The World's End (2013) Reviews

• The End Of The Trilogy Is Nigh

  CalRhys2013-07-19

  So last night from 7.30pm through 2am. I sat through the Cornetto trilogy at the Vue cinema in my hometown, Worcester. Watching 'Shaun Of The Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' again really boosted the hype for what was to follow, come midnight... 'The World's End' began! So the film started like every other Cornetto film, allowing us to get attached to our lead characters, learning a bit about their backgrounds through comical contexts! The film follows our five leads, portrayed by Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan, whom 20 years after a failed pub crawl, reunite to repeat the crawl and return to their hometown, Newton Haven, to do so. However, all is not what it seems. Over the due course of the night, the gang began to discover that the town has been taken over by robots attempting to "reform humankind", completing the crawl becomes the least of their worries. The film is extremely clever, like Shaun of The Dead and Hot Fuzz they have mixed two genres, this time Sci-Fi and Comedy, to create a film on par with the rest. From the first pint all the way through to the "bitter end.. or lager end" the crew have to use their wits to avoid being detected and caught by the pursuing robots, all of which ends with devastating consequences. It is a must-see if you enjoyed the other two. Edgar Wright's trilogy has come to a fantastic end!

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• Gary - you're free

  pyrocitor2016-01-01

  The Smashing Pumpkins may have mused that 'The End is the Beginning is the End,' but Edgar Wright knew better. He knew that for his beloved 'Cornetto Trilogy,' he would need an ending that could somehow tie up all of its strains of manic, voracious genre pastiche, savage wit and silliness, and, most importantly, its symphony to the reluctant aging of the schlubby, post- Shaun adult male. He knew he needed to do something special. So, in the words of Shaun, "what do you mean, DO something?" Well, getting the old gang together for a nostalgia-fuelled 'one last job' pub crawl, charged with more emotional weight and subtext than meets the eye should about do it. In this regard, Cornetto #3 is by far the most personal, mature, reflective, bittersweet and cognizant film in Wright's oeuvre. It knowingly winks at his past works (don't forget to say hi to Brian, Marsha, and Tires, listen for the fruit machine, and enjoy an appropriately sly Cornetto cameo), while introducing some of his most hysterically snappy wordplay yet ("maybe it's a windoor...!"). And, as no Wright film could ever be that straightforward, it's also, naturally, about the end of the world. Duh. To some, The World's End will be a cracking sci-fi pastiche - Invasion of the Body Snatchers handled with the chilly British terseness of The Day of the Triffids. To others, it's a riotous, boozy action-comedy with a kickass set of tunes, and prime viewing before hitting the pub (or several) with your mates. All of these things are true. But for me, it will always be a film about growing up. A film about finding closure, and purpose. A film about coming home and moving on at once. A film encouraging the Gary King in all of us to make peace with friends, the past, the future, and ourselves. It's the perfect filmic encapsulation of playing James Bond video games in my adolescent basement. And it's a film about pursuing your dreams, even - nay, especially - if your dreams are pointless, idiotic, and involve a sh*t-ton of drinking. Things get going at an almost ponderously slow and repetitive pace, forcing the viewer to be bludgeoned by Gary King, alongside his estranged high school buddies, into going on his quest with him. The tone is fun, but with a bit of an edge, Pegg bravely playing obnoxious at full tilt, keeping it unclear as to whether you can or should like him. But, upon arriving in the impossibly quaint Newton Haven (and here Wright coins the most on-the-nose term for cultural assimilation and the dearth of family-run local business: "Starbucking". Remember that theme; it'll come in handy later), things pick up, and then some. Here, King's raucous enthusiasm becomes almost worrisome, especially in contrast with his bemused buddies, all more content to act their ages. Thankfully, the sci-fi framework comes to the rescue right when King is on the cusp of having to be serious. The solution, like fellow extraterrestrial alcoholicomedy Grabbers? Keep drinking - to "blend in", of course. And, as the Doors kick in, that's where the fun really begins. Wright's characteristic swish-pans and dynamic sound effects, paired with some of the most intricately crunchy fight choreography seen in ages make The World's End thrilling in the most visceral sense. There's no purer cinematic joy than a long-take tracking shot of Pegg weaving in and out of a chaotic robot throwdown, stepping on bar stools and counter tops, sipping his pint and throwing the occasional like a tipsy Buster Keaton, and it's impossible not to share in Wright's glee. The robot designs are eerily simple, the pace and physical slapstick are howlingly perfect, while the grim, sepia lighting is perfectly atmospheric for the intensifying sci-fi peril and slurring melodrama unfolding. And the climactic, belligerent belch of a speech demanding agency on behalf of the human race? I dare you to find more galvanizing words. Gary King is a courageously different Simon Pegg than has been unleashed before, and his manic energy, boundless but strained charisma and desperate arrogance make for his most achingly human (but still hilarious) creation yet. Nick Frost also digs into unforeseen dramatic meat, pairing his juggernaut physical comedy with real pain and hard-won regret, all the funnier for being so truthful. There's also a gag involving him (literally) punching a clock which may be the funniest in Wright's oeuvre. Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman collectively ace the two sides of the middle-aged-hipster coin (post-meathead athletic emotional sensitivity and antiquated, bluetoothed tech-speak respectively), while Eddie Marsan finds both huge laughs and the most raw hangdog pathos in the sweetness of Peter Page. Sadly, in the film's only real fault, Edgar's boys club has no proper room for Rosamund Pike, and it's a real shame, as she's on typically superb form, and amiably hilarious to boot. As this instalment's former-007-turned- villain-with-uncomfortable-facial-hair, Pierce Brosnan tweaks his debonair charm and silky Irish accent to their most calmly sinister, while the inevitable Bill Nighy is deliciously bemused as a big lamp who just won't f*ck off back to Legoland. The World's End (or, as everyone should henceforth refer to it, 'Smashy-Smashy-Egg-Men'), is not only a stupendously satisfying Cornetto resolution. It's perfectly paced, technically flawless, thrilling, hugely fun, and bravely emotional romp. It's arguably the funniest and most real mediation on friends, homecomings, and befuddled male aging to date. It's a belligerently, obstinately, chaotically, damn good film. It's something truly special. So hop into the Beast, blare those Soup Dragons, and ride Wright's beautiful disaster all the way to the bitter end. Or lager end. Because, be honest: what could be a more heartfelt answer to Primal Scream's recurring query - "Just what is it that you want to do?" -10/10

