The World’s End (2013) – Review

Review: The World’s End is a very entertaining and funny action-comedy. The film is about five friends, led by Gary King, who return to their hometown of Newton Haven to try and complete an epic pub crawl that eluded them twenty years earlier. However, as they make their way from bar to bar, they start to notice that there is something off about the town’s people.

The film completes writer-director Edgar Wright and co-writer Simon Pegg’s Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy. Like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World’s End succeeds chiefly as a comedy. Wright and his cast have good command of both physical and verbal jokes. To some extent, the film’s physical comedy and stylistic aspects play a bit like a cartoon – but given the heightened sense of fun that the film’s prologue and tone create, this cartoony feel works very well. And, it also opens the narrative up to go in ridiculous directions (which it does).

The action in the film works as well. It is entertaining and holds the attention of the audience, but it is also subservient to the comedy. Everything about the staging and follow through suggests that the fight scenes are being played for comedic effect. Yet, what is interesting (and consistent with Wright’s other films in the trilogy) is that the stakes in this film are much graver than typical action comedies. The character’s lives are actually at risk here. But, at the same time, what could be used for great dramatic tension and emotionally compelling scenes falls a bit flat because the film has already fully committed to being silly. Thus, to some degree, dramatically, the film works against itself a bit. The tone remains that of an exaggerated comedy and never fully shifts into that of a more gripping action thriller type film (that is still funny – an example is the Wright produced horror comedy Attack the Block; it is a horror thriller with palpable stakes that is also really funny).

The strongest aspect of the film is probably its characters (particularly Gary King and Andy Knightley) and their comedic portrayals. As funny and entertaining as the film is what makes it great is its characters. They pull the audience into the story. Regardless of where the story takes the audience, the characters still ground the narrative because the audience wants to see them finish the pub crawl and survive. It is somewhat surprising that Wright could get an audience to care about a group of men finishing a pub crawl on more than a superficial level, but that is the brilliance of his script, the characters, and performances. Gary is an antihero, and not really likable, but his charisma is infective and his drive to find something of meaning in his life is something the audience can really grab onto and get behind.

While the film is structured very well and the pacing moves briskly, the third act of the film sort of putters out, holding the film back. The first two acts build all this great anticipation and tension leading up to what seems like an epic conclusion, but instead Wright undercuts all that with a reversal of expectations. It does work well in terms of comedy and does make sense on a character level, but dramatically is causes the film to stall and feel incomplete and maybe even unsatisfying on some level. It is a brave choice, from a storytelling perspective (and sort of reminds me of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), and maybe it works better upon multiple viewings, but that said the loss of all the dramatic tension and anticipation almost derails the film because the audience feels let down as nothing pays off emotionally. However, Wright does temper this somewhat by including a final action/chase sequence to end the film on an emotional high note (leading into the epilogue).

Much like Wright’s other films, small flaws hold The World’s End back a bit, but it is still a great comedy. One that is well worth seeing both for fans of Wright’s work and those who enjoy fun action comedies.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Edgar Wright has a wonderful cult following, as his films have an auteur-like pop style and are soaked through with cinematic, comic book, and popular culture references. It is a shame really that his films have never really found a mainstream audience. With The World’s End, I think Wright and Pegg have created maybe their most compelling lead character in Gary King. He is hysterically funny and incredibly charming (but more because he is on the verge of complete catastrophe and the audience cannot look away than in the classical sense of the word). In terms of The World’s End place in Wright’s filmography. Personally, it is my second favorite of his films behind Shaun of the Dead (and just ahead of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). I am looking forward to seeing what Wright does with Ant Man (there is a rumor that Pegg might play Hank Pym).

Composer Steven Price’s score and cinematographer Bill Pope’s strong photography give the film a great action vibe, while production designer Marcus Rowland’s design plays more towards the comedic aspects of the film, as there are a number of fun sight gags. Price’s score musically elevates the expectations and anticipation of the audience by feeling like a score that would normally accompany a big action film. Pope is one of the best action genre D.P.s working in cinema right now. His work seems to add an extra level of excitement to the action set pieces, which the film greatly benefits from. Rowland’s design work is subtle at first, and Newton Haven looks like a typical boring English small town, but he sneaks in jokes here and there that really work well. Plus, the design of each pub and its masthead is fantastic.

The entire cast gives great comedic performances. Pierce Brosnan and David Bradley each provide funny moments in their small supporting roles. Rosamund Pike plays Sam, the romantic interest of two of the friends and the sister of another. She has great chemistry with Simon Pegg and their scenes are fantastic (something to remember for Ant Man maybe… hopefully). She has good comedic timing and plays off the ridiculousness of the narrative well. Eddie Marsan plays Peter, the dope of the group. He has some great moments, which he takes full comedic advantage of. Martin Freeman plays Oliver, a lightweight when it comes to drinking and Sam’s brother. Freeman really does good work when his personality suddenly changes. Paddy Considine plays Steven, a man who seems to always be second fiddle to Gary. He is at his best when he overplays the dramatic ups and downs of the night. Nick Frost plays Andy, Gary’s former best friend and heavy drinker who has reformed. Frost very nearly steals the film (and for some probably does). He is brilliantly funny. And Pegg plays Gary, the rebel who has just become sad. Pegg revels in the character, playing him big and it works wonderfully.

Summary & score: The World’s End is a fitting end to the Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy, as it encompasses the same style and tone as the other films, managing to be very funny with engaging action scenes. 8/10

Movie of the Week – 24 Hour Party People

This week’s movie is 24 Hour Party People (2002).

