Another of my late reviews (and I gave the wrong hint yesterday), I bring you the conclusion to the trilogy put together by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. You may have heard of the films they did together before, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. If you haven’t seen them stop reading this now and go see them.

No really stop. Go see them.

Alright welcome back. If you know me, you know as a general rule I loathe anything resembling modern comedy films. There is something about these three movies that I find satisfying on a comedic level and even though many of the characters are obnoxious to the point of unlikeability the films work. I lay full blame on that for the natural chemistry and unending charm of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Pegg alone is ever watchable and entertaining; lifting the caliber of whatever he is in. When together with Frost they are a force of comedy to truly be reckoned with.
Pegg and his other co-hort in comedy Edgar Wright, wrote the film together which tells the story of Gary King (Pegg), a man eager to relive the triumph (or near triumph) of his youth. He wants to drink himself down the golden mile in his home town, a pint per pub. To do this he gathers his band of brothers from high school whom have all gone their separate ways and are reluctant to return to their brash ways. Somehow King manages to convince all of them to return with him to Newton Haven to try to finish what they started twenty years before. When they arrive something is wrong in their sleepy little town. King and company find themselves in over their heads and their alcohol tolerances as they try to finish their pub crawl and save the world.

The movie is slow to start but once it gets to the meat of things doesn’t really let you catch your breath. The writing of all the characters and the performances are top notch in the genre and special props need to go to Pegg. The character of King is borderline detestable and the type of friend that we all have and never quite know what to do with in their obnoxiousness. Yet Pegg is able to bring a vulnerability to him in a few quiet moments that endear you to this broken shell of a man.

The cinematic aspects of the movie – the lighting, camera work, fx and fight choreography bring the movie together in a cacophony of laughs and entertainment. You know watching this movie that Frost, Pegg and Wright knew what they were trying to make and knew full well what movies they were paying homage to. They succeed on all counts.

for the TL;DR crowd

If you liked the other two movies this is an absolute must see. If you enjoy more European humor again an absolute must see.

Otherwise I can’t absolutely recommend it, but strongly would.

——————————-

Tomorrow’s hint learned never to mess with an Antique dealer.