Review of The World's End (2013) by Ben L — 10 Jul 2014

I'm going to spoil one key aspect of this film. It is spoiled in the trailers, so if you've seen them I'm not telling you anything new, but if you haven't you might want to stop reading now. I am very impressed with the way they chose to open this film. They spent what seemed like at least 30 minutes of the movie lulling the audience into thinking they were watching a film about 5 guys looking to recapture their glory days (or maybe just 1 persuasive guy looking for that, and 4 friends being dragged along.) Then when you are settled in watching that movie suddenly it takes an insane left turn and we're in the middle of an alien/robot invasion film. It was an ambitious choice and if they could have convinced the marketing folks to avoid spilling the beans, I think they could have totally shocked the audience. Perhaps the funniest aspect of this film is the fact that the main character is the one guy who literally seems determined to stay in the movie that was set up in the first 30 minutes despite all the insanity happening around him. I like this jarring contrast between the 2 stories.

The World's End, while somewhat rooted in the classic genre of body snatchers/alien abduction, feels the least like a straight parody film out of the Cornetto movies. It seems to reference some aspects of popular alien attack films, but it is so invested in the story it is telling that they never dig too deep into the parody or homage. Which is not a bad thing, just a slight shift in style. While I did find myself enjoying the film and laughing frequently, there's one thing that holds me back from loving it. The ending just does not work for me. The resolution with the aliens is just fine, I didn't dislike that as much, but the epilogue feels unsatisfying. It bugs me that the protagonist has not grown in any way. Perhaps that is the intent, but it didn't close out the film in the way you'd want, and it doesn't seem consistent with the genre they were emulating. The ending is not a deal breaker, I don't want to make it sound like I hated this movie, but it was just a little disappointing to end a high quality film on such a low note. Despite this I would still say The World's End is a good film that most people will enjoy, and it is a nice final farewell for Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's films.

Before closing I'd like to say a few words about The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy as a whole. While this is not a traditional trilogy, because there is no link between the stories or the worlds, they do feel connected in tone and style. I had a sneaking suspicion that I would enjoy these films, because I connect really well with this kind of intelligent British humor (unlike the overly crude style of humor most American films try to throw at you.) Sure enough I was laughing a lot, and found I had a strong connection with the characters they created. They also did a great job of finding high quality acting talent. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were always wonderful, and it was nice to see in The World's End that they finally switched their roles and had Nick Frost playing the more under-control/stable force. Overall, I think this is perhaps one of the best series of comedy films I've ever seen. I loved the way they approached a parody film. Instead of spoofing (a la Scary Movie) they lovingly paid tribute to different genres of film they clearly are passionate about, while still finding the humor in them. There was little carry over from one film to the next, but there were a few running gags they stuck in all 3 movies and it paid off nicely as an inside joke to the fans (the fence gag was hilarious.) These are all high-quality films that can each be enjoyed on their own, but I think I want to own the whole set because they are that good. If you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, or The World's End then pick one and start watching ASAP.