Over the course of his "Cornetto trilogy," director Edgar Wright has taken on horror (Shaun of the Dead) and action (Hot Fuzz), so it's not all that surprising that The World's End finds him moving in yet another direction, this time turning what starts as a pub run between old friends into a science-fiction film. And just as Shaun had its obvious roots in Romero's zombie films, and Hot Fuzz echoed Michael Bay films,The World's End has a couple of very specific influences, although to name them would be to give away a bit of the surprise as to how the film plays out. What is somewhat surprising about The World's End, though, is the fact that for the first time in the series, Wright's choice of subtext and theme doesn't mesh all that well with his story, and it makes for a bit of a lumpy experience. The World's End casts a sharp eye at nostalgia and the inability to grow up and leave your past behind, and for the first half of the film, this works great, bringing out some painful comedy out of the reunion of some old high school friends, one of whom clearly hasn't grown at all. And by the film's end, the choice of science-fiction as a way of exploring this nostalgia finally makes sense...but it takes a very long time for that relationship to become clear, and it ends up creating a bit of awkwardness as the film feels ungainly for far too long. And that's before an exceedingly odd epilogue that feels even more jarring and odd, as though Wright got a little too ambitious in the final moments. For all of that, I still really enjoyed The World's End a lot; as usual, Wright knows how to play comedy, and between Pegg's abrasive man-child, Frost's resentful teetotaler, and the rest of the gang filling in their roles, there's a wonderful amount of banter and jokes to be had here, even before you get to the increasing intoxication on display. Moreover, Wright knows how to stage an action sequence, delivering a couple of great ones that are equal parts silly and exciting. And as I said, even though the metaphor about the dangers of nostalgia takes a very long time to come together, it's still a rich one, and a fitting place to end the trilogy. The World's End is definitely my least favorite of the three films, but that doesn't make it bad; the fact that it doesn't quite compare to Hot Fuzz of Shaun of the Dead is no shame at all, considering how great those films are. And that it's still so funny, entertaining, and well-filmed makes it well worth a watch, ungainly though it may be.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
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