The World’s End serves as the third film in director Edgar Wright‘s “Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy”, the other two films being the zombie horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead and the Bad Boys parody Hot Fuzz. Both absolute must sees if you ask me.
The “Cornetto” name comes as a result of the recurring appearance of the ice cream treat in all three films, not to ignore the thematic consistencies, which is where The World’s End feels more like a Hot Fuzz/Shaun of the Dead swirl with a sci-fi topping than an altogether “new” flavor. It is, however, still highly entertaining, it just lacks the overall originality I felt the other two brought to the table.
The World’s End takes the small town feeling of Hot Fuzz and mixes it with the idea of a small group of friends facing off against insurmountable odds, a la Shaun. The film centers on five childhood friends who reunite to take a second stab at the “Golden Mile” a marathon crawl in their hometown of Newton Haven that ends at the illustrious World’s End pub. While their lives have changed dramatically since high school, one member of the group has yet to grow up and longs to relive the glory days, but whether or not his friends are up for it is another question.
Simon Pegg who starred in and co-wrote all three films in the trilogy returns once again to play Gary King, a 40-year-old man who can’t seem to get over his more popular, youthful years. We meet him in the midst of a therapy meeting as he recounts the story of the quintet’s first and only try at the Golden Mile. They failed. The nostalgia for days gone by is enough motivation in his empty life to get “the five musketeers” back together and try one more time.
Enter said childhood friends all grown up — Andrew (Nick Frost), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman) and Peter (Eddie Marsan). Though Gary’s relationship with the old gang is virtually non-existent, through a series of lies and coercing he manages to get everyone together, even his one-time best friend Andrew, a relationship that went sour in ways we learn as the story plays itself out. Let the crawl begin.
Upon arrival in Newton Haven, however, things seem a little off. While Wright and Pegg are obviously making a commentary on the homogenization of life around each and every corner from coffee shops all looking the same to our favorite bars losing their sense of identity, the people are acting a little strange. As they move from one pub to the next things begin to fall into place and all out insanity ensues.
I don’t want to reveal too much however, though I don’t think it’s possible to spoil the film, especially as the narrative structure has so much in common with Shaun of the Dead, but Wright, Frost and Pegg make such a great trio the comedy overshadows any redundancies the story suffers from.
In addition to Pegg and Frost, the inclusion of Considine, Freeman and Marsan is a no-brainer, they fit right in and once you add Rosamund Pike and Bill Nighy‘s special appearance it’s the perfect cast as Wright has never been one to skimp on getting the best talent for his comedies.
The trilogy’s themes of friendship, maturity and responsibility do seem to offer some level of closure to the three films and this is, in a weird sort of way, the most mature film of the bunch even though it doesn’t dwell on sentimentality or attempt to ham-fist a moral lesson into its narrative as much as it comes as a natural piece of the storyline. So often comedies feel they need to stop the humor in its tracks and get serious for a second, The World’s End has a version of that moment, but it only lingers as it comes as a natural realization as a result of the events of the film rather than something that needs to be discussed and ruminated on for five minutes or so.
I do wish The World’s End had felt a little more “new” than it does, as it seems to be a little confined as a result of the trilogy’s thematic rules. Thankfully Wright, Pegg, Frost, et al. are talented enough comedians that despite this issue the film offers plenty of laughs and entertainment for anyone already on board after Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
