8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend and reconciling his relationship with his mother. Oh, and fighting off the entire town that has returned from the dead to eat the living.
Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan MoranDark humor | 100% |
Horror | 51% |
Supernatural | 40% |
Comedy | 27% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.28:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
D-Box
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Next time I see him, he's dead.
Ah, the foreshadowing, the irony, the gut-busting humor. That quote above perfectly
encapsulates
Shaun of the
Dead, a brilliant Parody/Horror/Comedy picture from the creative talent behind the follow-up
Hot Fuzz, itself a
superior Parody film with many of the same attributes that makes Shaun such a
rip-roaring
success. Indeed, Shaun of the Dead paints a masterpiece of cinema in which every
frame
has something substantive to offer, at least within the realms of the several genres it populates.
Laughs, scares, violence, and gore are found throughout, of course, but what makes it so good is
that, despite its winks, nods, and outright lampooning of the Zombie genre, it works fantastically
as a standalone film even for those audiences that aren't intimately familiar with the world of
Zombie pictures, and George Romero's collection in particular. Even then, it's still quite funny in
a grotesque sort of way, and that's what makes Shaun (and Hot Fuzz, for that
matter) so charming; it takes a frightening subject and Horror movie staple and turns it on its
head with an assault of humor that lightens the mood considerably but doesn't once take away
from the intensity of the plot; the appeal of the characters; the urgency and hopelessness of
the predicament in which they find
themselves; or most importantly, its take on society as it slowly rots away, creeping towards
becoming a collection of undead automatons.
Nope, nothing amiss here.
Shaun of the Dead comes alive on Blu-ray with a nice looking 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. Although it's not quite as superb as Hot Fuzz, it's still a standout transfer in most regards and should satisfy the film's fan base. The opening minutes in the pub look a bit overly sharp and processed, a trait that carries over the film's third act as well. It doesn't look bad, but it's not quite as natural and film-like as the daytime scenes that make up the bulk of the first and second acts. Those exterior shots take on a tremendous sense of depth and are intricately detailed across the board, with the usual suspects -- clothing, faces, vegetation, and brick-and-mortar -- all looking fabulous. Colors, too, are natural and eye-catching. Grain isn't to be found in abundance; many may not even notice it on smaller displays and at normal viewing distances. It does spike a few times inside the pub in the third act, particularly over the dark backgrounds which themselves sometimes appear overly bright and unnatural. Flesh tones don't appear as overly problematic, though they stray towards a slight golden/reddish tint here and there. All said, however, Shaun of the Dead makes for a solid, above-average Blu-ray transfer.
Shaun of the Dead moans on Blu-ray via a strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track features a robust surround presentation that hurls music and sound effects into the listening area with authority, accompanied in their presentation by a hefty amount of bass that several times throughout rattles the floorboards. The track also features a good deal of ambience in outdoor scenes; dogs bark in the distance or a car alarm wails up the street. Directional effects also impress, for instance the sound of a car passing through the soundstage delivers a seamless sense of movement from one area to another. A musical scene in chapter 10 might be the most impressive of the entire mix as it blares out notes at an aggressive volume but also retains a clarity that adds a fine sense of realism to the moment. Of course, the film's action sequences are also first-rate. There's not nearly as much gun play in Shaun of the Dead as there is in Hot Fuzz, but the sounds of violence that populate the film's final act -- including the moaning and stumbling along of a horde of undead -- completes the scene and brings it to chilling life. Also delivering suitably clear dialogue reproduction, Shaun of the Dead generally sounds fantastic on Blu-ray.
Shaun of the Dead infects Blu-ray with a heaping helping of bonus materials, headlined
by a quartet of commentary tracks. The first, featuring Actor/Writer Simon Pegg and
Writer/Director Edgar Wright, is the most balanced of them all. Though it takes on an incredibly
humorous tone with some true laugh-out-loud moments and even some obviously
tongue-in-cheek observations, the duo deliver a track that also includes plenty of insight into the
film.
