by Brian LeTendre
The World’s End is a perfect finale to the Cornetto trilogy , a movie that stands on its own while also paying tribute to the great sci-fi films us late thirty-somethings grew up loving.
The World’s End is really the story of Gary King (Simon Pegg), a guy who peaked in high school and has struggled to get his life together since. He gets it in his head that if he can reassemble his running crew from high school and complete a pub crawl left incomplete 20 years ago, he can recapture the magic of that night, things will change for him. Convincing his old (and now somewhat estranged) friends to participate isn’t easy, but Gary manages to cajole them all into heading back to their old hometown of Newton Haven and taking another shot at the crawl (dubbed the Golden Mile).
Of course, it doesn’t take the group long to figure out that something about Newton Haven is different. Like “people being replaced by robots” different. Gary convinces the group that the only way to save themselves is by continuing to complete the Golden Mile, so as not to arouse suspicion. Hijinks ensue.
From Invasion of the Body Snatchers to They Live, there are tons of nods and homages to sci-fi classics throughout The World’s End. But more than anything, I felt like the movie was a giant love letter to Doctor Who. Much like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, this movie contains moments of absolute hilarity, gut-wrenching tragedy and a whole lot of heart. The ending is by far my favorite of all three films, and a fitting end for the trilogy.
Once again, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have crafted a loving tribute to all of their influences while making a film that is more than worthy to stand among them. Go and see this movie.
5 out of 5 Return of the Kings
The World’s End is a perfect finale to the Cornetto trilogy , a movie that stands on its own while also paying tribute to the great sci-fi films us late thirty-somethings grew up loving.
The World’s End is really the story of Gary King (Simon Pegg), a guy who peaked in high school and has struggled to get his life together since. He gets it in his head that if he can reassemble his running crew from high school and complete a pub crawl left incomplete 20 years ago, he can recapture the magic of that night, things will change for him. Convincing his old (and now somewhat estranged) friends to participate isn’t easy, but Gary manages to cajole them all into heading back to their old hometown of Newton Haven and taking another shot at the crawl (dubbed the Golden Mile).
Of course, it doesn’t take the group long to figure out that something about Newton Haven is different. Like “people being replaced by robots” different. Gary convinces the group that the only way to save themselves is by continuing to complete the Golden Mile, so as not to arouse suspicion. Hijinks ensue.
From Invasion of the Body Snatchers to They Live, there are tons of nods and homages to sci-fi classics throughout The World’s End. But more than anything, I felt like the movie was a giant love letter to Doctor Who. Much like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, this movie contains moments of absolute hilarity, gut-wrenching tragedy and a whole lot of heart. The ending is by far my favorite of all three films, and a fitting end for the trilogy.
Once again, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have crafted a loving tribute to all of their influences while making a film that is more than worthy to stand among them. Go and see this movie.
5 out of 5 Return of the Kings
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