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Movies / On DVD / Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead

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Shaun of the Dead (2004)

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Reviews Counted:171

Fresh:155

Rotten:16

Average Rating:7.7/10

Consensus: Shaun of the Dead cleverly balances scares and witty satire, making for a bloody good zombie movie with loads of wit.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for zombie violence/gore and language

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:09-04-2004

Synopsis: Edgar Wright's horror-comedy film, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, follows the title character (Simon Pegg) through his mundane life in London. Joined by his immature and ever-present roommate, Ed (Nick Frost),... Edgar Wright's horror-comedy film, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, follows the title character (Simon Pegg) through his mundane life in London. Joined by his immature and ever-present roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun excels at nothing except drinking pints of ale and watching television, which causes friction with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield). Before Shaun can save his relationship, however, he's got to fend off a horde of zombies that are slowly taking over the city. Armed with a cricket bat and a vague sense of direction, Shaun must rescue his friends and loved ones, and bring them to the only safe place he can think of--the pub. Cowritten by Wright and Pegg, SHAUN OF THE DEAD succeeds remarkably well at combining droll British humor with good, old-fashioned zombie cinema. While the movie is often hilariously amusing, it takes its horror pedigree seriously, offering up moments of genuine suspense, and even a healthy dose of gore. Pegg is oddly charming as the put-upon lead slacker, and Frost is appropriately oafish, but the living dead themselves also take up a fair amount of screen time, shuffling and limping in their best Romero form. For lovers of zombie films and other chills-and-chuckles outings like EVIL DEAD II and DEAD ALIVE, SHAUN OF THE DEAD is an instant cult classic. [More]

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Penelope Wilton, Dylan Moran, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy

Director: Edgar Wright

Director: Edgar Wright
Screenwriter: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Studio: Rogue Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Shaun of the Dead

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Idiosyncratic and strangely sweet.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/17/04
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The cast make a cosy fit, the patter is still sitcom snappy, but Wright also has the visual snap to carry this saga of backyard apocalypse.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Shaun of the Dead will appeal to audiences of all ages and tastes, and is a fine example of British comedy done well.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
07/20/04
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

One of the endearing aspects of Shaun of the Dead is that, like Young Frankenstein, it pokes fun at its inspirations but plays by their rules.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
05/04/04
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Sight and Sound
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even when in danger of self-destructing, it cadges laughs with smart lines, silly observations or blokish inside jokes about zombie movies, video games and pub nibbles.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Highly recommended.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
04/17/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

A side-splitting, head-smashing, gloriously gory horror comedy.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/30/04
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

'a raging success at pretty much everything it does.'

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
04/14/04
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
Teletext

Pegg and Wright brilliantly send up both the zombie genre and British society by showing how mindless everyday life is--there are zombies all around us!

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
03/16/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

It is, in terms of pacing, comic references and home furnishings, an undeniably British production, and hugely enjoyable for it.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
04/28/04
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pedestrian direction and script sap what anarchic fun this movie could've been

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment 13 Comments
09/20/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

Shaun of the Dead isn't as funny as it's purporting to be.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment 8 Comments
09/27/04
Guylaine Cadorette
Guylaine Cadorette
Hollywood.com

Ineffective as satire, comedy, and horror.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment 3 Comments
10/02/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Has its pleasures, which are mild but real.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 3 Comments
09/24/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Silly drop-dead sight gags that don't seem to work as well as intended but, nevertheless, offer some humor.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 2 Comments
07/23/05
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A well executed one-joke movie. But, even it's a good joke, it's only one joke.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment 2 Comments
11/05/04
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Finally, a good zombie movie with some decent fart jokes.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment 1 Comment
09/24/04
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

It may want to be, as the British might say, a bloody riot, but in fact it seems to suffer from a case of comedic anemia.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment 1 Comment
09/24/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

...the second half of the film is just a standard horror movie showdown with a few mildly amusing gags.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment 1 Comment
09/27/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
09/24/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Shaun of the Dead

April 02, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Bill Nighy
There can be few actors better suited to starring in a film about the golden age of British rock and roll than Bill Nighy. No wonder, then, that he's front and centre as part of... More...

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