The World's End (2013)

Following on from a six year hiatus, writer-director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost returned to conclude the “Cornetto Trilogy” with the introspective sci-fi dramedy “The World’s End.” After Wright went to Hollywood to helm “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”, whilst Pegg and Frost wrote and starred in “Paul”, this was an attempt to return to their roots by making another zany British comedy. Considered by some to be a solid standalone piece but a disappointment when compared to the previous films, this third instalment was still a critical success and has garnered a sizeable fan following.

I’ll be honest up front, I enjoyed this movie immensely, the cast gave some of the best performances I’ve ever seen from them, the action is outstanding and the surprisingly bleak story is captivating. No Edgar Wright film will ever surpass “Hot Fuzz” in my eyes, but “The World’s End” comes in at second place in his filmography in my opinion (bearing in mind I haven’t seen “Scott Pilgrim” yet).

Edgar Wright brings his usual frantic yet methodical directorial style and superb writing to “The World’s End.” Every character is well-rounded, multi-faceted and unique, which helps the group of school friends at the movie’s core feel authentic. The narrative is imaginative, bizarre and wild, but it never moves too briskly or drags. Once again, the editing here is spectacular, every scene is masterfully constructed, providing the film with a lightening pace and energetic scene transitions.

Wright’s excellent direction is at its best during the movie’s jaw-dropping fight sequences. As “Hot Fuzz” put its distinctive spin on the action genre, I expected similar scenes in “The World’s End” to pale in comparison. Fortunately, this film features incredible set-pieces that put some of its high-budget counterparts to shame. Chock full of inventive long-shots, impressive stunt work and creative uses of sci-fi gore, I was blown away by how thrilling the action in “The World’s End” was.

The cast all give phenomenal performances that bring an equal measure of levity and sorrow to the story.

Simon Pegg is terrific in the role of Gary King, a washed-out forty-something alcoholic, who reunites his childhood friends for a pub crawl with the aim of recapturing their long-lost youths. Although King isn’t my personal favourite protagonist from the trilogy, Pegg delivers arguably his best performance of the “Cornetto” films in “The World’s End.” He expertly balances the wacky enthusiasm of his party-animal character with a significantly darker edge of disillusionment and depression. Despite forcing his old friends to continue on their drunken journey and his determination to live in the past, I found myself rooting for Gary throughout the narrative.

Nick Frost knocked it out of the park as Andy Knightley, whose reluctance to join the pub crawl reveals his turbulent history with Gary King. Unlike in the film’s predecessors, Frost plays the serious straight-man whilst Pegg takes on the role of the more comedic character, which offered a nice change of pace. Frost’s gruff demeanour and steely attitude enhance many of the film’s humorous moments, bringing the classic buddy-movie contrast to the screen that’s always so entertaining to watch. What with their amazing on-screen chemistry and memorable performances as a variety of complex characters, it’s no wonder that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have gone down in film history as one of the greatest duos in all of comedy cinema!

The supporting cast in “The World’s End” are also fantastic. From the other school friends, played by Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan, to Rosamund Pike as Gary’s old girlfriend and the minor players in the story (including Pierce Brosnan, David Bradley and Bill Nighy), no actor was ever dull to watch.

My main criticism with “The World’s End” is that, although the plot is unique and the themes are rich, the film feels less well-defined than the other entries in the trilogy. Whilst “S.O.T.D.” and “H.F.” were directly inspired by multiple genres (“Shaun of the Dead” was a combination of zombie horror, British comedy and drama), “The World’s End” lacks the focus that those movies had in abundance. It includes an “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” esque sci-fi story with elements of horror, comedy and drama, but because the sci-fi premise is fairly niche, it makes it more difficult to latch onto those specific aspects of the film. Whereas “Hot Fuzz” focused on the buddy-cop sub-genre (which provided the filmmakers with plenty of comic potential to play with), the “Body Snatchers” idea here is too vague and feels very similar to the zombie sub-genre that “Shaun of the Dead” tackled.

The only other issue I had with “The World’s End” is that the themes of the story were slightly unclear. On the one hand, the film seems to state that you shouldn’t live in the past and become blinded by your nostalgia; it’s better to live in the here and now. On the other hand, the final scene of the movie depicts a character very much living in the past, which is portrayed in an upbeat light (despite the fact that it’s pretty melancholic when you think about it). So although the core idea of the story is fairly clear throughout the film, the final scene did convolute the message.

In summary, I really enjoyed “The World’s End.” It’s certainly a flawed film, but due to its marvellous performances and compelling characters, I had a blast watching it. It’s a meticulously crafted, hilarious and moving comedy that I thoroughly recommend!