Complete A-Z list


World's End, The (DQ)

5/10

Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan, Pierce Brosnan, David Bradley, Rafe Spall, Reece Shearsmith, Mike Sarne, Bill Nighy (voice)

Director: Edgar Wright

Vivid, garish, cheerily foul-mouthed conclusion to the comedy-horror trilogy begun with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, about earthlings vs the unearthly. Like its protagonists, however, this one is all over the place.

Five ex-friends, reassembled by the indefatigable, beer-swilling Gary King (Pegg) set out to replicate an epic pub crawl of 20 years earlier when they were all in their late teens. When they get back to the town of Newton Haven, however, things seem curiously unrelaxed, standardised and sanitised.

Getting into a fight in the lavatories of the third pub, our heroes realise that the good citizens of Newton Haven are now blanks, Stepford-style, whose parts come apart, revealing blue blood, although the 'stiffs' are easily reassembled.

What follows is very much Shaun of the Dead redux (without the freshness) as our boozers, one of whom proves to be not what he seems, flee 'blanks' with flashing blue eyes.

Despite a few good lines - 'I haven't had a drink for 16 years,' declares Frost. 'You must be thirsty,' observes Pegg uncharitably - everything feels too rushed to give proper value to shock and/or comic moments. Performances are bawdily enthusiastic, but we have essentially been this way before.

David Quinlan

UK 2013. UK Distributor: Universal. Colour by deluxe.
106 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 3.

Review date: 14 Jul 2013