Pegg) is having the worst weekend of his life. His girlfriend Liz (Ashfield) has just dumped him for spending all his time with his flatmate Ed (Frost) at the Winchester pub, he is getting absolutely no respect at work and he has to visit his mother (Wilton) and his stepfather (Nighy), who he hates. To top it all, the world is ending and the dead are rising from the grave.

A story about a man trying to change his life so he can win his disgruntled girlfriend back might sound like the premise to many a romantic comedy but throw in a horde of zombies and you have the makings of a cult classic on your hands.

Simon Pegg, the writer of TVs Spaced takes a short Resident Evil sketch from the show and makes it into one of the best comedy horror movies to come out in a very long time. As Dog Soldiers did in 2002, the film takes a stalwart of the genre and gives it a very British twist. By combining the lad-ish behaviour of the average late 20s early 30s year-old, like excessive drinking, spending most of your time with your mates down the pub and not knowing what women want, with a Zombie outbreak is just pure genius. As you laugh at all the puerile fart gags and the way Shaun and Ed live their lives (probably even recognising some if not most aspects), the world is falling into hell and the two of them are completely oblivious.

Comedic and dramatic performances combine as some of the best British talent come together to confront the undead masses. Nick Frost, a Spaced veteran is hysterical as the uncaring, selfish and monstrously untidy Ed. He would be everyone’s complete nightmare as a flatmate but would be the life and soul of any party. Lucy Davis (from TVs The Office) and Dylan Moran (from Black Books) are great as boring couple Diane and David. This is quite a restrained performance from Moran, as he plays the whinger of the group but he comes into his own during the pub scenes. Kate Ashfield is good as the object of Shaun’s affections Liz. You can totally understand what she is saying about Shaun’s life as most of us (who are that age) are like that. Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton shine as Shaun’s stepfather and mother as both of them are suitably dizzy and very middleclass.

This is Simon Pegg’s chance to shine however. Anyone who has watched Spaced will know that he is a comedic talent but he also shows a gift for the more dramatic, especially during the more emotional scenes in the pub. He plays the average, disillusioned late twenties guy extremely well. The character and his situation is a metaphor for the film’s undead throng, as we trudge through the mundane tasks of everyday life half dead, running on the most basic of impulses as we try and get through the day.

Shaun of the Dead is a cult classic in the making. Filled with genuine laugh-out-loud moments mixed with scares and a few scenes of real sentiment, this is another example of British inventiveness that has produced a cocktail of horror and comedy that everyone will love.

A flesh eating horror flick mixed with all the facets of the British romantic comedy, cinema’s first Rom-Zom.

Star Rating = * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is a superb transfer. The picture quality is first rate throughout, even during the darker moments of the film, with no pixelation at all. The sound quality is also extremely good with a strong emphasis on dialogue, as you’d want from a comedy movie. The surround sound is also used to good effect highlighting the excellent soundtrack and the zombie crowd scenes to create a great effect.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by star Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright
This extremely chatty, fun and informative commentary comes from two people who really have a passion for the movie, as you’d expect as they did write it. They reveal the influences behind the film such as the movies Dawn of the Dead (obviously) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers and their aim to put comedic moments into a movie that stuck to the rules of the genre. The pair also discusses the technical aspects of the movie, talking about locations, working with cinematographer David Dunlap (who worked on Goodfellas, Raising Arizona, A Beautiful Mind, Hannibal and many others) and getting permission to use the album covers during the garden Zombie fight. They also reveal how geeky the whole film is in paying homage to many movies.

Commentary from stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield and Lucy Davis
This is an extremely funny and very chatty commentary track that highlights how much the cast got along with each other. They constantly make fun of each other’s performances and reveal little insights into their own characters for example Nick Frost says in real life he doesn’t swear (We really believe that). Each of them point out their own first shots in the movie and then divulge some behind the scenes secrets such as Zombie romances and that Peter Serafinowicz was the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I. They also explain the “Dogs can’t look up” quandary and they also hint at a sequel (Here’s hoping).

Commentary by Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton
Another chatty commentary from two people who don’t really seem at ease with the process. There are some funny observations however like them talking about the difference between swearing in English and other languages and cultures. Both of them are extremely nice throughout, even though it does seem that Bill Nighy has something against either Dylan Moran or his character.

Commentary by The Zombies

Zombie actors Paul Putner, Timothy Mark Chippen, Patricia Franklin and Steve Emerson get their chance to shine as they talk about what it is like to be one of the undead in Shaun of the Dead. Here they get the chance to tell you about their experiences on the movie and talk about how much fun it was working with the lead characters.

Storyboard Comparison
As you watch the movie two red zombie eyes will appear in the corner of the screen and on pressing the enter button on your remote control you are shown the storyboards for scenes you are about to watch. These do show you how well Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright planned the movie but the would have been better utilised if they have been displayed via a split screen option.

Zomb-O-Meter (Trivia Track)

This is a subtitle track that brings up little snippets of information about the movie as you watch it. Some of the information you would have already heard if you’ve listened to the audio commentary tracks however.

