Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead is a perfect example of British culture. I will say going from Train to Busan to this was a very large juxtaposition however each are great in their own respective ways. While there is less action in Shaun of the dead it continues to maintain the typical emotions we see in zombie apocalypse films. That in itself is a great task considering most of the film is a parody of classic zombie movies and yet they still find ways to cut deep in serious scenes. For that reason I can't help but say the film is a prime example of what a modern British apocalypse would look like. But more than that it gives an insight into how society already resembles that of a zombie plague.

First of all I should stress I have not watched Dawn of the Dead which is part of the parody this film comments on. For that reason if there are any specific reflections I clearly wouldn't have picked up on them however I think a large part of the movie draws on stereotypes that are widely acknowledged not just one specific film. I also enjoy how slow the build of the eventual outbreak is. When the movie starts we already know something is happening from the newspaper in the corner shop, this is then progressed upon throughout when people are getting sick and calling out of work. I'm glad it wasn't a sudden action and took place over a couple days because that built up the anticipation but it also goes to show how realistic we probably would react to an outbreak in the 21st century. I am sure there would be a large selection of people who after getting confirmation would immediately go into war mode and become the natural characters we see in zombie movies who take no chances and are in it to survive. However I also know there are equally a number of people who would react considerably tame especially those in the UK.

I mean coming up with this elaborate plan to collect your loved ones and gather at a pub so you can spend the rest of the apocalypse getting drunk is the pinnacle of the British experience. And to be fair I couldn't blame them. But what's more than that, the politeness the characters show even in the face of imminent danger is both entertaining and easily recognisable. We are, after all, a nation who loves to queue and apologise so it makes sense we would bring our step dad in the car with us even though we hate him and he is infected. But even after holding a grudge against this character for years the film still finds a way to have an emotional death scene where they acknowledge how great the relationship could have been if Shaun had just let him in a little more. It links back to the same dynamic I mentioned yesterday where a parent and child with a difficult dynamic always ends in one of them dying and in this case it was Shaun's step dad.

Similarly there was another emotional scene when Shaun's mom died not just from Shaun's point of view but also from Ed and Liz. Ed as this character who although not biologically related he has become a sort of brother to Shaun and as a result views his mom as a second motherly figure towards him. And Liz also sees it as emotional because of the meeting they never had, as Shaun's girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend) she never got an appropriate introduction to meeting his mom and the time she does it's in the middle of a zombie attack and she dies hours later. It speaks volumes of how intense these situations can be even when a film is revolving most of it around humour. I also loved briefly seeing the foil of the core group. Having Yvonne meet Shaun part way in the film and catching up shows that those characters are very similar in their own way. For that same reason having her group later bump into them when escaping the zombies shows how similar they are and how they formed their own community of help. The difference being the ways they approach life. While Shaun clearly cares about his family as shown by saving them all he doesn't have much ambition because once together they simply go back to old routine at the Winchester Pub. Whereas Yvonne takes her newly found group and returns at the end of the film with the military. It goes to show how with the same amount of time each group achieved drastically different lives, even going to show that if Shaun aimed higher he too could have accomplished greatness yet his low drive to just survive means he does not accomplish everything he could have. A motive that Liz herself has issues with.

I also think it is interesting how it can be pulled on that humans were always zombies and that's the reason it was less of a change when the outbreak happened. First of all the routine of everyone makes them into mindless creatures as shown by the continuous dolly camera shot of Shaun going about his daily life. At the start of the film we see his normal routine of crossing the street and giving change to the homeless before tripping up the side walk and entering the corner shop where he buys a can of pop before leaving. The exact same scenario happens after the zombie apocalypse to the point that they could be overlapped and still align perfectly. The only difference being that in the second there are zombies slowly roaming the streets as well as bloody handprints on the drinks fridge and yet Shaun takes no notice of any of it because he is in this loop of routine. A zombie even approaches him with his hand out stretched and he simply shrugs it off thinking it is the same person as before asking for more money. It shows how humans themselves have become creatures of habit. And it isn't just Shaun but other background characters such as the cashier's at supermarkets or passengers on the bus. All maintain the same glazed over, dazed expression because we are stuck in the same constant routine with no stimulus and very little happiness turning us into mere shells of a human which is exactly what a zombie is.

In a way I enjoyed the deeper zombie metaphor more than I did the actual zombie films. Though I must admit the humour is such a defining trait that of course it is enjoyable. Especially the ending where they are flicking through TV stations because of course six months after there are going to be Jeremy Kyle style shows about dating a zombie or gameshows where they place zombie contestants for entertainment. It even further comments on the capitalist society we live in when it forces these slow, mindless, half dead creatures to continue working. Even in death we are not free. It is however a very specific style of film and although it is enjoyable it isn't something I can see myself watching all the time. But for the full experience outside of my review the best outcome would be watching it for yourself!