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• Barely tolerable

  CSHaviland2013-08-31

  Normally I really enjoy movies written by Simon Pegg. I especially liked Shaun of the Dead and Paul. This movie really stumbled. Remember that scene in Shaun of the Dead in which they decide the best thing to do is head toward a pub and defend themselves from the zombie horde from there? This movie makes that idea its central theme, changing the zombies into some sort of alien robots, and multiplying the pubs. That's it. Paul had me laughing out loud every minute or two, and I never get tired of watching it. The World's End gave me just a couple of chuckles throughout the film. And I almost nodded off several times. The setup before the robots appeared was too long and tedious, and after the robots appeared I couldn't quite understand why our characters kept running from pub to pub. And worse, I didn't much care. It just wasn't silly enough, witty enough, or clever enough to hold my attention.

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• Wait, This Movie Had A Great Rating

  homdeb10582013-09-01

  I thought this movie was mediocre at best. I laughed out loud a few times--as did the rest of the audience, but other than that I found it boring and actually nodded off twice. One of the girls sitting in front of me stated, "well it wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't that good either", which I thought summed it up pretty well. The biggest shock was that it had a 7.9 IMDb rating which normally indicates a potentially "great" movie in any category--especially a comedy. (anything above a 7 tends to consistently be what I consider a GOOD movie).I give it a 5.5 or maybe 6. THere were several other movies in the same theater with lower IMDb ratings that, in retrospect, I wished I had spent my time and money on.

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• Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright has been one of the biggest success stories of British cinema of the past decade.

  nesfilmreviews2013-08-23

  The movie-making team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright has been one of the biggest success stories of British cinema of the past decade. With "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) and "Hot Fuzz" (2007), the trio demonstrated originality, ingenuity, and most significantly, capable of drawing a large, appreciative audience. Now they're back with the long-awaited third movie of what's become unofficially known as the "Cornetto trilogy." Like it's predecessors, director Edgar Wright loves paying homage to American cinema; "Shaun" pays its respects to George Romero, "Fuzz" nods its head to over the top action, buddy flicks, and "World's End" takes a page from our classic American sci-fi films. In "The World's End," 20 years after attempting an epic pub-crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell-bent on trying the drinking marathon once again. Once convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year- old man trapped in the mindset of his mid 20's, drags his reluctant friends back to their hometown, and once again attempt to reach the fabled pub - The World's End. "The World's End" plays on the notion that any time you return to your old stomping grounds, changes are inevitable. Upon returning to their small town roots—a place so boring it boasts about having the first roundabout in all of England—the crew notices that things are a little strange. As it turns out, the town residents are now blue- blooded alien robots. Pretty soon, the group of friends find they are not only fighting to recapture who they once were, but to preserve who they are. "The World's End" follows similar thematic and structural paths as the other films in the trilogy. While it is definitely intended as a satirical spoof on one level, it also works just as well as a fully functional sci-fi story. You have elements of body snatching, invasions, and more than a few overt nods to John Carpenter's classic "They Live" (1998), in the way the aliens integrate into their society and take over. It's satire in such a loving fashion that it comes across as infectiously charming. If there is anything to criticize here, maybe it's that the genre is a bit more skewered and less defined than in its predecessors. However, "The World's End" does cap an unofficial trilogy, and the grievance is overly critical given the nature of the movies. Long-time fans of the trilogy will appreciate the reversal of roles, casting Pegg as the selfish screw-up, and Frost as the one who has it together. This allows Pegg to fully unleash his gift for gab, and for Frost to show off his considerable skill for physical comedy. With great gags, better fights, and fan pleasing cameos, "The World's End" is exactly the sort of British-accented, genre-blending pleasure we've come to expect from its creative trio, and we can only anticipate to what the future holds.

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