The film centers around the reunion of 5 high school friends who 20 years earlier, attempted a pub crawl of epic proportions: 5 guys, 12 pubs, and 1 pint of beer from each watering hole for each of them. Their small town of Newton Haven proudly calls this strip of drinkery the "Golden Mile." However, the 5 of them didn't make it to the end, failing to complete the final goal, each of them blundering in some form or another. The quintet is lead by Gary King (Pegg),a middle aged man stuck in the long past prime of his high school days. His friend Andy (played by a surprisingly dramatic Nick Frost), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Peter (Eddie Marsan) all return to finish what they had started years earlier. However, upon returning to Newton Haven, they notice that things aren't quite like they used to be. Not only have locations changed and some of the pubs have been made to look like one another (Starbucking as Steven calls it in the film), but the people are acting very strangely. Before the end of the night, the group discovers that the dark secret Newton Haven is hiding beneath its seemingly normal exterior. As the grop gets more and more drunk, they realize their odds of leaving Newton Haven alive dwindle.
From left: Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine), Gary (Simon Pegg), Andy (Nick Frost), and Peter (Eddie Marsan) return to their hometown of Newton Haven to finish a pub crawl they never completed in high school.
As with "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", the script from the mind of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg is tight, well put together, and brilliantly written. Never once in the film do are characters have a glimmer of interpretation. What I mean by that is that in this film Simon Pegg was born to play Gary King. Nick Frost was born to play Andy Knightley. The same can be said for the rest of the cast. Every role is perfectly filled. A factor in that is more than likely that Pegg and Wright tailored their scripts to individual actors when revisions began before production, after all, all of the principal actors except for Eddie Marsan have been in at least one of the other "Cornetto" films (The Andies, anyone?).
However, a really stunning turn, and this is coming from being a huge fan of the first two films, is that Nick Frost's character loathes Pegg's. Definitely one of the more surprising and risky aspects of the entire film. Where in "Shaun" Pegg as the titular charcter was a grown man who just needed to get over being stuck in his mediocre job and life, "World's End" finds Pegg having to give us a character who refuses to grow up, leading to quite possibly, the best confrontation between two characters (Andy & Gary) in any movie released this summer.
Rosamund Pike as Sam, sister to Oliver, played by Martin Freeman in "The World's End"
I can't sing enough Praise for Wright. Under his direction, the film's action sequences really shine in both an original and geeky way. His film oozes homages to "Invasion of the Body Snatcher", "Westworld", "The Omen", and "Road Warrior" among many. At times though, it feels like Wright is more comfortable paying homage to other filmmakers than stepping into his own realm, much like John Carpenter. So in a way, Wright is the modern John Carpenter? I'm blowing my own mind here.
Newton Haven certainly does posses the small town feeling that makes films like "Tremors", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" so creepy. Behind the façade of normalcy, lie everybody's deep dark secrets. Though this theme is nothing new, the film explores the topic from a technological standpoint. Machines are now everywhere, but can people be as cold and calculating as a computer? Another fantastic overtone to the films is putting the past behind you. Personally, I know people like Gary King who are stuck in their high school days. Simon Pegg is brilliant in the role, having nothing but fun and selling the character. Also, I had a friend who always wore Doc Martins in high school and in this film, Gary wears DM's. A very cool and authentic touch. A lot of great comedy is shared between Simon Pegg and Oliver's sister Sam (played by Rosamund Pike).
Simon Pegg delivers the performance of his career as Gary King
Of the three films however, this one is definitely the most serious. In "Shaun" and "Hot Fuzz", the audience gets to see the transformation of Pegg's character from the beginning to the end of the film. In "World's End", we're dealing with a man who refuses to grow up, especially as society is quickly changing around him. In brilliant Wright fashion, there is plenty of foreshadowing of future events through things we see the characters do and speak about. Hell even the title itself points to the direction the movie is going in, but which one!? There are multiple routes to take, however, they all lead to the same conclusion. Brilliant.
Another interesting aspect to keep your eyes peeled for are the frequent references to Arthurian Legend. Our main character is named Gary King. His friend's name? Andy Knightly. Beer of choice? Golden Crown. Here's another possibility that dawned on me after seeing the film a second time: the movie could be a metaphor for the current state of Hollywood filmmaking. Reboots and even Starbucking (nothing being original, but looking like new versions of something old), mentioned in the film to describe the first pubs our characters enter. I'll let the viewers decide on that one. But the last thing to look out for, pay particularly close attention to the use of the color blue in the film.
"The World's End" is the final film in the "Cornetto Trilogy", following genius zombie rom-com "Shaun of the Dead" and the masterfully made "Hot Fuzz." "End" is the most daring, ambitious, boldest, and most profound film Wright has made to date. For the fans of the trilogy, there are plenty of running gags kept throughout all three films that return here. The film has nothing but heart and sets out to make us laugh and even ponder how much technology has a grasp on our daily lives. It is a perfect book end to the trio of movies and one of the best films of the year. If you missed it in theatres, I can't recommend it enough. Pick up a copy on Blu-Ray, pour yourself a pint, and enjoy the ride.
9.5/10
- Rated R
- Directed by Edgar Wright
- Written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
- Runtime - 109 minutes
- The World's End on Blu-Ray; Cornetto Trilogy Collection on Blu-Ray
- 7.3 of 10 stars on IMDb
- 89% on Rotten Tomatoes
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