Shaun leads a messy and chaotic life: he hates his stepfather, he forgets his mother's birthday, he is a regular at the Winchester (a Pub frequented by peculiar and shady individuals, such as porn stars and womanizing uxoricides), and he shares an apartment with Ed, a slacker attached to the PlayStation from night to morning.
One day Liz, his girlfriend, decides to ditch him, tired of the repetitive and uninspiring life Shaun has accustomed her to.
As the young man, caught up in his own personal problems, wanders the streets of London, television screens appear in various settings broadcasting disturbing news while, apparently, dark incidents dot his path. The presence of a girl in the backyard attracts the attention of Ed, who promptly drags Shaun before the young woman.
What initially appears to be a drunk turns out to be, in fact, a "returnee," brought to life by the effects caused by the re-entry, into the atmosphere, of a space probe.
Armed with mace, spade, cricket and vinyl long-play for Shaun begins a hallucinatory experience: the fight for survival, against an army of zombies.
Shaun, after deciding with Ed to rescue his loved ones (his mother and Liz) decides to make amends by locking himself up at the Winchester...
Written by Jems Gunn and directed by Edgar Wright, Night of the Living Dead (Shaun of the Dead) is an exceptional foray into black comedy territories by two talented young men (who would be called upon by Romero to make a brief cameo-as zombies-in the The Land of the Dead-Living): Simon Pegg (as co-writer of the script and performer as Shaun) and Edgard Wright.
The film, made by the two young lovers of Romero's cinema, is steeped in quotations and references: the Market where Shaun works is named Foree after the black performer in Dawn of the Dead; Goblin music peeps out in some sequences (hilarious) as the protagonist organizes a "rescue" plan together with Ed. Also, a diner at which Shaun wants to reserve a place for dinner is called Fulci's Restaurant.
But what is most striking is the successful blend of comedy and horror (not without splatter moments), seasoned by an outstanding soundtrack (memorable lynching of a "zombie" to the beat of Queen).
Shaun of the Dead, in addition to entertaining for a good 90 minutes, also attempts the path of "meaning" by instilling doubt about who the real zombies are. In one sequence, for example, Shaun, after getting up following a drunken night out, is framed with wobbly legs as undead.
Doubt, moreover, already amply offered in the beautiful tracking shot (over the opening credits) that introduces the characters before they become zombies, showing us how little their lives have changed: the sales clerks in a shopping mall working like automatons; some citizens waiting for public transportation and responding, mechanically, to the joint sound of a cell phone; the group of musicians instinctively moving forward to the rhythm of music...
The film, within a short time, received (abroad) enormous public acclaim until it reached the approval of Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, George Romero, and Stephen King.
Review by Undying1
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Distributed by CG Entertainment, Dawn of the demented dead (UK, France - 2004) is available on DVD and Blu-ray formats (Universal label) from March 7, 2019.
Dawn of the demented dead is the first chapter of the "Cornetto Trilogy," of which the following are also part. Hot Fuzz (2007) and The end of the world (2013).
Both editions offered by the Italian label are packed with extras.
Indeed, the special contents of the Blu-ray edition include: Missing Parts; Raw Meat; TV Parts; Zombie Gallery; Trailer; Storyboard Gallery; Commentary on the film by Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield and Lucky Davis.
BLU-RAY EDITION:
VIDEO: HD 1080 24p 16/9 2.35:1
LENGTH: 99′
AUDIO: Italian DTS 5.1, English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
N. DISKS: 1
SUBTITLES: French, Spanish, Dutch, English for the Deaf, German