Raw Meat

Simon’s Cam (6.37 mins)

Armed with a camcorder, co-writer and star Simon Pegg takes you behind the scenes of the movie. He shows you the make up test for the film, takes you onto the Ealing studios sets and reveals how the record-throwing scene was filmed.

Lucy’s Cam (5.02 mins)

Star Lucy Davis grabs her camcorder and takes you behind the scenes of the filming of Shaun of the Dead. She shows us a myriad of texting Zombies, the stars and their stunt doubles and Dylan’s makeup for his encounter with the Zombies.

Joe’s Diary (9.54 mins)

Joe Cornish from TV’s Adam & Joe shows you a day in the life of a Zombie extra. We follow his day from his 7.30am trip to the studio (which he was late), through his makeup application, his stunt practice, his starting role and finally his chance to scare someone on his way home at 7pm. This is a very amusing featurette that makes you want to be a movie extra.

Edgar and Simon’s Flipchart (13.26 mins)

Filmed in September 2001, this self-proclaimed time capsule allows co-writers Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg to show you their original ideas for the film and you can then compare them to the finished movie. It is surprising how much of it is the same.

SFX Comparison (2.17 mins)

Go behind the scenes of the Bloody Mary and Headshot scenes to see how all the different elements, such as makeup, CG and greenscreen, came together to make the scenes look so good.

Makeup Tests (2.12 mins)

Behind the scenes footage of the zombie makeup tests for Shaun of the Dead, including how they added the CG eye effects.

EPK Featurette (7.02 mins)

Director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran and Bill Nighy talk about making Shaun of the Dead. It reveals that the idea came from a Resident Evil sketch in Spaced and while they wanted it to be a comedy they also wanted to stay faithful to the material. They also divulge that Shaun and Ed’s relationship is actually based upon Simon and Nick’s friendship and that they think this is the first suburban horror movie.

Zombie Gallery

Photo Gallery
Behind the scenes images from the making of the movie, the rehearsals and the zombies.

2000AD Strip
The Shaun of the Dead comic script that appeared in the cult comic that highlights Mary’s story of how she became a zombie and ended up in Shaun’s garden.

Poster Designs
Your chance to see the 10 different poster designs thought up to promote the movie.

TV Bits

Coldplay on T4 (4.14 mins)

Watch the full interview between Vernon Kay and the surviving members of Coldplay as they make their appeal on behalf of ZombAid. This is extremely funny and has a couple of special guests.

Fun Dead (0.58 mins)

The full footage of the Zombie version of It’s a Knockout which is accompanied by a Keith Chegwin rap.

Trisha “Your nine lives are up” and “I married a Zombie” (2.43 mins)

Two spoof clips from daytime talk show Trisha. The first one sets up the story and the second one takes place after the Zombie event.

Remembering Z Day (2.30 mins)

Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson talks about having the read the news on that fateful day.

Trails of the Dead

Fight Fest 2003 Teaser (1.28 mins)

The first teaser trailer with the tagline “Residential Evil”.

Official Teaser (1.38 mins)

The first real look at the movie.

Official Trailer (1.49 mins)

The full theatrical trailer used to promote the movie.

TV Spots (0.42 mins)

The two UK TV adverts used to promote the movie on television.

Missing Bits

Funky Pete (1.56 mins)

Your chance to watch a clip from the clean version of the movie that will be shown on aeroplane flights. This is the scene in which Pete confronts Shaun and Ed about playing their Electro in the early hours of the morning, with the censors replacing the F-word with Funk. Very Funny.

The Man who would be Shaun (0.28)

Simon Pegg and Nick Front read their lines in the style of Michael Caine and Sean Connery.

Plot Holes (4.05 mins)

Comic strips narrated by stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Lucy Davis that explain “What happened to Shaun when he ran off?”, “What happened to Diane when she left the Winchester?” and “How did Ed get from the cellar to the shed?”

Outtakes (10.38 mins)

A collection of very funny outtakes from the movie with highlights including Nick Frost improvising, break dancing zombies and Simon and Nick acting like John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Extended Bits (12.50 mins)

Fourteen extended scenes with optional commentary from director Edgar Wright and actor Simon Pegg entitled “Kitchen Pow-Wow”, “Body on the line”, “Bodies on the line/Yvonne”, “Taxi Driver”, “Bathroom blow out”, “In the Bedroom”, “Meercats Utd”, “The Dopplegates”, “Q.W.A.”, “David vs. Shaun”, “More Peanuts”, “Rifle Trifles”, “David’s redemption”, “Bar Extension”.

OVERALL

A cult movie is destined to become a cult DVD as this is one of the best single disc DVDs you could ever buy. Fans of the movie should jump for joy as everything you could ever ask for is on this disc. The commentaries are brilliant and cover all aspects of the film, the featurettes are extremely funny and informative and the extra features such as the comic strips are extremely good. This is a complete must buy for anyone who adored for the film as it sets a new standard in single disc presentation.

DVD Star Rating = * * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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