The World’s End, 2013.
Directed by Edgar Wright.
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, David Bradley, and Paddy Considine.
SYNOPSIS:
Five friends embark on a reunion to their home town to finish an epic pub crawl that they failed to accomplish in their teens. Discovering the town has “changed”, madness ensues as they attempt to save not only themselves but the world. Whilst getting a pint in all twelve pubs.
Warning, minor spoilers ahead…
The Terrific Trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright have, with their first two outings, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, been able to give their own highly entertaining spin on familiar movie genres – zombies and the buddy cop movie respectively. The World’s End attempts to do the same with the apocalypse sci-fi movie, and whilst it isn’t as strong as the the former entries it is still a thoroughly entertaining film.
The World’s End follows the “legendary” Gary King (Simon Pegg) as he embarks on a mission to accomplish the one thing in life he has set out to do and failed – the Golden Mile. A 12 pub journey through the “glorious” town of Newton Haven -which they soon discover is filled with robots assimilating in to the human race. Visiting each of his four childhood friends, who have each moved on with their lives and are less than thrilled to see him, Gary manipulates each and every single one of them in to joining his quest, selling it as a chance to relive their youth and do something fun. It’s here that the film makes its biggest mistake, as it creates such a morally repugnant character that its hard to buy in to him for very long. There are plenty of laughs, of course, but after you’ve laughed you remember who you’re laughing with – a drug taking, manipulator willing to go to such lengths as lying about a parents death to get what he wants. Not to mention the fact that completing the pub crawl places higher on his priorities than the welfare of the people he has dragged in to his ridiculous plan.
There is a good arc that could have been utilized here, with the character representing unfulfilled dreams, however it is executed so badly through the prism of a repulsive character that you really care very little for the man. The film opens with Gary at a group support meeting, bringing Gary’s problems to light. But it never really touches upon it again. At the heart of the vast majority of drug addicts is a fragile and broken human being who just needs help, and as Gary manipulates his friends and places finishes the pub crawl above each and everyone of their lives, had the story explored just why Gary is the way he is, then all of it might have been understandable. Instead, Gary is presented as a joke and the problem of drug addiction trivialized. That unfortunately, is an utter failure.
That being said the movie is fun. There are moments of sheer brilliance scattered throughout, but what stops it from reaching truly excellent levels -and the levels of its predecessors- is that they are few and far between too many slow, dull scenes in which barely anything happens. The story takes too long to get going and, when it does you can expect an inevitable dip soon to come. Momentum builds, and then is lost. The epic reveal of all that is going on in the strange little town of Newton Haven falls incredibly flat. It goes on for such an enormous amount of time that like the robots that are replacing us the entire scene becomes lifeless and dull. The final scenes wrapping everything up, likewise, fail to bring the ideas they are trying to convey to life and nor do they keep you entertained ending the film on a frustrating note.
Looking back, however, you’ll be reminded of plenty of laughs and great chemistry between Pegg, Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan. Each friend is extremely different, and if they had not been pals at school it is hard to see how they would ever be friends at all. People change yet the bond of friendship never truly dies when there are good times to reminisce.
Overall the quality is there and this is a film worthy of its place in the Cornetto Trilogy. Whilst it may not be as strong as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, it really depends on personal taste as to whether you prefer original, strawberry or mint. As in the end, they’re all pretty tasty on a hot summer’s day.
Originally published July 24, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
