'The World's End' review by Captain Raptor
First, they tried to save a few mates. Then they tried to save a sleepy English village. This time, they try to save the world; the stakes are higher but the faces are the same as ever as the trio behind two of this century's greatest films reconvene for the final installment of The Cornetto Trilogy, one last round of pubs, violence, nerdiness and the savviest blend of intelligence and silliness to ever hit cinemas. With the possible exception of Avengers Assemble, I don't think I've ever walked into a cinema with higher expectations. And Wright, Pegg and Frost certainly didn't let me down.
The World's End has quite a slow start and takes a while to get going - manchild/scoundrel Gary King isn't introduced as efficiently or as entertainingly as Pegg's characters in the first two installments, and his begrudging band of ex-friends don't immediately appear to be very funny. Pegg and Frost have swapped round in their traditional placement as straight man and buffoon, which keep things fresh but in the early scenes of the film neither fully occupies their role. At this point the film is mildly amusing but nowhere near the dizzying heights of Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead. All of this rapidly changes about 15-20 minutes once the higher concept of this film has been established and we encounter our first robot. Immediately everything changes, the film picks up speed and the hilarity begins. All the supporting cast do a great job, but ultimately it's Frost and Pegg's film and they steal most of the best moments and lines. The World's End borrows Shaun of the Dead's 'panicking people arguing in pubs covered in blood' and Hot Fuzz's 'nice ordinary village folk are secretly murderous' (and a pleasing callback with the recurring fence-jumping joke), but there's still a lot of original material and comedy present, as Pegg, Frost, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan (in some rare but spot-on comedic roles) and Cornetto Trilogy constant Martin Freeman try and desperately fail to act nonchalant in the face of almost certain death. The backstory of the reunited school friends who don't hang out anymore gives the group a really interesting dynamic, and once the carnage begins and all the characters become increasingly inebriated, Pegg and Frost play their parts with all the confidence and expertise we've seen before, and they return to the business of being hilarious.
As is befitting of a closing chapter, The World's End is the most sentimental of the trio's films, with a couple of characters revealing some personal tragedies in their lives. It adds some nice depth to the characters and it's done briefly, enabling the revelation to be more shocking and allows them to avoid killing the mood. The sentimentality can also be found in the dialogue, which contains a few interesting (but funny) points about what it means to be young, or even to be human. Don't get me wrong, the film is still as chaotic and blood-splattered as Shaun or Fuzz, but there's a slightly more thoughtful edge to it this time, probably because they all knew it was the end of an era. It's also certainly the most frantic of the films, once the action starts. Almost all of the film's fighting is done hand-to-hand, which allows for some much more frenzied combat scenes, and if seeing Nick Frost splitting Pierce Brosnan's face open with a headbutt doesn't amuse you, well, you're a bad person.
The World's End is the worst of the Cornetto Trilogy, but only marginally. The slow start does allow the sudden change in pace to be all the more amusing and exhilarating, but it still does suck some of the fun out of the film, and Gary King certainly isn't as much of a classic comedy character as Shaun or Danny Butterman. Minor flaws aside, The World's End is a phenomenal movie that expertly balances familiarity with inventiveness, and acts as a fantastic closing act filled with all the humour and genre-bending you could have hoped for.
As is befitting of a closing chapter, The World's End is the most sentimental of the trio's films, with a couple of characters revealing some personal tragedies in their lives. It adds some nice depth to the characters and it's done briefly, enabling the revelation to be more shocking and allows them to avoid killing the mood. The sentimentality can also be found in the dialogue, which contains a few interesting (but funny) points about what it means to be young, or even to be human. Don't get me wrong, the film is still as chaotic and blood-splattered as Shaun or Fuzz, but there's a slightly more thoughtful edge to it this time, probably because they all knew it was the end of an era. It's also certainly the most frantic of the films, once the action starts. Almost all of the film's fighting is done hand-to-hand, which allows for some much more frenzied combat scenes, and if seeing Nick Frost splitting Pierce Brosnan's face open with a headbutt doesn't amuse you, well, you're a bad person.
The World's End is the worst of the Cornetto Trilogy, but only marginally. The slow start does allow the sudden change in pace to be all the more amusing and exhilarating, but it still does suck some of the fun out of the film, and Gary King certainly isn't as much of a classic comedy character as Shaun or Danny Butterman. Minor flaws aside, The World's End is a phenomenal movie that expertly balances familiarity with inventiveness, and acts as a fantastic closing act filled with all the humour and genre-bending you could have hoped for.
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