3rd Worst Movie I’ve Ever Seen = Shaun of the Dead

Image Source: https://www.tvinsider.com/show/shaun-of-the-dead/

So, I’m not the one to slag off on a movie but in this case, I’m going to make an exception. I’ve seen movies that I didn’t enjoy. However, I can say that I really thought that Shaun of the Dead was going to be silly fun after all the praise that it has received. After watching it tonight, I can say that it does not even rise to the level of a “B” movie for me. It is definitely in the “C”/”D” territory and tipped itself over into the “F” category thanks to that “edgy joke” that Mr. Edgar Wright and/or Nick Frost thought was hilarious but one that I found took me out of an already boring movie that I was fast forwarding through even before that racist gaffe (and I never fast forward through a movie).

I Liked the Actors and That’s About It

When I say that I liked the actors, I mean it. I assume that some of the dialogue that they had to spout was intentionally cringing and the delivery was intentionally cringe inducing at times based on the script/material, but overall, I did mostly enjoy the work of the actors. It even had some of my Dr. Who actors (from the New Series) and I liked the work that they did. However, that was about the ONLY thing I liked in this movie. The sets were rough, the screenplay was corny (not this brilliant commentary on modern life that everyone seems to want to make it out to be), the satire was overwrought and had all the subtlety of a gong screaming “look at me, I’m being edgy and clever.” I never fast forward through movies and watch them out completely even when they bore me. Some movies might take multiple days to finish (or in extreme cases, weeks/months), but for me to fast forward through something–well, you know it MUST be bad.

The “N” Word in a British Zombie Satire–Really?

About the last place that I would expect a character to spout the “N” Word would be in a British satirical comedy. I mean, I watch A LOT of British shows (mostly comedies, but I’ve gotten into mysteries as well). I don’t remember Dr Who spouting the N Word, even though they’ve dealt with “racism” in the past. You would never hear Jean Pargeter say such a depraved utterance in the series As Time Goes By. Can you imagine Barnaby (either Tom or John) allow any miscreant (or a Detective Sergeant on the force) in Midsommer Murders to get away with such crassness? Now, from a quick internet search, apparently the movie is filled with “edgy jokes” according to Edgar Wright and this is its “edgiest.”

Mr. Wright, if this is what passes for humor (or humour as our British friends spell it), perhaps you might want to return to “charm” (aka “finishing”) school because, not only was your movie unfunny to an African American film scholar, but it was also crass. I know that Bill Cosby is currently Persona Non Grata due to his conviction, but if you’re going to use the N Word, then I feel it is appropriate to use Fat Albert’s NC (“No Class”) moniker for such a tasteless joke. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t written in the script or was an actor choice–as director of the movie, Mr. Wright, you are ultimately responsible for the movie and should know better.

Watch a Real Zombie Movie Instead

I would have been incensed by this movie if I weren’t a film scholar and hadn’t already seen George Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead. Not only is the script paper-thin and there are ham-fisted attempts at satire, but there is also the Deus Ex Machina ending in which the army (yes, the literal freaking British Army) saves our remaining protagonists. Puh-leese! At least write a proper ending that figures out how to have the characters save themselves — and to all you who think this is a good movie and wrote reviews praising it, shame on you! How in the world can any movie that has a Deus Ex Machina for an ending receive the critical praise and commercial success as this one. Heck, I rate Jurassic Park 3’s Deus Ex Machina ending better than this one because at least they made it a plot point where they had to recover the satellite phone from the digested excrement of one of the dinosaurs (who ate the Black man who was holding the phone at the time). Yes, JP 3 killed a Black man and turned him into literal excrement, but at least they didn’t add to their sins by throwing the N Word in the mix.

While not the worst rated movie I’ve ever seen, it is definitely in solid 3rd position, behind two other movies which shall, for now, go unnamed. Rest assured, however, I will NOT be giving this one a second viewing. I would rather watch The Dark Knight before watching this one again–and long time readers of the blog know in what contempt I hold that particular movie–there is a review for it on this blog, if you’re interested (fans should probably turn away now). This movie, Shaun of the Dead was such a waste of my time!

Please, I implore ANYONE who is reading this blog post. Go watch George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead instead of SotD if you are looking for 1) a good zombie movie or 2) a good zombie movie with actual satire. I promise you, you’ll thank me when you realize that you don’t have to deal with not one “fart” joke (yes, that’s right–in addition to a Deus Ex Machina ending and the N Word, there are literal “fart” jokes in SotD).

Ugh! How critics and fans rate this one so highly, I’ll never know.

Sidney

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