Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Shaun of the dead is a prime example of a great British film. Altogether it has a great narrative, with an amazing cast to create such a classic piece of comedy with the inclusion of a zombie invasion. There are so many different factors in this film which made me enjoy watching it. The use of loads of quick transitions into different camera shots being used, such as a quick zooming in from a medium shot to a close of someone’s face completely changes the whole comedic dynamic to the film. There is an example of this when Simon Pegg (one of the main actors in the film who plays the character of Shaun) is trying to create a plan for helping his family in this zombie apocalypse, and as he does the ideas, he comes up with are repeated as if he is telling a completely different story. The use of quick paced transitions to different scenes in the story he has created, and different camera shot types used causes this part of the film for me to be so funny, and I’m sure others will agree, as all these features make it seem like a short comedy itself. Also, the intensity of the scene as Simon Pegg is in a rush to come up with a plan only exaggerates the comedic outlook of this part of the film, as they use dark humour to turn ideas such as death and murder into funny plots within the film.

In Shaun of the Dead, Simon Pegg, as well as having to survive this zombie apocalypse, Shaun finds himself trying to balance his love life as well. The inclusion of this almost side story to the main idea of survival caused me to forget the danger Shaun and all his loved ones are in and got me to change the fast-paced emotions I had invested in the film from its intensity, to what had turned into a happy feeling from the humour this terrible relationship had presented.

There is also very comedic violence in the film, whereby some of the main characters are having to defend themselves against zombies, although they do it in the most un-ordinary ways using random objects to do so. There isn’t much gore used in the film, but the use of violence and profanities contrasts what could be a serious style used to present the action of fighting zombies, but instead allows us to enjoy the action in the film as if we are making a joke with the characters.

This film is like the film World’s End which both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the main actors in Shaun of the Dead) also star in. Both films use comedic styles described earlier, about the use of quick paced shot types and transition, and the use of dark humour which make the films so much more entertaining to watch. Both films have a similar narrative, as all the cast must survive an apocalypse of some kind.