Director: Edgar Wright; Main Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan;
The Big Chill meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers seasoned with British humour. It sounds good on paper, I know, especially considering that it’s written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (and directed by the latter), who already gave us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Unfortunately, this film was not at the same level: the true funny moments are too few and far apart. Gary (Pegg), a recovering addict, wants to recapture the magic of the glory days when he was young and free, only seventeen. In order to do that he needs to give another try to the epic pub crawl (12 pints in 12 pubs!) that he and his old gang never finished. Unlike Gary, Andy (Frost), Oliver (Freeman), Steven (Considine) and Peter (Marsan) have managed to grow up and not just grow taller. They all have jobs and quite fulfilled lives but Gary convinces, coerces and outright lies to his friends to get them back to their hometown (in a very Jack-and-Elwood way). So the boys are back in town, not really enthusiastic about it but going through the motion to appease the unstoppable Gary. The first surprise is a mundane although pleasant one: Oliver’s sister, Sam (Pike), is also there, just a token love interest or a way to prove even more that Gary is a jerk? Not clear. Anyway, after this, our heroes begin to notice something strange is going on in their beloved town… the people around them are not exactly people! Gary, Andy and the rest realise that their evening out is much more they bargained for. They have to fight for their life and reach the last pub: The World’s End (foreshadowing ?). Unfortunately this mad race is not as fun to watch as it probably was to shoot for the actors. I did like Billy Nighy’s cameo though! Disappointing . — 5.5/10
Ramblings of a cinephile 