Funny and informative, it's often as comical as the movie and is a required listen as one of the
best tracks out there. Track two features Pegg along with fellow actors Nick Frost, Dylan Moran,
Kate Ashfield, and Lucy Davis. As a group commentary, it takes on a non-too-serous tone but it's
not quite as gut-busting as the first. The insights don't delve into too much information that's
actually crucial to understanding the background of the picture and the behind-the-scenes
goings-on, but it's nevertheless a skim-worthy effort that fans might want to sample. Actors Bill
Nighy and Penelope Wilton -- who play Shaun's parents in the film -- man the third track. It's
the driest and least entertaining of the four with plenty of dead air but a few good observations
that also makes it worthy of a skimming listen. Finally, track four features the film's zombies, a
collection of background characters that play zombies throughout the film. Like the other group
effort, this one takes on a none-too-serious tone that offers some witty observations, many of
which lead to tangents that don't necessarily address the film's more crucial elements but make
for interesting discussions nevertheless.
Shaun of the Dead is also U-Control enabled. Storyboards superimposes a
collection scene-specific storyboards over the image; these boards are also available as a separate
supplement (see below). Zomb-o-Meter is a pop-up trivia track. Moving past the
U-Control features, viewers will find Missing Bits, a collection of extras that begins with
Extended Bits (480p,
13:28), a collection of 15 scenes with extended footage and optional filmmaker commentary.
The Man Who Would Be Shaun (480p, 0:35) is a brief and humorous back-and-forth on
the set between Pegg and Frost. Funky Pete (480p, 2:04) is an alternate take form the
film with a prodigious use of the word "funk." Plot Holes (480p, 3:27) fills in the gaps
behind some of the film's scenes with narration and a collection of hand-drawn images. Rounding
out Missing Bits is a collection of outtakes (480p, 10:47). Moving along, Raw
Meet is a collection of eight short extras, all presented in 480p standard definition: Simon
Pegg's Video Diary (6:44), Lucy Davis' Video Diary (5:05), Joe Cornish's Video
Diary (10:16), Casting Tapes (4:12), Edgar & Simon's Flip Chart (13:36),
SFX Comparison (2:25), Make-up Tests (2:20), and EPK Featurette
(7:10).
TV Tidbits (480p) is a great little piece that shows, in full, some of the background
television footage as seen in the film. Segments include T4 With Coldplay (4:21),
Fun Dead (1:05), Trisha -- Your Nine Lives Are Up (1:26), Trisha -- I Married
a Monster (1:31), and Remembering Z Day (2:32). Zombie Gallery is a
collection of three graphical collections: Photo Gallery, 2000 AD Strip, and
Poster Designs. Storyboard Gallery prompts viewers to press the "enter"
button on remote controls when a particular icon appears on-screen to access the feature; doing
so stops the movie and displays a collection of storyboards as they pertain to the current scene in
the film. Also included is a collection of 480p trailers: US Trailer (2:29), UK Teaser Trailer (1:39),
UK Trailer (1:50), a pair of UK TV spots (0:22 & 0:23), and the Fright Fest Trailer (1:30).
This Blu-ray release of
Shaun of the Dead is also BD-Live enabled, accessible under the
"What's
New"
tab on the main menu screen, and D-Box equipped.
Shaun of the Dead, like Pegg's follow-up film Hot Fuzz, nails its material but at the same time creates a superb standalone picture that works even for those that might not get the nuanced or, in some cases, even the overreaching parody that populates the film. Seeing as it gets most of its material from Romero's Dawn of the Dead, it incorporates a similar overreaching theme of humanity-as-zombie-lite, a collection of slowly deteriorating slaves to some aspect of life that seems to drain them not necessarily of their base intelligence or motor functions but, much worse, their souls. With plenty of laughs and gore along the way, Shaun of the Dead makes for a new classic motion picture that's sure to continue entertaining audience for decades to come. Universal's Blu-ray release is stellar. Though it's not quite up to the same level of absolute excellence as Hot Fuzz, it comes close. Shaun features a high quality 1080p transfer, an even better lossless soundtrack, and a thorough collection of extras. Of course, it comes highly recommended.
Limited Edition
2004
Limited Edition | Iconic Art
2004
Mondo X Series #7
2004
Limited Edition
2004
2004
20th Anniversary
2004
20th Anniversary
2004
2007
2014
Braindead | Unrated US Cut
1992
The Immaculate Edition
1979
2013
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn
1987
1996
2015
2006
Restored Edition
1981
2016-2019
1981
2010
2000
2019
2012
1985
Unrated Special Edition
2009
2010
2022