The World's End (2013)

Year: 2013

Running Time: 109 minutes

Director: Edgar Wright

Writers: Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan, Bill Nighy

 

The World's End is currently showing in UK cinemas. Opens in Australian cinemas on the 1st of August and the USA on the 23rd of August 2013 and is distributed by Universal Studios worldwide.

The Three Colours Cornetto Trilogy comes to a close in spectacular fashion with The World's End.

 The World's End is British comedy at it's best. When things become slightly ridiculous in the film, the comedy just keeps coming with another very funny and witty script by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. Whether you have watched the first two films in the trilogy, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz or not, you can enjoy this film, but having watched the first two would give you the privilege of understanding some of the subtle and amusing recurrences of the films.

On the last day of high school back in 1990 in the English village of Newton Haven, Gary King (Simon Pegg), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Andy (Nick Frost), Peter (Eddie Marsan) and Steven (Paddy Considine) decide to go on a pub crawl of the 12 pubs in town. As they do not end up being able to finish the crawl, Gary, who is still greatly living in the past, convinces all of the now grown men to give it another go. They arrive back to their home town and nothing will stop Gary reaching the final pub, The World's End. Even the end of the world itself.

The Three Colours Cornetto Trilogy of films by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (which got it's name from the presence of a different flavour/colour Cornetto in each of the films and is a comedic ode to the French Three Colours trilogy) are not a trilogy in the traditional sense, as they are a set of films which have their team in common and a few recurring themes, but no interconnecting storyline or characters. So the great thing about this is that you don't need to have watched either of the first two films in order to enjoy it. However, if you haven't seen the first two, you may notice when in the cinema that some people may be laughing a lot more than you when a certain person appears on the screen or in moments when something which means nothing to you happens.

The dialogue of the film is wonderfully hilarious. It certainly helps that all the characters have such great chemistry together that they are able to bounce off each other in their hilarious conversations. The final scene with Gary, Andy and Steven is such an intelligent piece of comedy writing especially.The story of this group of guys on an epic pub crawl and their story which encompasses a great deal of character development is great fun.

However, it is the apocalypse core of the story which starts to make the film seem a little ridiculous. Let's face it, there is a tidal wave of apocalyptic films at the moment and the majority of the causes of the apocalypse are unrealistic. The blue-blooded robotic apocalypse in The World's End is not just farfetched, but it just comes off being ridiculous. You could argue that it is the end of the world and it is allowed to be farfetched if it is in a comedy film, but it just crosses the line between random and being a little too random. Luckily, the comedy continues around this undoing of the human race and while the actual apocalyptic visuals make the film askew, the wonderful dialogue keeps flowing and does not turn from hilarity to stupidity.

Simon Pegg has no problem being the lead man when it comes to his films. In his black attire and condescending, sarcastic dialogue at times he could well be channelling Adrian Edmondson's Vyvyan from "The Young Ones", but that is no problem because it is perfect for his character of Gary King who is dying to relive the glory of his younger years. Pegg has the ability to give an incredibly emotional and charismatic performance which you have to see past his comedy for, and this is another film he has been able to do that in. Nick Frost is also very good and a great character in this film. He and Pegg show once again why they are such an effective duo on the big screen.

The World's End is one for anyone who loves a laugh and a British pub.

7/10

You may have also seen Simon Pegg in......
Paul as Graeme
Star Trek Into Darkness as Scotty

You may have also seen Nick Frost in.....
Paul as Clive

Paul

Paul

Year: 2011

Director: Greg Mottola

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogan, Kristen Wiig, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman

In My Own Words

                Aliens? Hmm….I am never sure about the subject of whether they exist or not. With something like this, I never feel like I am capable of making a statement until I am an expert on the subject. The beginning and the end of this is that there has been no official proof that there is another life form out there so innocent until proven guilty. I do like the idea of going on an alien themed road trip across the United States like Clive and Graeme do in Paul. Even if I don’t know if I believe in it or not, it would still be interesting as you would find out about the link there is between each town and another life form and start to piece together whether there is some truth in it. A road trip across the USA sounds like a great idea right about now too! This trip which Clive and Graeme went on sounds like a great post for my other movie website, Travelling With The Movies. Keep an eye out!

                So let’s not waste any time with the “do they, don’t they exist” and get onto the Paul review. This one is dedicated to one of my friends who has told me that she only gets to go to one movie a year and this year she chose Paul! She knows who she is, so this review is for you!

                These are my own words and here is my review.

Review

                Paul is one of those films that you should make the effort to go out and see if you are having a bad day and need a laugh. Even if you are having a great day, you should go out and see Paul because you will have an even better day! It is one of those rare comedies that is completely fresh and original, yet doesn’t take itself seriously and just has fun with what it is doing.  Extra-terrestrial’s aren’t traditionally seen in film as being comedians which makes Paul one of a kind.

                Paul is the nickname given to the alien in question after the dog his spaceship landed on when he arrived on Earth 60 years ago. Up until now, he has been kept at military base just “hanging out”, but when he finds out that he is actually being held prisoner he makes a run for it. He runs into Clive (Nick Frost) and Graeme (Simon Pegg), two best friends who have travelled to the USA to go to a comic convention in San Diego and then set off on their own extra-terrestrial road trip. Their fun holiday has turned into a fugitive run from the authorities with Paul. For these two nerds, it seems as though all their dreams have come true!

                For a comedy film such as Paul, story and script are the keys to making it work. And Paul has the key.  Alien films aren’t new, but many alien films are either family orientated or they are world disaster films. Paul is different. The alien speaks perfect English and if it wasn’t for the physical aspects, you would think he was a young male adult running around. There are some slightly crass moments in the film with a few expletives thrown in, but it isn’t disgusting or gross like some comedies tend to be these days. The story is very original and a load of fun.

                The writing by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg themselves is very good, but nobody would expect any less from these two, especially Pegg  who has made a name for himself for his screenwriting almost as much as he has for his acting.  The film completely flows as a result of a tightly knit script which does not waver with any of the comedy. The dialogue between the characters is very funny, as are some of the one liners. There isn’t really any spectacular cinematography moments, although some of the nature shots are quite impressive. The film more focuses on just the comedy and it’s witty and fun script.

                Both Nick Frost and Simon Pegg do well in this film and are both very funny, but these do not seem like particularly hard roles for them.  This isn’t a bad thing, as they are able to do the roles with complete ease and they do all that can be asked of them. It is Seth Rogan who belittles both of them, even though it is only his voice which is heard.  He provides the voice for Paul and the mixture of his voice and Paul’s physical appearance just make you smile and no matter how rude he is, he is still very likable.  His vocal talents are perfect for this alien. Kristen Wiig is great in the role of Ruth, a young lady who joins the three on their journey. She is very sweet to begin with, but her change over the film and the things that come out of her mouth as a result are hilarious.

                These days comedy seems to be going in the direction of the grosser the better. Paul may not have the cleanest mouth around and neither may Ruth, but it doesn’t have any disgusting toilet humour which seems to be a common theme in comedies released these days. Who would have guessed that an alien who loves Reese’s Pieces could be the hero in one of the funniest films of the year?

7.5/10