When it was released in 2004, Shaun of the Dead was a unique ZomRomCom (zombie romantic comedy) which became an instant cult hit. It has now arrived on Blu-ray and it shines in this format in nearly every way.
The Movie
At its heart Shaun of the Dead is a love story revolving around perennial slacker Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his estranged girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield). Of course every love story has a complication; in this movie it just happens to be a zombie epidemic in their country. Shaun spends most of his days hanging out with his friend Ed (Nick Frost) at home or at the local pub, the Winchester. He continually neglects his girlfriend and his family, more out of apathy then any real intent.
Shaun works at an electronics store and has a regular routine. After letting Liz down one more time she finally dumps Shaun and he drowns his sorrows at the Winchester with Ed. On their way home you can see that zombies are starting to rise, and of course Ed and Shaun are clueless to the peril. Staying up very late, Shaun passes out with a vow to get his life back in order.
The following morning Shaun follows his routine and heads to the store. The city is desolate, bodies are everywhere, and hilariously Shaun never notices. Once he returns home he and Ed discover a girl in their backyard. They confront her and after accidentally dropping her on a pipe they finally realize something is not right. Heading inside they listen to the news and see that there is a zombie uprising. Arming themselves first with records as projectiles, then more effective weapons (a cricket bat and shovel), Shaun and Ed head off to save Liz, then Shaun’s mom, and then to the Winchester (of course) to wait out the zombie disaster.
What follows is a series of hilarious, then horrifying, then heartbreaking, and then hilarious again moments which are truly hard to define. The trio of Pegg, Frost, and director Edgar Wright create many memorable moments and the film oozes camaraderie. It is clear everyone likes each other, is comfortable around each other, and feed off each other in scenes.
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