Review: The World’s End
A tight, sophisticated Sci-Fi romp, with an
emotional heart beating at its core, The World's End is a more than
fitting finale to The Cornetto Trilogy, the genre mashing comedies of
Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The film sees forty something Gary
King decide it is time to get the old gang back together to complete a
legendary pub crawl in their hometown, which they failed to do in their teenage
years. Tensions between the friends are high, particularly between Pegg's King
and Frost's Andy who seemed to cut ties sixteen years before; at around that
time that Andy stopped drinking. As the evening progresses old wounds are
opened and it's clear they've all changed- or is it the town? The group
unfortunately discover the town has been taken over by alien robots filled with
blue stuff. The evening then becomes a fight for survival and to get out of the
town- after finishing the pub crawl, of course.
Edgar Wright's directorial tropes are present
throughout, with snappy edits and a heavy emphasis on the score and soundtrack.
Many will criticise The World's End for not being as laugh-out-loud
funny as its two predecessors. However, the laughs are there, but so is an
emotional thread and maturity, allowing both Pegg and Frost to put in some brilliant
dramatic performances around all the comedy. Excellent support is provided by
Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan, who deserves a special mention
for his moving monologue on bullying that we can all relate too. There are also
a number of cameos, some to be expected and some a complete surprise which are
worth going for alone.
Like the sci-fi films its referencing The
World's End tackles questions of humanity, friendship and the state of our
current society. There is a clear bitterness toward the commercialisation of
the high street. The film was shot largely in Letchworth Garden City, a Quaker
town that has ironically few pubs, but does have a Weatherspoon and a town
centre that has suffered direly from the recession, but retains the key chain
stores seen everywhere with little character. It is testament to the filmmakers
that they went out of their way to benefit local businesses with their filming;
pub number eight "The Mermaid" is the local independent cinema,
whilst pub number eleven "The Hole In The Wall" is the train station
and has provided much needed renovation funding and the UK's first roundabout
was given some much needed time in the spotlight. The film delivers an ultimate
message that it is our individuality that makes us human and our consumerist
society detrimental to our nature.
The
World's End is the final product in the development of Wright and Frost as a
pair of filmmakers and writers, delivering a level of maturity not seen in Hot
Fuzz or Shaun Of The Dead. Carrying a tight script filled with
humour and heart The World's end is a more than worthy member of The
Cornetto Trilogy, which is hopefully just the beginning of Wright and Pegg's
screen partnership.
