Review: The World's End

Firstly let me just say that I was a lucky contest winner with Now Magazine and that is how I was able to attend this premier and director Q&A last week so a big thank you to Now Magazine. I love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, especially together -as they should be. I loved them in Spaced, Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz so I was thrilled that the "Cornetto Trilogy" would be complete at last. Director Edgar Wright introduced the screening and was present afterwards for a Q&A with director Guillermo del Torro. I'm not sure what was more enjoyable the film or the Q&A with these two charismatic directors. Guillermo is a funny, funny guy by the way.  I would pay to hear him talk any day. Some memorable quotes (I'm paraphrasing):

"I always thought that success is just failure on your own terms"

"My wife says to me, Spit out the man I married you fat fuck"

"Some directors are only interested in making movies for the Blanks"

That last one was a reference to the alien robots (referred to as "Blanks") that take over a the tiny rural town of Newton Haven in the film. Five friends reunite after 20 odd years to complete the pub crawl they attempted and failed on their last day of high school, June 22nd 1990. Gary (Simon Pegg), who has never quite outgrown his teenage goth phase, contacts the others out of the blue. They are all by now successful adults whilst Gary is still very much a boy. Gary even still drives his wreck of a car from High school and even still plays the mixed-tape his friend Steven (Paddy Considine) made for him. It's classic Wright fare, intelligent dark comedy with a sci-fi flair. What could degrade into cheesy college humour in the hands of another is instead comedy genius with a writing team comprised of director Edgar Wright and actor Simon Pegg. However, The World's End is more than just a clever black comedy it's intelligent social science fiction. The film basically says that it is our fundamental right as human beings to be screw-ups; to not to be perfect, to not do the right thing, to not have the answers. It is also a movie about the perils of living in the past and about finding happiness in unconventional ways. You will be entertained by the fantastic action scenes (Wright used teenage stuntmen, the youngest one was just 15), you will laugh, you will love the early 90's British indie soundtrack (Primal Scream, The Happy Mondays, Pulp) and you will love the wacky ending and the film's ultimately uplifting message.

The World's End is in Canadian Theaters Aug 23rd.