THE WORLD’S END
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Writers: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan
MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive language including sexual references)
Selig Rating: FULL PRICE
Runtime: 109 Min.
Most people had that friend who ruled the roost in school and never did a worthwhile thing with their life following graduation. Gary King (Simon Pegg) was one of those kids. He and his four pals were the cool kids in school. On their last night before splitting up to go on following graduation they tried to do the Golden Mile, a pub crawl where the group must drink a pint at each of the 12 pubs on the tour. Needless to say, the kids fall out one by one, until only Gary remained. Then he, too, failed to last to reach the crown jewel, The World’s End..
Jump forward 22 years or so, and here is a sad, alcoholic, out of work Gary King. Looking 40 in the eye drives him to look up his old mates, Getting them to go along with the scheme, running the Golden Mile one more time, takes all his low down whiles.
Jumping into the pile of junk car of his, the gang starts out for their old home town, Newton Haven. To the sounds of a mix (cassette) tape from the old days, the boys, now grown men, head toward their destiny (OK, Gary’s destiny).
Up this point, the story is just one of a man trying to redeem himself, to go back and reach a goal that should have been the best night of his life. But wait, this is the team that brought you Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz! Something is right there in front of them, something so sinister that it shakes their world view to the core. What is it? I won’t tell you. But I will tell you that this is one pub crawl whose endpoint at The World’s End nearly results in the end of the world!
This is a fun movie, possibly the cherry to top the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy’s wonderfully eccentric trio of tales starring those nuts we love so much, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by the dynamic duo of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. (My apologies to the caped crusader and his boy sidekick but these guys are, in their own way, as deserving of this title as you are). You have sex (well stories of sex), you have car chases, you have beer, and you have Pierce Brosnan. What more could you ask for?
As a side note: I was fortunate enough to see this film in a special screening with Edgar, Simon, and Nick in attendance. Following the film we all trooped outside to the parking lot at the theater and joined over 3500 close friends and watched the first two installments, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz under the stars. If you haven’t seen these films in a while, go watch them again with The World’s End fresh in your head. It was a lot of fun. But watch out, you may find yourself wanting to do a pub crawl of your own.
Movie Site: http://www.focusfeatures.com/the_worlds_end/
The Selig Rating Scale:
FULL PRICE – Excellent movie, well worth the price
MATINEE – Good movie
DOLLAR – OK movie
CABLE – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
FREEBIE – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn't paid for it.
COMMERCIAL TV – Commercials and cutting to the allotted time will not hurt this one.
FORGET IT! – Bad. If you see this one, do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself.
GET YOUR TORCHES – BAD! – Burn the script, the writer, the director and maybe even the actors!