The music biography centers on Tony Wilson in the mid-70s through the early 80s as he sets up Factory Records and plays a role in the discovery of bands like Joy Division (later New Order) and the Happy Mondays and promotion of the Manchester music scene. The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom (who made another very similar movie, stylistically, with star Steve Coogan: Tristram Shandy A Cock and Bull Story) and is written by Frank Cottrell Boyce (a frequent collaborator). While the film is a biography of the time and music, it is told in a somewhat unreliable way (the main character Tony Wilson is not a reliable narrator/storyteller as he changes and exaggerates facts and instances) and constantly breaks the fourth wall, which actually works quite well as it pulls the viewer in and makes them a part of the scene – this is also due to the shooting style Winterbottom employs with cinematographer Robby Muller. Mark Tildesley’s production design is also spot-on for the period and style. Steve Coogan gives what is probably his best film performance to date, and there is good supporting work from Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Andy Serkis, Danny Cunningham, and especially Sean Harris (who plays the role of Ian Curtis phenomenally). While the film is interesting (particularly for music fans) and funny, it is the narrative structure and soundtrack that set it apart from other biopics. When I first saw it (probably in late 2002 or sometime in 2003), I was not well versed in the Manchester music scene of the late 70s/early 80s (aside from New Order) and the film got me into a couple bands (chief among them Joy Division). I highly recommend it for music fans, and it makes a good companion piece to Control. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and to Rent

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980 (2010) – Review

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980 (from now on being referred to as Red Riding: 1980) is the second part of the Red Riding Trilogy (see part 1’s review). Red Riding: 1980 continues the corruption motif from part one, but overall is a drastically different film, stylistically, tonally and structurally, which is beneficial to it as it has its own identity. It is a much more a straightforward detective style mystery – the plot to uncover the mystery drives the story, and not so much the emotional journey of the characters. Corruption in the first is an abstract force that consumes and ultimately destroys Edward. Here, corruption is a much more literal concept. It is clear that the Yorkshire police department is corrupt (as we have seen the first part) and that something is not right with the case that Peter Hunt is being brought in to solve, not to mention that he has bad history with the police department and is convinced that they were hiding something. Unlike Edward, Peter is not an innocent in the world. He tries so hard to expose the truth, but he is having an affair and is distant from his wife emotionally – truths that he cannot come to terms with internally. If the first was about the corruption of the innocent, then this film is about corruption as a fact of life. Seemingly ever character his damaged in the film. There is no salvation apparent here (though, I get the sense that the third will be about salvation). As much as Peter wants to expose the truth, there seems to be a naivety to him, which is ultimately his downfall. Clearly, everything is grey in the world of the film, but Peter tries to see it as black and white. Director James Marsh does an excellent job visually exploring the slow realization that Peter has that he in fact is not the shining white knight in to save the day. The narrative is structured as a detective mystery – the detective (and team) find clues, uncover the mystery and solve the case by the end. And as such, the plot compels the story forward, not the characters. While the characters do have emotional journeys, they are complimentary and serve the plot (for the most part), and thus are not the focus. The downside of this is that none of the characters are fully fleshed out. Thus, the audience does not have a full emotional connection to them and are therefore not themselves emotionally engaged in the journey and outcome for the characters. Rather, they are engaged by the story – to see how it turns out. There is nothing wrong with this, but emotional connection has a deeper lasting effect on the viewer, and truly caring about the outcome of the characters leads to a more fulfilling experience than just wanting to see what happens next. And this is really the only issue, but an important one holding it back from being a great film. The mystery itself is engaging and interesting, but the lack of true connection with the main character, especially, leaves the film feeling satisfying from a story standpoint just not completely fulfilling. Red Riding: 1980 has everything a good mystery film should, but is just missing a deeper layer of emotional connection.

Technical achievements: James Marsh working with director of photography Igor Martinovic (again) made a very interestingly shot film. On the outside it appears fairly straightforward, but scenes like Peter Hunt’s visit to the mining town (It is such a striking scene and one of the most interesting on the year), Marsh’s use of visual narrative clues and his camera placement denoting power in scenes beget a compelling aesthetic composition. Tom Burton’s production design, along with the cinematography, is no nearly as bleak and gloomy as part 1, but it still casts a dark cloud over the film. The color yellow is used as an interesting contrast in Peter Hunt’s hotel room (I am not sure what it means, but it is quite noticeable). Dickson Hinchliffe’s score is very fitting to the detective mystery style of the film. The film being more plot than character driven left lead Paddy Considine with more of a going from point A to B to C to solve the mystery type of role, rather than one with a lot of emotional heavy lifting, but there were a few scenes in which he did have to portray the failures in his character’s life and he did so well. Maxine Peake’s character is a bit of a mystery, in that the viewer is never sure what she is fully up to or about; though certainly has some internal trauma. She, like Considine, is good in her role, as is the cast overall. However, it is Sean Harris that has the most interesting character and gives the scene stealing performance of the film. He is fabulous, hiding true evil behind a mask of blunt incapacity that almost plays as innocence (though we already know him from the first), cracking at times revealing glimpses of complete hate. Like the first part, Red Riding: 1980 is a very well made and aesthetically engaging film.

Red Riding: 1980 is a simple detective mystery on the surface, with a little Hitchcock MacGuffin thrown in for good measure, but underneath it is another fine study of human corruption continuing the series. 7/10

Available on Blu-ray and DVD on Amazon.com or watch it now streaming on Netflix.com