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The World's End: Review
Wednesday 7th August 2013 | Ayse
8/10 For The World's End
It’s a sobering tale about, of all things, a pub-crawl. Only two men would think of it… the only two who could possibly make it work. The comedic powerhouse of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, have reunited once again to release the final instalment of their so called ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ The Worlds End, after Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. This latest comedic venture retains their unique and trademark approach to situational comedy which, in this motion picture, is take to its apocalyptic extreme. Fittingly named, The Worlds End is another in the ever-popular end-of-the-world trope and yet marked apart for never for a moment taking itself too seriously. Audiences are blissfully relieved of the ‘change your destructive ways or else’ sermons of apocalypse films that have come before and the bleak realities of the impending doom that are more frequent on the news today than the weather forecast. Instead what one finds is a film comprised of realistic, endearing characters and the prospect of an adventure that is met with refreshing and child-like excitement. The comedy is on the mark and is rooted not only in the sharp dialogue but in the nature of the story itself.
The plot of the film nucleates around the central character, the hedonistic alcoholic Gary King, the distinct personality of whom, brings a Fitzgerald quote to mind: ‘…one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at [twenty-one] that everything afterward savours of anti-climax’. Giving the distinct and sometimes desperate impression of a candle burning at both ends, Pegg conveys a comical and riotous protagonist with whom many can relate and empathise; a man not ready to accept the trials of adulthood and accept his place in the real world.. Having decidedly passed his prime as the social maverick of the playground, Gary starts to round up his now adult, settled and laughably bourgeois, school friends, determined to take on ‘The golden mile’, a 12 stop pub crawl in their old home town that they were unable to complete 20 years ago, failing to reach the final pub ‘The World’s End’. The group consists of Peter (Eddie Marsan), Oliver "O-Man" (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine) and Andrew (Nick Frost) which sees Frost successfully taking on the role of a sensible compatriot in contrast to his previous roles. After assembling the estranged group, the night starts off according to plan but as time progresses and they begin to suspect that the town is not quite the same, they soon uncover that it has been taken over by blue- blooded robots disguised as human clones… naturally.
And so the audience are catapulted head long with the characters into farcical and sensational narrative, perfect comic timing and a dry British wit that is perfectly suited to the mad juxtaposition between kitchen-sink drama, long held childhood grudges, and the destruction of humanity. Once audiences accept and adjust to the new, blurred parameters between the every day and fantasy, the plot never feels forced or needlessly obscure. Pegg and Frost’s work is consistently rooted in an earnest morality that, despite the berserk embellishments, always translates their heart-warming messages about life and human nature effortlessly.
Rather than falling into the trap of becoming two- dimensional, Gary King becomes an underdog that audiences instinctively cheer on, irrespective of how juvenile his quest may seem. He saunters as leader of the pack looking like a cross between Keanu Reeves in The Matrix and Mike Myers in Wayne’s World whilst his companions sport tailored suits, ear pieces and lattes. Martin Freeman’s deadpan, snarky and yet charismatic acting style also lends itself perfectly to the banter in the script.
Cinematically, this film is by no means an intentionally artistic piece. It is directed and filmed in such a way that the comic reactions to the rapidly disintegrating sanity of the situation are always fully expressed. There are beautifully vibrant, slow motion explosions and fight sequences in the film’s climax that bear a close resemblance to a true action film, but balance is always restored with a snappy retort or a side swipe to a hilarious aside. Additionally, the film has an excellent soundtrack that is a great tribute to 90's brit pop and rock. It includes such artists as: Pulp, Blur and Stone Roses and arguably elavates the already great film to sensational as it is the perfect complement to Gary's fixation with his rocking youth.
Hardcore fan of science fiction may be able to guess some of the plot twists but at its core, The World’s End confronts what it means to be human, the inevitability of growing old but keeping a youthful heart. And perhaps the robots haven’t turned on us yet, but if Pegg and Frost’s take on the apocalypse is anything to go by, we’re more than up to the task of fighting back, with time for a pint or two as we do!
Ayse Huseyin
