The World's End

I must start by admitting to have reviewed this previously and removed it, last time round I must have been in a bad mood, I criticised it for going off the boil, however in recent times I've gotten so into it, it's meant to be bonkers, outrageous and utterly over the top and it sure is. I think there's something incredibly British about the humour, the world could come to an end, but there's still time for nostalgia, and more importantly there's still time for a pint. It's still perhaps my least favourite of The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, but the other two are that good, and hard acts to follow. It is clever, it's witty, and which of us doesn't know a Gary? If only it didn't have to be a trilogy, would have loved more from this successful group, it's an underrated gem.

Saw it at a midnight premier last night (free Cornettos were given out!) and myself and the rest of the audience were laughing throughout, having a thoroughly enjoyable time. I thought it was great, definitely on a par with Hot Fuzz, though - to me - not quite as good as Shaun of the Dead, which is fair enough as it is one of my all-time favourites. It is definitely a worthy close to the "trilogy" though, and it stands up well against the other two.

Amongst the highlights were seeing another former Bond actor, even if it was in a small role, along with various other regulars from the past films and Spaced - Tyres, Julia Deaking (Marsha), Bill Nighy's voice, Mark Heap, et al.

With a plot as ludicrous as this one the film relies on the strength of it's leads to succeed, and they pull it off admirably. I liked that there was a role reversal of Pegg and Frost's usual character dynamic, with Frost especially noteworthy in his performance. The lads have clearly come a long way over the years. Pegg is clearly having a whale of a time, and carries us the audience along with him. Having such a talented group of back-up actors in Marsan, Considine and Freeman helps massively too.

I feel they missed a trick by not using the line "You've got blue on you", though.

I was lucky enough to score some tickets to the NZ premier of this. We were pumped full of food and booze before the movie and i realized not ten minutes in that i needed the bathroom. Only i found the movie far to funny to want to leave at any point.

There were some real classic moments in this movie, honestly, the whole theatre was in fits of laughter almost the whole way through the film. There was even some cheering (more than once)

Edgar really has his business sorted with the directing thing, and Pegg, Frost and Freeman really help to bring this movie together!

I recommend this film, especially if you just want a good laugh! Personally, Frost was my fave in this one, he had the greatest moments!! In regards to the acting, It was all wonderful, i believed every second. This film was on par!

I feel really privileged to have been lucky enough to see it before a whole lot of people, and I hope that everyone else likes it as much as everyone in our theatre did :)

10/10

The movie-making team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright has been one of the biggest success stories of British cinema of the past decade. With "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) and "Hot Fuzz" (2007), the trio demonstrated originality, ingenuity, and most significantly, capable of drawing a large, appreciative audience. Now they're back with the long-awaited third movie of what's become unofficially known as the "Cornetto trilogy." Like it's predecessors, director Edgar Wright loves paying homage to American cinema; "Shaun" pays its respects to George Romero, "Fuzz" nods its head to over the top action, buddy flicks, and "World's End" takes a page from our classic American sci-fi films.

In "The World's End," 20 years after attempting an epic pub-crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell-bent on trying the drinking marathon once again. Once convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year- old man trapped in the mindset of his mid 20's, drags his reluctant friends back to their hometown, and once again attempt to reach the fabled pub - The World's End.

"The World's End" plays on the notion that any time you return to your old stomping grounds, changes are inevitable. Upon returning to their small town roots—a place so boring it boasts about having the first roundabout in all of England—the crew notices that things are a little strange. As it turns out, the town residents are now blue- blooded alien robots. Pretty soon, the group of friends find they are not only fighting to recapture who they once were, but to preserve who they are.

"The World's End" follows similar thematic and structural paths as the other films in the trilogy. While it is definitely intended as a satirical spoof on one level, it also works just as well as a fully functional sci-fi story. You have elements of body snatching, invasions, and more than a few overt nods to John Carpenter's classic "They Live" (1998), in the way the aliens integrate into their society and take over. It's satire in such a loving fashion that it comes across as infectiously charming.

If there is anything to criticize here, maybe it's that the genre is a bit more skewered and less defined than in its predecessors. However, "The World's End" does cap an unofficial trilogy, and the grievance is overly critical given the nature of the movies. Long-time fans of the trilogy will appreciate the reversal of roles, casting Pegg as the selfish screw-up, and Frost as the one who has it together. This allows Pegg to fully unleash his gift for gab, and for Frost to show off his considerable skill for physical comedy.

With great gags, better fights, and fan pleasing cameos, "The World's End" is exactly the sort of British-accented, genre-blending pleasure we've come to expect from its creative trio, and we can only anticipate to what the future holds.

Five pre-middle-aged male friends are drawn to Newton Haven, the site of their failed dozen-pub crawl as students in 1990. They're led by Gary King (Simon Pegg). He's the one who couldn't move on from that night; couldn't get a job like them, or get married like them. Reluctant revelry and bad-tempered banter ensues, before the gang discovers that the residents of the town have changed. That is, they have BEEN changed...

The World's End is considerably better than the ostensibly similar This Is The End, a super-indulgent American comedy which mistook f-bombs for humour and name-dropping for satire. Edgar Wright's film is indulgent also, but at the service of audience enjoyment, as opposed to the enjoyment of the players. The script is surprisingly dense and intricate, many of its jokes arriving bittersweet. In an era when so many comedies are heavily (and lazily) improvised, it's refreshing to watch a tightly woven story unfold for once.

The action scenes are given equal attention, lovingly choreographed like some kind of slapstick dance. Chief pugilist is Andrew, our sort-of-hero, played by Nick Frost with remarkable agility. This instalment is far less bloodthirsty than its predecessors - more Scott Pilgrim than Shaun.

The rest of the group is made up of Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, and Martin Freeman. The performances are all top-drawer, although it takes time for their individual personalities to emerge. But then, the fact that they are now practically indistinguishable may be the point - for all their disapproval of Gary, they are the ones playing it safe.

What's most impressive about The World's End is the fact that it's actually about something. Nostalgia is easy to indulge but difficult to deconstruct, but this film genuinely aspires to explore the idea of selective memory - as with a bad hangover, our memories tends to return in subjective spasms, and the truth is only accessible by gathering multiple witnesses. And the truth isn't always what it cracked up to be.

The World's End is, for me, the best of the "Cornetto Trilogy". Highly recommended.