Making a film based around getting old friends back together to get well and truly blathered is always going to appeal to me. Every year, around Christmas time (usually Christmas Eve Eve), myself and a bunch of friends I went to college with descend on the town in which we met, don our fineries, and set off the same pub route we do every year (minus one pub this year which had to close down) with a quick stop at KFC on the way. It’s always nice to get back together seeing as I don’t get to see a few of them but once a year now that we’re all spread out across the UK. The Golden Mile, which takes centre stage in The World’s End, is a slightly more out-of-control pub crawl compared to ours, mainly due to the addition of robots that aren’t robots.
The World’s End sees the final chomp on the Cornetto
Trilogy, the first two parts being the equally excellent Shaun of the Dead and
Hot Fuzz, becoming that little bit of solid chocolate that forms at the bottom
of the cone when you finish it off. With The World’s End, director Edgar Wright
alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have managed to gather together all their
experiences from their previous works to create what might just be their most
accomplished film to date. It might not be as funny as Shaun of the Dead or as
action packed as Hot Fuzz, although it is packed through with both a load of
laughs and action, but it feels like a natural end to the trilogy, a trilogy
which could probably stand amongst the best trilogies in cinema, and a great
display of their collective talents. It’s also a lot darker and emotionally
rich than the previous two films which were more like genre-love letters, Shaun
to horror and Hot Fuzz to action. Here, any references used were more in aiding
of the sense of nostalgia the film presents, be that the mention of Aliens or
the 90s indie rock/Britpop fuelled soundtrack, rather than out-and-out lend
homage to something. Of course, it still has the feel of a Cornetto film but,
taking the different path, allows it to bypass it becoming a ‘greatest hit’
parade and avoid seeming flat like a pint that’s been sat too long. Having said
all that, it is basically a film about aliens taking over the earth, but it
isn’t so much about that as it is the tale of school friends who have grown
vastly apart and the tale of addiction, both drawing out extremely emotional
scenes from its entire principal cast.
In particular, spotlight must be shone on Simon Pegg who
tackles a character that would, in any other shoes, be completely and utterly
unlikeable. Pegg, in what is probably his best performance to date, turns Gary
King into an obnoxious but equally fragile character so defined by his past and
that “one great night” that he’s become trapped by nostalgia while the rest of
his friends have grown up, succumbing to drink and drugs to numb the pain. The rest of the supporting cast, containing
many of Britain’s most overlooked yet brilliant actors including Paddy
Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Nick Frost, and Rosamund Pike, are all
as equally brilliant as those dragged along on King’s trip to try to finish the
Golden Mile. Even with all the craziness and Cornetto Trilogy/Spaced alumni
popping up amongst the little in-jokes for fans, it’s these characters that
keeps the story grounded which sounds ridiculous on paper but in practise works
beautifully.
As well as being emotionally rich, it’s incredibly action
packed. It’s here where Edgar Wright’s work on Scott Pilgrim vs The World
really shines. While the action in Shaun and Hot Fuzz wasn’t exactly bad, I
mean, Hot Fuzz was inspired by the likes of Point Blank and Bad Boys, it’s the
kinetic energy and exciting whip-pans that makes The World’s End stand out; a
by-product of the type of frenzied action seen in Scott Pilgrim. The Beehive
fight scene, which features Pegg fighting one handed while trying to keep hold
of his pint, or the toilet brawl the kicks the whole thing up a gear are
incredibly memorable and probably up there as the best fight scenes of 2013.
It’s exciting and furious while also being very funny; not an easy feat.
It even manages to take a stab at the gentrification of pub
culture; as Paddy Considine’s Steven called it, “Starbucking”. It’s clear that
this is the product of people who love every aspect of both pub culture and sci-fi,
not exactly two things that would appear to go together but do, extraordinarily
well. It’s a fitting end to one of the most passionately produced trilogies in
film. Time, gentlemen, please. Down your pints and stumble on home.
