The World's End, Dark and Twisty... Just Like I Like It.

So after some strategic schedule planning with my husband and kids, I managed to find some adult time for my husband and I to go see The World’s End.

Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman,
Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike
 

I’ve been anxiously anticipating this movie since I saw the first trailer. My love of Simon Pegg is not a secret and his reunion in this movie with Nick Frost had me nearly giddy with excitement. But for Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz fans, if you were expecting the snarky, light hearted fun we’ve come to expect, you’re in for a shock. To be honest there is only a mild similarity to these movies (namely the stars, England, and a passing reference to Cornetto ice cream). The World’s End was dark and unexpectedly wrought with deep emotions about being friendship and adulthood. 

The movie starts with Gary King, the leader of a rowdy band of mischief making boys, getting ‘the band back together’ to finish the famous pub crawl of their youth…the one that got away. It might seem like a simple midlife crisis—let’s relive our youth—movie, but even from the early scene we get hints of the trouble in our main character’s life.

Everyone in this merry band has grown up, moved on with their lives; everyone except Gary. Unlike Shaun of the Dead, where our lovable Shaun is a man in desperate need to grow up, but we love him anyway, Gary leave a lot to be desired. It’s clear from the beginning he is damaged on a fundamental level. Even his old friends are hesitant to spend any time with him.

 

The movie is awkward at first, and slow to reel you in. It throws you of kilter, and you might even secretly want Gary to fail. But by the end, due in no small part to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s on screen chemistry, you’re rooting for them despite their flaws. You want them to not only finish their pub crawl despite the Robot invasion, but to bridge the deep emotional chasm that has developed between these two friends.

While Shaun is still my favorite from these two, I loved The World’s End. It has definitely won a honored space in my small movie collection, and I look forward to watching it again.