Review #681: 'The World's End' (2013)

Finally wrapping up the collection of films now known as the 'Three Flavours Conetto' trilogy, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright have delved into sci-fi geekdom for inspiration for their final entry, The World's End. Where Shaun of the Dead (2004) was a swan-song to George A. Romero and his gift of zombies to the horror genre and Hot Fuzz (2007) was a homage to 1980's and 1990's action movies when the law were still cool, The World's End gives us a blue-blooded alien/robot invasion, reminiscent of John Carpenter, set amidst a legendary pub crawl.

Gary King (Pegg), a middle-aged alcoholic, decides that he and his childhood friends should meet up one more time to complete the pub crawl they failed to conquer twenty something years ago. The crawl consists of 12 pubs in their hometown of Newton Haven, ending at The World's End pub. Gary quickly gathers up the gang - Oliver "O-Man"Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), Peter Page (Eddie Marsan), and, somewhat reluctantly, Andy Knightley (Frost) - and they set off on their quest only to discover that the town they grew up in has become overrun by pod people-type robots.

The thing that made the previous two films in the trilogy so enjoyable was the chemistry between its two leads, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. In Shaun, they were both bumbling idiots, and in Fuzz, the dynamic was changed to keep things interesting, with Pegg playing the straight man, and Frost his starry-eyed but worryingly dim sidekick. Here, things are changed again with Frost becoming the straight man and Pegg the loutish idiot. Frost's Andy drinks water for the majority of the film and holds resentment for an unspoken event, therefore heightening the drama and adding dimensions to their relationship, but nevertheless steps on the comedy. With the chemistry missing, Pegg's Gary becomes slightly annoying and Andy is just a drag.

And here lies The World's End biggest problem - it just isn't that funny. Until the robots show up, there are only a handful of scenes capable of raising a smile, and the movie is actually quite slow. Shaun and Fuzz (this will be the last time I mention these, I promise) were packed full of visual and wordplay gags that benefited from repeat viewings, but The World's End was such a drag the first time around that I doubt will ever feel the need to watch it again. The supporting cast barely register, with only Considine's Steven getting a sub-plot, involving Oliver's sister Sam (Rosamund Pike) and some unspoken love.

But when the robots show up, the movie does pick up the pace. Although it's hardly a ground-breaking idea (it's pretty much The Body Snatchers with lager), watching Nick Frost twat a horde of robots with two bar stools could never be anything but thrilling. Most of the charm of the film comes from it's distinctive Britishness, and the out-there climax offers a surprisingly insightful commentary on what it means to be British - flaws, belligerence and all. These are some relatively minor achievements that manage to save the film from disaster, in what is ultimately a disappointing, unconvincing closing bookmark to what could have been a modern landmark in British comedy.


Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan, David Bradley, Michael Smiley
Country: UK

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie