The World's End (2013)

The Maverick · 08-07-2013 12:36pm

snausages wrote: »

Looking forward to it but none of the trailers seem that funny, kind of worried. The premise doesn't sound as cool or inventive as the previous two either.

I thought that too but I don't remember the Hot Fuzz trailer being particularly funny either. I think it could be a case of these being better at creating trailers that don't show all the really funny moments in the trailer.

pixelburp · 08-07-2013 5:54pm

Like everything else, throttling ones expectations and ignoring the hype is the best approach here: the film's predecessors are so highly regarded it's kinda hard to see how World's End won't disappoint a little, but it's best to take it all on its own merits. Maybe if the marketing didn't emphasise the whole 'Cornetto Trilogy' thing, it might stand a better chance, otherwise it's just going to invite al lot comparison & come up short

Personally the only element that has had me genuinely concerned so far is the presence of Rosamund Pike; an actress without an ounce of charm or presence, so it's worrying she looks to be an integral part of the plot / comedy. Maybe she has hidden depths when it comes to comedic acting, but I'd be worried she might sink the gags.

krudler · 08-07-2013 6:28pm

The Maverick wrote: »

I thought that too but I don't remember the Hot Fuzz trailer being particularly funny either. I think it could be a case of these being better at creating trailers that don't show all the really funny moments in the trailer.

The only big laugh I remember from the Hot Fuzz trailer being given away was Frost ploughing through the fence, the rest was mostly quick edited action and the odd one liner from what I remember. I love Hot Fuzz I think its a much better film than SOTD, which takes an absolute age to get going and isn't all that funny.

heebusjeebus · 09-07-2013 8:36am

Nick Frost adds a hella lot of laughs to the HF trailer but that's cos he has a genuine comic character. It's not quite the same with The Worlds End. Simon Peggs character is coming across as annoying to me.
I'm looking forward to the film though. Have my ticket booked for the trilogy screening in Liffey Valley on the 18th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETnA1_4frk8

Birneybau · 09-07-2013 2:48pm

Anybody at the Lighthouse Monday night for the Q&A?

I heard that they were 40 mins late and only chatted for 25 mins. Any truth in this?

Maybe they should have held it in Dublin Airport as according to tweets from Edgar Wright they were delayed for nigh on 4 hours on the way back to London.

callaway92 · 11-07-2013 1:29am

Pretty big crowds for the premiere of this in London today. Was in Leicester Square the day of the Man Of Steel one too and crowds were similar enough come 5 or 6 pm for both.

Film looks like fun.

tetsujin1979 · 11-07-2013 4:13pm

Birneybau wrote: »

Anybody at the Lighthouse Monday night for the Q&A?

I heard that they were 40 mins late and only chatted for 25 mins. Any truth in this?

Maybe they should have held it in Dublin Airport as according to tweets from Edgar Wright they were delayed for nigh on 4 hours on the way back to London.

yeah, that's what happened. I got there about 6:15, and the Q&A was scheduled for 6:30, but was after 7 when it started.
Think it went on for about a half hour, and they had to leave to catch a plane back to London, but were stuck in Dublin Airport for hours!

The two Spaced episodes were the paintballing and nightclub episodes from series 1

pixelburp · 12-07-2013 9:21pm

The Guardian has a "First Look" review up and it sings wide praises for the film; in fact it claims that World's End is their (Wright, Pegg & Frosts) "...best work since Spaced...".

I've no idea if the review is a shill or not, but just when I figured I had my expectations dialled back to sensible proportions, I go and read a statement like that. Roll on Friday...

Soby · 13-07-2013 2:15am

http://www.myvue.com/latest-movies/info/cinema/dublin/film/the-worlds-end-hot-fuzz-shaun-of-the-dead-i

EDDIE WATERS · 19-07-2013 10:36am

Seen this last night with the cornetto Trilogy.It is really good

FlashD · 19-07-2013 12:48pm

Could do with a quality film this Summer after all the trash.

Can't wait, looks great!

dubstarr · 19-07-2013 1:19pm

Seen this last night it was brilliant.Really laugh out loud and some nice tie ins from previous films.Well worth seeing.

I have to say seeing the 3 of them last night made me realise what a genuinely good actor Simon Pegg is.

A Neurotic · 19-07-2013 2:32pm

Found it underwhelming, unfortunately. Just didn't make me laugh particularly much, and the plot was a bit off for me as week. The people with me enjoyed it loads though, and I'm a big fan of SOTD and Hot Fuzz, so maybe I'll enjoy it more on repeat viewing.
Really liked Pegg and Frost's performances though, nice to see Frost playing the straight man to Pegg.

Daemos · 19-07-2013 6:29pm

Just back from watching it this afternoon, I thought it was the weakest of the three, but considering how good the others are that's not surprising, and it's still a great movie

It's without a doubt a Pegg/Frost/Wright project, written with great love. Plenty of self-referential gags and call-backs to the previous movies, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were twice as many that I didn't see. For a while, though, I thought I'd missed the crucial Cornetto reference

Is it better than This Is The End? Hm... I thought TITE was more fun, so right now I'd rate that higher, but I'm sure this will overtake it in time simply due to its quality

I can't wait for the DVD release now, theirs are always crammed with extras

My one disappointment?

I was convinced someone would say "you've got a bit of blue on you"

, and it never came

SimonTemplar · 19-07-2013 10:51pm

dubstarr wrote: »

Seen this last night it was brilliant.Really laugh out loud and some nice tie ins from previous films.Well worth seeing.

I have to say seeing the 3 of them last night made me realise what a genuinely good actor Simon Pegg is.

I completely agree about Simon Pegg's acting abilities. There is a scene in Hot Fuzz before the final battle where he gives a rousing speech to Frost's character about the "blue fury" of the Met. I know Hot Fuzz is a comedy but that speech and Pegg's performance is worthy of any serious crime movie. He also has some really powerful emotional scenes in all three movies. He has the facial dexterity of Jim Carey, but he uses that talent to convey real emotion (both serious and humorous) and not just gimmicks. I love his comedy performances, but I'd also love to see him tackle a few serious roles in the future because he certainly has the ability for it.

johnny_ultimate · 20-07-2013 1:23am

Incredibly strange, uneven film. As a comedy, it's not especially funny - hard to expand on that, just thought the comic timing was wayyy off and the wit not particularly sharp. Heck, some of the jokes were funnier in the trailer. As an action sci-fi, it's equally all over the gaff - it has a particularly bad case of 'shaky cam fight scene' syndrome, and the ending is very poor indeed (

that expository scene with the network is beyond clunky, as is the weird epilogue

). What saves it is that there's actually a relatively engaging, even poignant character study bubbling under the surface and sometimes breaks through with surprising force. Pegg and Frost do a really good job, crafting believable characters with a believable relationship even when the script and direction let them down (and it was undoubtedly several script drafts and edits away from being properly coherent). It is, in it's way, a fascinating examination of the tribulations of middle-age, a subtle dissection of conformity, a pretty dead-on portrait of modern middle England.

It's a mess, strangely inert in the areas where you'd think this team would effortlessly excel. In fact, I was left with the feeling that they should have just reigned in all the fantastical stuff and forced comedy and they'd actually have had a surprisingly mature, intelligent film. It's still in there, but it's all the other stuff that just doesn't come together.

Oh, and Rosamund Pike still has the screen charisma of a rake, faring poorly against the homogenised automatons at the film's core.

Cosmo Kramer · 20-07-2013 8:56am

Took it a while to get going but I really enjoyed it overall. There are so few genuinely funny comedies these days, you have to give these guys credit for making three of them. Ultimately it will be judged by very high standards as it is part of the cornetto trilogy and whether it is as good as Hot Fuzz (one of my favorite films of the last 10 years) I don't know, but it is definitely well worth going to see and is one of those films that I think you could happily sit down and rewatch a few times.

nix · 20-07-2013 11:06am

Thought it was fairly weak and all over the place, it just felt like such a wasted opportunity, there werent that many funny gags in it, that rung through for me anyway. Heck

the funniest part was when Nick Frosts character gave a mini drunken speech and then turned and smashed the window opening the door. Everything else was just meh, and Pierce Brosnan didnt add much to the movie at all.. I was completely underwhelmed by the whole thing really...

SirLemonhead · 20-07-2013 12:18pm

nix wrote: »

Heck
the funniest part was when Nick Frosts character gave a mini drunken speech and then turned and smashed the window opening the door.

I laughed out loud at that bit.. but nobody else in the cinema did.

I was a pretty disappointing film for all the reasons outlined above, unfortunately. Easily the weakest of the three.

dubstarr · 20-07-2013 7:27pm

Simon Pegg doing a meaty role would be great.Some of Jim Carreys better films arent even comedies.He was oscar nominated for The Truman Show.One of my favourite films.

I think my favourite part of SOTD is Simon Peggs character crying and the Chicago song comes on.He looked really sad and they looked like real tears.

pixelburp · 21-07-2013 5:06pm

Definitely not as good as Shaun... or Hot Fuzz, but I came out wondering if this was meant as a comedy at all. The previous two films were fairly straightforward send-ups of the genres they were riffing off (specifically, zombie and actions films), but here it was less clear-cut the desire was to do the same for Invasion flicks. It wasn't that the gags weren't there, or weren't occasionally funny, but it didn't feel like comedy was the prime motivation for the film at all; if anything one wonders if the laughs were added as an afterthought, simply because that's what was expected from a 'Cornetto Trilogy' movie. Perhaps the aim of the film was something else entirely.

It all felt oddly personal, and when you consider Pegg, Frost and Wright are in and around their 40s now, it seemed like a film addressing some inner demons and insecurities that would be very familiar to the modern man hurtling towards his middle-age. I'm hitting 33 soon & having recently bumped into some old school friends by accident, the themes of World's End hit home quite a bit. My experience with those old faces was a tad uncomfortable, less because of those who had moved on and joined the rat race, married etc., but there were some who clearly hadn't & were doggedly clinging on to past glories and times well past.

The underlying sickness of Pegg's character was quite dark too, constantly underpinned in his actions and their consequences, but rarely said outright. The very first scene, with Gary sitting in what was obviously an AA meeting, made everything that came after it seem incredibly tragic, despite the silliness of the invasion. When we saw him

desperately try to sip his pint during the fight in the bar, or afterwards when he raced to the next pub

, I couldn't laugh; not because it wasn't funny - the better physical comedy was in & around those scenes - but because this was a troubled man who needed real help but instead chose to escape into the past. Gary was thoroughly unlikeable, but that wasn't the scripts fault, I think he was meant to be that way.

It was still a funny film, and for the most part I enjoyed it*, but without question there was an underlying depression behind all the fooling around. Like I said, it didn't seem like this was meant to be a comedy to begin with, and anyone expecting a simple spoof of another genre will be disappointed.

[*] As I feared, Rosamund Pike was a personality vacuum and did her best to suck all the vitality out of every scene she was in.

Daemos · 21-07-2013 6:09pm

pixelburp wrote: »

The underlying sickness of Pegg's character was quite dark too, constantly underpinned in his actions and their consequences, but rarely said outright. The very first scene, with Gary sitting in what was obviously an AA meeting, made everything that came after it seem incredibly tragic, despite the silliness of the invasion. When we saw him
desperately try to sip his pint during the fight in the bar, or afterwards when he raced to the next pub
, I couldn't laugh; not because it wasn't funny - the better physical comedy was in & around those scenes - but because this was a troubled man who needed real help but instead chose to escape into the past. Gary was thoroughly unlikeable, but that wasn't the scripts fault, I think he was meant to be that way.

It all comes down to interpretation, I guess, because the way you read it, and the way it's described on Wikipedia, are really different to the way I interpreted things

On Wikipedia, it says the

bandage and hospital bracelet were because of a failed suicide attempt

- I didn't see any evidence of that in the film, unless I missed something?

I saw it as evidence that he

had some kind of terminal disease, making the group at the beginning of the film a support group for other terminal patients, not an AA meeting.

It also completely changed his motives, because I saw

his desire to complete the Golden Mile as the one accomplishment he wanted to fulfill before he died, hence his unwavering motivation to do it

Again this is subject to the possibility I may have missed something, and knowing Pegg/Wright they'll probably have a post-script explanation as a DVD extra, but that's how I saw it

pixelburp · 21-07-2013 6:17pm

Daemos wrote: »

It all comes down to interpretation, I guess, because the way you read it, and the way it's described on Wikipedia, are really different to the way I interpreted things

On Wikipedia, it says the
bandage and hospital bracelet were because of a failed suicide attempt
- I didn't see any evidence of that in the film, unless I missed something?

It's clearly a suicide attempt: the bandages were lengthways down both arms - ie, he tried to kill himself by slitting his wrists. I believe the most effective way to do it is by opening the arteries down along the bottom of each arm. I honestly don't think it could have been interpreted any other way, and the 'terminal disease' idea is a bit of a stretch compared with the more straightforward, self-evident explanation.

The scene at the start, when he recounted his failed attempt at the Golden Mile, and the subsequent interest by the other attendee, kickstarted the whole idea to escape back into his youth, a time of innocence for him and avoid the truth of his actions, while simultaneously enabling his addiction. It's pretty dark, tragic stuff and is why I think this film wasn't a comedy, not initially anyway. This film's tone is lightyears away from the frivolity of SotD & Hot Fuzz...

stealinhorses · 21-07-2013 6:53pm

There were some genuinely funny moments, but there was a very serious overtone to the whole thing and it felt like a tragicomedy for the most part. Very different from Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead or Paul. I'm not sure what to think of it.

nyarlothothep · 22-07-2013 12:01am

I think it's not as good as Shaun of the Dead but much better than Hot Fuzz, which played up the fish out of water scenario/loving parody of little England aspect so much that it felt twee. Here they toned it down and got the balance right and I also felt that the characters were vastly more compelling. Simon Pegg's character Gary King was interesting. Gary was reminiscent of that annoying sidekick character in Lesbian Vampire Killers with his antics (who smashes his friend's phone to pieces for no other reason than that the writers thought the audience would find it funny). However by contrast Gary's insane shennanigans don't jar, he's not irritating and certainly not one dimensional, he just wants to relive that one moment from his life at all costs. He is meant to be stupid, irresponsible and selfish, almost a paragon of the human race's failings yet he's likeable in the sense that he's ultimately not a bad person and somewhat unfortunate as his own worst enemy, somewhat like the human race. As a result one of the standout highlights of this film is the characterisation in a big way. The other characters are in the background to an extent though the speech by one of his friends about bullying is quite dramatic and Nick Frost's character is also quite good and very well acted. Where the film is somewhat deficient is ironically the humour.

I feel that Pegg et al are almost more suited to serious drama now than they are to comedy because this is where they excelled in the film. The plot itself is also derivative and reminded a bit of that South Park episode about the soapbox derby racer that achieves warp speed. The fights scenes were very well done, I particularly liked Frost's WWF moment. Pike was pretty good in it too although she didn't have much to do.

The themes of aging, life not turning out how one expects, wanting to cling to/relive the past and trying to retain one's individuality in the face of society's expectations about settling down etc were quite deftly explored. The idea of time passing you by yet having a nostalgic yearning for it in recreating a moment in time that's forever lost was nicely evoked by the soundtrack which I assume reflected the tastes of the cast etc, eg a selection of 90s music, Pulp and Suede stood out there. I also liked the slightly downbeat ending which leaves the door open to an interesting sequel should one ever happen. It's a worthy and perfectly suited conclusion to the Cornetto trilogy. I have to say though, Pegg's performance and character have left a lasting impression, which is weird because as I was watching the film it didn't entirely hit home but thinking about that whole character arc and the themes with which it intersected made for quite a powerful film. There is something really commendable for making a film that comes out of the leftfield after the fact, that it was more of a tragedy or a melancholic reflection on life rather than an out and out comedy.

delbertgrady · 22-07-2013 9:03am

I don't dispute that the film tries to explore themes of friendship, substance abuse, the passing of time, etc., but they're selling it on the basis of it being the final part of the Cornetto Trilogy, complete with madcap trailer, zany website and faux "action pose" poster. As such, the change in tone is jarring. I have no problem with them trying to make subtle observations on more serious themes, but not at the expense of jokes, which - I hate to say - are in very short supply here.
I found it hugely disappointing, and I'm really surprised at some of the glowing reviews it's been getting in the media. Obviously, Pegg and Frost are very likeable onscreen presences, and their cronies (Considine, Freeman and Marsan) are very reliable, but their roles are all woefully underwritten.
It meanders along with a few good lines, but an awful lot of them fall flat. Some moments got widespread laughter from the cinema, but others were just dead air. Having an obvious punchline delivered and being met with no response is painful to witness. It's simply not as funny as they evidently thought it was. The two biggest laughs generated at the screening I was at were probably the

aforementioned arm through the glass door and the Mint Cornetto wrapper flying up against the fence at the end

. Both, perhaps tellingly, are solely down to Nick Frost.

