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Stars:
Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy,
Penelope Wilton, and Jessica Stevenson
Writers:
Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
Director:
Edgar Wright
Feature
length: 99 minutes
Extras:
Outtakes and Deleted Scenes, Casting Tapes, Special Effects Comparisons, TV Bits
Shot For The Film, Zombie Trivia Track, Photo Gallery, Trailer, One-Sheet
Gallery, Commentary Tracks
Languages:
English, French, and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Amaray Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 37
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 2004/DVD Release: 2004
Theatrical
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Video
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Shaun
Of The Dead” is without a doubt one of the best mixes of horror and dark
comedy to be produced since John Landis’ “An American Werewolf In London.”
It is also in many ways more faithful to the George A. Romero “Living Dead”
series that inspired it than even Universal’s 2004 remake of “Dawn Of The
Dead.” In fact one can almost imagine some of these events taking place
concurrently with the events in Romero’s original films since if one listens
to the TV and radio bits sprinkled about the film, the media explanation touches
upon the original cause of the reanimation first introduced in George A.
Romero’s “Night Of The Living Dead.” The film indirectly also addresses
the recent wave of fast moving zombie films as depicted in both Universal’s
2004 remake of “Dawn Of The Dead” and the infected as depicted in “28 Days
Later.” I prefer the classic ghouls to the fast moving counterparts because
not only do they naturally bring a certain amount of dark humor and even some
pathos, but they are truer to Romero’s original vision, which is the fact that
they may appear wobbly and uncoordinated does not mean they are any less
dangerous. In fact it is often either the living’s underestimation of the
threat or their inability to work together in Romero’s films, which ultimately
give the zombies the upper hand.
Mixing
horror, sci-fi, and fantasy with comedy is rarely done because often the mix
does not work and as a result the marketability of a film can be greatly
hindered since no one wants to see an unfunny comedy. However when it is done as
well as it is done with “Shaun Of The Dead,” the experience is sublime. Some
Americans are turned off by British humor. They find it to be too droll and some
of the humor in “Shaun Of The Dead” is definitely very British, but I think
the film is broad enough for a wide range of people to enjoy and while “Shaun
Of The Dead” is very witty, it never sacrifices the horror quotient so if you
want to see some old school zombie horror, “Shaun Of The Dead” has it and so
much more. There is nothing else I can say about how much I love this film that
has not already been quoted by other film critics and filmmakers alike, but now
that “Shaun Of The Dead” is finally available in America on DVD after a
short theatrical release in the States this past October, I hope horror fans as
well as those with a taste for something a little bit off the mainstream highway
will give this film a chance. Like many others before me, I do believe that
“Shaun Of The Dead” is destined for cult film status. It may take decades,
but word of mouth about this film will keep out of the home video graveyard for
many years to come.
Universal
Studios Home Video’s domestic DVD release of “Shaun Of The Dead” presents
the film in a beautiful sharp anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio along
with a well-mixed English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack. A French and a
Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack are encoded onto the DVD
along with English Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish
Language Subtitles as options. In addition there are two audio commentary tracks
included on this DVD. One features Co-Writer and Star Simon Pegg and Co-Writer
and Director Edgar Wright while the other also features Simon Pegg along with
cast members from the film and both commentaries are screen specific and fun to
listen to. The Region 2 British DVD import does have two additional commentaries
as well as a hand full of extra value features that are not included in the
Region 1 version, but most of the bonus materials are present including the
comic book like animated menus, which are easy to navigate. There are onscreen
storyboard comparisons and a text commentary that can be activated before
watching the film. In fact all soundtrack and subtitle changes can only be
altered in the interactive menus and not while the film is already in progress.
Under
the heading, “Raw Meat” is Simon Pegg’s Video Diary of the production
(6:45), casting tapes (4:13), the flip chart story pitch (13:37), a special
effects comparison reel (2:20), make-up tests (2:21), and an EPK featurette
(7:10). There is also a zombie still gallery, the comic book like 2000 Ad Strip
gallery, a look at the various one-sheet poster designs, and the U.S. theatrical
trailer (2:30). Under the heading “TV Bits” are some of the fake TV
interstitials created for the film that include the band Cold Play appearing on
the program “T4” to rally support for “Zomb-Aid” (4:22), the “Fun
Dead” TV promo (1:06), and two talk show spots where a woman complains about
her husband for behaving like a zombie while he was still alive (1:27) and then
defending him once she has him chained up as one of the living dead (1:32).
There’s
also a clip of a dubbed scene where a certain four letter word has been changed
to “funk” for showing on airlines and such (2:12) and a reel of outtakes
(10:47) as well as 15 extended/deleted scenes that can be either watched
individually or as one reel (13:29). Comic strip style “Plot Holes”
featuring the actors narrating their character roles fill in the blanks for how
Shaun escaped the army of zombies (: 46), what happened to Diane after she left
the Winchester Pub (1:16), and how Ed got from the cellar to the shed (1:26).
A
reel of preview clips for “Unleashed,” which stars international martial
arts icon Jet Li beside Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins, “Drunken Jackasses:
The Quest,” and “Seed Of Chucky” (6:05) precede the main DVD interactive
menu. “Shaun Of The Dead” is a terrific mix or horror and dark comedy that
even has a bit of heart to it as well and “Shaun Of The Dead” is not to be
missed now that it is available at retailers on and offline courtesy of
Universal Studios Home Video.
©
Copyright 2005 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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