Tuesday 30 July 2013

CAPSULE REVIEW: The World's End



I sense that the high standard that Edgar Wright, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg attained with their cult near-masterworks Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz - subversive, amusing and poignant postmodernity at their finest - means that not everyone will be satisfied by The World's End. And almost predictably, it's a pale shadow of what fans of the trio will be hoping for. A strong opening, defined by typically snappy direction, a clever soundtrack and a really good set-up, slowly dissolves into a tired rehash of elements from past glories (slacker protagonists and/or cynical love interest battle the Big Other (s) in a remote town) wasting both a great cast and a great premise. Sure, the film raises thoughtful issues about the struggle to grow up, freedom vs. family and how technologically dependent our social society has become, but they're submerged in a rather average comedy that's closer to the awful Paul than anything Wright, Frost and Pegg managed at their peak. A disappointingly lukewarm conclusion to what could have been a brilliant trilogy.

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