In order to parody a genre and do it well, a person must first love that genre and then carefully dissect it to reveal its given flaws in a funny and revealing light. Director Edgar Wright and his pals Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have already taught two master classes in both horror and buddy-cop actioner themes, first with Shaun of the Dead and followed by Hot Fuzz. With this summer’s release The World’s End, the British trio tackles the sci-fi alien invasion oeuvre to close off their so-called Cornetto Trilogy (or Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy or Bloody Cornetto Trilogy or any of the multitude of names it’s been given). This adventure sees five friends (Pegg, Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan) return to their hometown to complete the Golden Mile – a marathon of twelve consecutive pubs and pints – that felled them in their youth. Upon their arrival in quaint little Newton Haven, the boys discover that nothing is at it seems and the townsfolk are acting awfully strange. By the end of the night, our group will be battling for their lives and the very fate of humanity.
Edgar Wright isn’t known for having slow introductions in his films, so it was a little surprising to witness a relatively plodding start to the events in The World’s End. Pegg’s middle-aged slacker Gary King has an epiphany during therapy and begins to methodically collect his old buddies for a legendary hometown romp through pubs. It’s not particularly slow by Hollywood standard, but it’s noticeable when placed next to Wright’s insanely kinetic openings to past films. If the film’s message about growing up and maturing had an unexpected effect on this first act pacing, then I hope to go through life like Peter Pan. But stick with it and sure enough the set-up is done and we’re back on track with the boys and hijinks we love. Act two kicks thoroughly into gear when the boozing boys discover that the townsfolk aren’t exactly human anymore. A post-brawl panic and some drunken logic leads the protagonists to believe that completing their pub crawl is the only way to avoid suspicion and escape Newton Haven with their lives.
Throughout the majority of the runtime, we’re treated to some seriously subtle and well-crafted commentary on adulthood and the perils of nostalgia. I’m not old enough to reap all the benefits of such a message, but it’s endearing and unexpectedly powerful no matter what age you are. The more these men have changed, the more they’ve stayed the same. They understand each other like no one else ever could and those relationships will make or break their journey through town. All of the fantastic punchy-kicky action never gets in the way of an old-school story of friends involving a love triangle, betrayal, bullying, and more things that life constantly throws our way. We reach the ending and yearn to huddle up with the childhood friends and make those juvenile mistakes once more and embrace the lessons we take away from such screw-ups.
And then we reach the real ending and crack up at one of the most darkly comic movie conclusions in recent memory.
One of the immediately refreshing choices with the actors is having Frost and Pegg switching up their typical roles, with the latter now playing the slacking dolt and the former acting as straight-laced straight man (at least until he gets ultra-sloshed). Regardless, the chemistry on display amidst our quintet is palpable and highly enjoyable from both the comedic and lightly dramatic standpoints. Considine, Freeman, and Marsan fit right alongside our lead pair in the story and provide just the right amount of heart and silliness. The overtly British dialogue penned by Frost and Wright is quick and witty and rolls easily off the tongues of the British thespians in charge of driving the laughs. And when the story starts drawing to a close and the slightly darker moments emerge, Pegg and Frost transition wonderfully into three-dimensional characters just before firing off more slurs and dick jokes.
On the technical side is cinematographer Bill Pope (of The Matrix fame) whose clever compositions and use of just barely gritty 35mm film nails the classic feel of an invasion flick like They Live or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It’s both an homage and a tool since the geeks are bound to get even more out of the humorous scenarios when they’re shot like old school sci-fi gems. World’s End is also highly colorful and emphasizes the grotesque, neon blue each invader spews from their various wounds. The fight scenes are awesomely choreographed and nicely filmed, which come as no surprise since Pope photographed The Matrix and helped change cinematography forever. That these cool action scenes are both infused with and surrounded by Wright’s style of comedy are a bigger bonus. Editor Paul Machliss makes sure the movie keeps up with both the rapid-fire dialogue and the lightning-quick, kung-fu-esque fight scenes. He also has no issue with slowing down the more intimate sequences either, giving us long looks at the characters and letting the talent chew scenery with gusto.
Rating: Edgar Wright’s most mature film to date maintains the hilarious British wit and humor while examining the well-tread man-boy complex under a truly unique and action-packed lens. (8/10)
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