SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004), dir. Edgar Wright

When There's No More Room in the Suburbs, The Dead Will Get Their Heads Cracked with Cricket Bats

Looking back on the very clever, very funny "Shaun of the Dead," what stands out most strongly is the friendship between Shaun, a slacker in his late 20’s, and Ed, his hapless, boorish slob of a best pal.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who play Shaun and Ed, respectively, have a natural, easy-going chemistry that makes their characters’ relationship entirely believable. It’s a classic formula. Shaun is the responsible straight man, while Ed is a veritable cartoon collection of rude manners and inappropriate behaviors.

But Ed readily cheers up his friend when Liz, Shaun's girlfriend (played by Kate Ashfield), dumps him. And there’s something genuinely sad and confused that bubbles up in Ed when other characters browbeat him. Who knows why Ed turned out the way he did? We do learn, however, that Shaun always defends him, and that they’ve been best mates since primary school. Most likely, if Shaun weren’t around to look after Ed, no one else would.

Unfortunately, Liz thinks Shaun’s old friendship is a symptom of a wider malaise that includes hanging out in the same bar every night. Truthfully, sharing a pint in the "Winchester" with Ed does seem more important to Shaun than his relationship with Liz. After she announces that she’s made "other plans" for her life, plans which don’t include her boyfriend, Shaun drunkenly determines to sort out his existence.

Luckily, before he’s had to commit to any radical alterations, zombies invade the suburbs. That’s right. Lest we forget, "Shaun of the Dead" is a zombie movie, in the tradition of George Romero’s "Night of the Living Dead" or "Dawn of the Dead." The plot involves (mostly) one-dimensional characters who hole up, and fight to keep hordes of flesh-eating, reanimated corpses from entering their enclosed space. In this case, the survivors-in-hiding include Shaun, Ed, Liz, her two flatmates, and Shaun’s mother. Fans of these kinds of movies may appreciate that the script hits other familiar notes. For example, infighting breaks out between characters. Also, one of them turns out to have suffered a zombie bite.

Much humor abounds as Shaun and company go through the motions of the plot. There are more laughs early on, when Shaun and Ed are oblivious to the zombie infestation. On the streets, they confuse the living dead for drunks. At home, they change the channel away from the TV newscaster before he’s had a chance to inform them of the crisis.

"Shaun of the Dead" might be the first zombie movie where it takes a while for the characters to tell the living from the undead, even after we, the audience, have figured it out. The screenwriters, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, do an admirable job milking the joke for no more than its worth. They seem to be arguing that our humdrum day-to-day lives have zombified us anyway, so even if we became zombies, there wouldn’t be much difference. Hence, the boy who kicks a soccer ball at Shaun’s head becomes a zombie boy who kicks a soccer ball at Shaun’s head. Also, the blurring of the line between what is human and zombie adds a bonus layer to a particular joke: One of the survivors, a failed actress, studies a zombie, and thinks its unearthly moan isn’t really that unusual. Actually, it reminds her of "a drunk who’s lost a bet."

If "Shaun of the Dead" works as a comedy, however, it falters as a horror flick during the second half. At one point, Shaun manages to stage-dive into a horde of zombies and emerge unscathed. True, this might have been a dig at the inherent flaw zombies have always had (and which zombie fans know)—they’re very slow and dim-witted. But like rhinocereses, they ought to be deadly in swarms. Once Shaun plows through a small army of them without being overwhelmed, they cease to be scary.

Nevertheless, the film is a lot of fun, and surprisingly satisfying. Trust that Shaun gets to prove to Liz how much he loves her, and to resolve his relationship with Ed. Ed continues to be himself, and his antics consistently generate laughs. While Shaun gets freaked out by the undead entering his domicile, Ed gleefully initiates a contest to hurl records at their heads. Behind the wheel of a car, he purposefully takes a "scenic route" so he can run zombies down. Is Ed more than just comic relief? Does he represent the filmmakers’ collective id, the way he turns the conventions of the zombie movie upside-down and inside-out?

I don't know. All I know is, even if you’re not a fan of Romero’s old creepfests, the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost duo will keep you involved until the final credits roll. And that's good, because the ending is truly sublime. It proves that good friendships never die, though our friends might.

Overall rating: *** (out of ****)