By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Ever since my husband introduced me to the UK sitcom Spaced, I have been a devoted fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It actually took me up until that point to give Shaun of the Dead a chance because I wrongly assumed it was going to be UKs answer to awful parodies like Scary Movie. Today, I hold the film in such reverence as its originality, humor and pure passion placed into the movie spills off the screen every time I see it.
Hot Fuzz I enjoyed just as much. Again, the trailer was deceiving. I initially believed Hot Fuzz was going to be a comedic action film, but was presently surprised to a horror plot involving a cult that involved most of the town. It reminded me of Race with the Devil meets Lethal Weapon.
When The World’s End was released both my husband and I couldn’t wait to see it. This time I had a slightly better understanding going in. I knew that a bunch of aging men who were friends in the late 80s returned to their home town and end up battling robots that are similar to the aliens in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The movie opens with our anti-hero Gary King (Simon Pegg) sitting in a circle of troubled souls discussing a time he never left behind. Though pushing 40, he reminisces about his high school buddies and how he led the crowd. The night he looked on most fondly was the last day of school when the group attempted to go and have a beer at all 12 bars in town. The group never made it and gave up after the 9th. As King discusses this, he decides he is going to find his old friends and bring them back to his hometown.
Reluctantly, they all agree despite King having to stretch the truth with his former best friend Andy (Nick Frost) to have him attend. Everyone other than King is seemingly successful in their businesses and their lives. Only King lives in the past and can’t seem to move beyond his glory days. Sadly, though he tries to hide it, it’s clear he’s an unhappy drunk.
Still, he has the hopes that he and the gang will be welcomed with open arms back to their hometown, but oddly no one seems to recognize them. It isn’t until King gets into an altercation with a young kid in a bathroom which turns violent. At one point, the teenager’s head pops up and blue liquid pours out. It is then that the guys realize most of the townies have been replaced by these clones.
I absolutely loved this movie. There are underlying themes though not subtle are even more-so highlighted on the second page of the extras labeled “Symbols and Omens.”
I can’t say enough about this film. It certainly has the same sort of conspiracy-esque qualities Hot Fuzz did while delving even deeper into elements like mind control, what constitutes a slave to the system, and fighting the establishment. Some aspects definitely reminded me of the cult classic They Live or could have easily been something the great Rod Serling had written in his life.
I can’t recommend this one enough. It was definitely one of the best films released in 2013 and I can’t see what Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg turn out next!
Scared Stiff Rating: 8.5/10
