The World’s End
The World’s End (2013)
Image From IMDB
The final instalment of Edgar Wright’s masterful Cornetto Trilogy may not have all the humour of the previous two, but it does have a bunch of fuck up’s drunkening representing the human race while battling Smashy Smashy Egg Men and honestly, what more could you want?
World’s End follows Gary King (Pegg) and his mates as they once again try the Golden Mile––12 pubs, 12 pints––but now they’re forty instead of teens and a lot has changed… well Gary King hasn’t, but everything else has.
Once again Edgar tells a story of friendship in extreme circumstances and I for one will never grow tired of him doing so. The first forty five minutes before the sci-fi kicks in is some of his best work, and the action afterwards is a riot. It has all the tight dialogue and slick editing you’d expect from an Edgar Wright flick along with fence jumping, bizarre characters, one shot fight scenes, and the use of the word cunt. It’s fantastic.
The cast are all brilliant, which maybe isn’t something appreciated on first viewing if you’re expecting the same dynamic between Pegg and Frost that you got in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The performances here are a little more adult with Frost departing from his pervious man baby role and Pegg showing more vulnerability. You still get a little of the silliness the duo are known for, but I think it’s good that they mixed it up a little and gave both of them something different to do.
The sci-fi concept in World’s End is straight out of Body Snatchers with the town slowly being replaced by Blanks as the originals are disposed of in an hilarious organic joke. These Blanks are perfect replica’s of the original, even with the ability to be made younger and less jaded. All the perfection and none of the flaws, which is too say, not remotely human.
It’s a movie that’s relatable in so many different ways. Nostalgia for more innocent times and the rose tinted view of younger years. Just wanting to have a pint and a laugh with your mates. A time before the internet and phones made us all even more socially awkward. The debate about how much of being a fuck up is what makes us human is a personal favourite. That idea that we’re meant to make mistakes and learn and grow has been lost in recent years and this film explores it thoroughly, especially during the Network finale.
It’s a movie where you enjoy the ride. Gary’s a dick, but you want him to do slightly better and be alright. You want to know what the hell is going on in New Haven. You definitely want to see Nick Frost kick all kinds of ass as he channels Sammo Hung Magnificent Butcher. It’s a movie about friendship and growth, and our varying views of both.
World’s End has plenty of heart and soul. Great action and witty dialogue. Characters you want to see succeed, and a story that keeps you gripped. It may not be the funniest in the trilogy, but the writing is incredibly tight throughout and it’s probably the most relatable. Edgar only makes great movies, and this is definitely another one of them.
