August 23rd, 2013 
Justin Proper 
Movie: The World’s End
Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
Studio: Big Talk Productions, Relativity Media, Working Title Films
The World’s End is a drunken action and comedy masterpiece that has a surprising amount of heart hidden underneath its absurdity.
Filmmakers using the same cast and techniques throughout their films is nothing new to Hollywood. The Coen brothers, Tarantino, Anderson, and even Hitchcock all have a handful of people they work with again and again. Edgar Wright is also one of those types of directors, repeatedly using Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Martin Freeman in his Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and now The World’s End) because, as the saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.’ His latest and final installment in the trilogy proves that this is one formula that does not need adjusting.
The World’s End focuses on five childhood friends (Pegg, Frost, Freeman, Marsan, Considine) reuniting for the first time in decades to take on a 12 pub tour of their hometown that they failed at years before. Things in their hometown seem exactly the same but somehow seem a little…different. They soon realize that the entire town has been replaced with robots that are not exactly robots and their goal for the night goes from drinking to getting out alive (by drinking, of course).
In the same vein as the first two films in the Cornetto trilogy, The World’s End is abundantly hilarious and completely ridiculous in ways American films never replicate. The character’s rapport is very quick, witty, and on point. Even when nothing is happening plot-wise the back and forth between the friends will have you laughing out loud. The film is also loaded with great deal of physical humor and sight gags, like the fence jumping bit and the snap zooms that echo back to Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, as well as a plethora of new bits fans will love.
The World’s End would not be an Edgar Wright movie without over-the-top, memorable fight sequences, and what could possibly be more memorable than Nick Frost tying bar stools to his hands to use as boxing gloves as he battles a room full bad guys? The World’s End is loaded with great choreography that never gets stale and always manages to make you double take in disbelief. Likewise, there are a number of sequences involving large scale choreography that feel genuinely effortless.
With all the hilarious quips and fantastic fight scenes it is easy to forget how the talent of the cast. Much like the other two films in the trilogy, The World’s End makes sure to remind you that the stars have chops with a number of well-positioned character development moments throughout the film. This may be a comedy at first glance (and a damn funny one at that), but really it is a story about a character going through a change. Simon Pegg can act his ass off and he has never been as convincing as he is at the beginning of the third act. Suddenly you realize that even though his character has seemed mostly one dimensional for the last hour there is a lot more going on under the surface. When it all comes to a head he really shines as a broken man instead of just a pathetic boy trying to cling to the past.
The World’s End is a far better movie than you think it is, even if you already expect it to be amazing. With non-stop comedy, unique (and often hilarious) action sequences, and more heartfelt character development than most movies in the genre this film is simply a must see.
Score: A
Review written by: Justin Proper
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