Customer Reviews

Shaun of the Dead [HD DVD]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Have you ever been stuck in a rut? Stuck in a dead end job? Tired of dealing with all those brain dead Zombies? Then this is the movie for you.

Shaun wakes up one day to find he's screwed up his life, lost his girlfriend, disappointed his mum, oh, and the world's been overrun by the Undead!

This movie is pure comic/horror genius from start to finish. A perfect Halloween treat.

The transfer to HD is top notch. This movie truly benefits from the image depth and clarity this format presents. With this much detail, I feel I could easily navigate through north London by the movie visuals alone.

The sound was simply excellent. Heavily dialog driven, every word comes through crisp and clear. When the action really heats up, the Zombie hoard feels like they are shuffling and groaning through your living room. (Darn Zombies. Always shambling through my living room. And I just vacuumed!)

The special features are all here, and highly fun to watch. It's clear this crew had a blast making this film, and all the extras are there to invite you along, and include you in on the joke.

Absolutely worth the purchase!

For those who love the film, there is no point in saying much about it aside from great picture and sound quality (you can't ask for better).

The only thing that was a disappointment on this was the bluray menu had not duplicated the dvd navigation menu (it was film themed, and added to the watching experience) - although the addition of D-Box functionality can be thankfully ignored (is a waste of time to me, its the worst idea to be attached to film watching).

Also ich kann und werde hier nur das Steelbook bewerten, da der Film auf meinen Player nicht läuft. Aber das wußte ich im Vorfeld. Ich finde dieses Steelbook einfach nur toll. Dafür gibt es von mir 5 Sterne. Danke, für diese Sammlungserweiterung.

Zombies are one of those horror staples that have gotten putrid, after one too many idiotic blood'n'gore-fests with a revolting script. Like poor Dracula, they run out of things to do.

But zombie films are revitalized by the wickedly funny "Shaun of the Dead," a tale of music, love, pubs, and the slobbering undead. In the vein of Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive," it's full of twisted humour, funny dialogue and plenty of gore.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) are the poster boys for adolescentus slackeritis, living in a London flat with their peeved roommate Pete, who has actually grown up and gotten a real job. Ed plays video games all day, and Shaun's immaturity has just gotten him dumped by his long-suffering girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield).

Wrapped up in his love life woes, Shaun fails to notice a little news item: Human beings all over London are transforming into zombies. At first, Shaun obliviously drowns his sorrows, and has a nasty encounter when he goes to pick up a soda. Now he must mend his relationship with Liz and defend himself and his family from the hordes of ravenous zombies... by barricading them in a pub.

"Shaun" makes the whole genre seem fresh just because it doesn't take itself seriously. The heroes don't even have guns (since the UK public don't get them), and so our heroes fend off the zombies with vinyl records, shovels and cricket bats. That gives an idea of how serious this movie is.

"Shaun of the Dead" isn't so much a zombie movie as a love story with zombies -- a very funny one, with lots of gore. We're treated to slackers in love, Shaun drifting obliviously around London withoutn noticing the undead, and some very entertaining dialogue ("Just look at the face: it's vacant, with a hint of sadness. Like a drunk who's lost a bet...")

Later on, he's forced to shake off his obliviousness in order to save his loved ones, with a bat as his only weapon. And maybe some commandos in a tank. It's gory, and the ending gets a bit cliched and overserious, but the ride up until then is wonderfully scripted and full of hilarious crude comic moments. Not sex-organ/bathroom humor, but definitely not highbrow.

Everybody knows guys like Shaun and Ed. Pegg perfectly plays a slacker with a heart of gold, who would like to be more than he is, but doesn't have the slightest clue how to go about it. Frost is a good annoying sidekick for Shaun, and Ashfield does a good job as the long-suffering girlfriend.

As a bonus, music geeks will laugh themselves silly over such important decisions as: which albums should our reluctant heroes throw at the zombies? "Stone Roses?" "No." "...Second Coming?" "I liked it." "Dire Straits?" "Chuck it!" Good choice, Shaun m'boy.

While it's a hilarious movie, it's not a spoof -- rather it's a zombie movie with wit, love and comedy. By not taking itself too seriously, "Shaun of the Dead" ends up revitalizing a genre that seemed like it was... well, almost dead.

This is not your average zombie shlock movie but a delightfully funny British look at life through the eyes of a pub going slacker. Worth the money all the way.