Pierce Brosnan's appearance is awkward and unnecessary; he even seems slightly embarrassed by the whole thing: was he roped in just so Wright could chalk up another appearance by former James Bond? He doesn't get nearly as good a role as Dalton got

. Rosamunde Pike is terrible. I actually think her only good performance was as the pretty-but-dim, would-be socialite in An Education.

The ending is awful, and I agree with the earlier post that the Bill Nighy exposition scene is really clunky and contrived

. Overall, if the litmus test is how often you'd rewatch it, this is the weakest of the Pegg/Frost big screen collaborations, and I include Paul in that. Fourth place. No room on the podium for Gary King and his chums, despite the welcome presence of Teenage Fanclub and Suede on the soundtrack.

indough · 22-07-2013 12:34pm

The third film in a trilogy was simply not the right time to try something quite so different from the formula of the other two films, not when fans of those will be coming in with certain expectations, not when the few sparse jokes that are in there tend to fall a bit flat, and especially not if you aren't even going to handle the drama proficiently or say anything remotely profound. There were entire sequences in this film which were almost cringe inducing in how badly they violated good writing conventions. Most of the third act consisted of them

either running from point a to point b, or else some clunky expository dialogue that went on for far too long. The scenes with them talking to the network and the epilogue

really should have sounded alarm bells in someone's mind during the scripting phase.

I am probably being a bit harsher on this film than I would the average comedy, but I expected more from the people who brought us Hot Fuzz AND SotD. Compared to those, this entry felt like it was written on autopilot.

Greyjoy · 22-07-2013 1:06pm

I have to admit this was a big drop in quality from Shaun/Hot Fuzz. It didn't have the same wit or energy as the previous two films apart from a few notable exceptions

the roundabout sign, the brief glimpse of the cornetto wrapper

. I saw it with my wife and we both felt that it came across as having been made simply to complete the 'trilogy' not out of any genuine passion.

The plot became far too repetitive of just running from pub to pub to pub.

The epilogue was an incredibly jarring change of tone, I also felt they should have retained Gary as the narrator to bookend the story.

I thought "Attack the Block" was a MUCH better British take on the 'alien invasion' and it balanced the comedy & drama to a far higher degree.

Fysh · 22-07-2013 1:31pm

I think that one thing worth noting is that all this talk of it being the third part of a trilogy is a bit daft. The whole Blood And Ice Cream/Cornetto Trilogy thing is pretty much a joke, at least based on what Wright said when asked about it at MCM this year. Although the advertising campaign doesn't exactly help in this regard...

I think it's a a good, but not great, film which people are being harsh on because they were expecting not just the quality of Shaun Of The Dead but the same feeling of freshness and vitality that they got from Shaun Of The Dead nearly ten years ago. I don't think it's paced as well as SotD, but I do think the character work in The World's End has more depth - particularly Pegg's performance as the aging alcoholic loser trying desperately to cling onto the last few days where his life was still more or less going alright.

In saying all this, the ending itself was a bit weak and I thought the epilogue needed shortening. But still, overall I enjoyed it a fair bit. Certainly I'd prefer something a bit different and more interesting than a desperate attempt to do Shaun Of The Dead Only With Invading Aliens.

Edited to add: I agree with Greyjoy that Attack The Block was, overall, probably a more successful treatment of the subject matter (though with less interesting characters, IMO).

delbertgrady · 22-07-2013 3:52pm

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/screenwriter/2013/07/20/the-irish-and-the-british-differ-over-worlds-end/

Interesting article about the differences of critical opinion on this film. This struck me over the weekend when I saw no less than THREE glowing reviews from the Guardian's critics, two of which were four-star rated, and one of which said it was the best of the three in the series. :eek:

The World's End (2013)

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