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Simon Pegg plays the title role; Shaun’s a bit of a loser, a bit of a slacker, unfocused and uncertain. He works in a dead-end job as a sales clerk in small shop that sells home electronics and appliances. He share digs with the pathologically serious Pete (Peter Serafinowicz), who’s at the end of his patience with the presence of Shaun’s best friend Ed (Nick Frost). Ed is the quintessential self-absorbed slob. Oblivious to the effects he has on others, he’s as annoying as Vince Vaughn’s Ricky Slade in Made. Pete is pressuring Shaun to either get Ed under control or kick him out.

One might well credit Ed as the bad influence. Shaun neglects his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield). Shaun drags her along with him as Ed leads the way each evening to the Winchester Pub, where Shaun and Ed smoke and drink and waste their lives as she looks on in growing disgust. She retaliates by bringing her flat-mates, David (Dylan Moran) and Di (Lucy Davis), along; they, too, are critical, but Shaun can’t quite absorb it. He’s frustrated at work, has a doting but dim mum, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), who inadvertently provokes guilt, and a stepfather named Philip (Bill Nighy) who intentionally provokes guilt. Shaun tries to respond to Liz’s needs; they plan a romantic evening, some quality time for just the two of them. But Shaun’s dinner reservation cock-up is the proverbial last straw. Liz breaks it off.

With all these distractions, it’s no wonder that Shaun is utterly oblivious to his neighbors stumbling around local streets and shops, blood dripping from their mouths. He doesn’t notice them feasting on the living. He doesn’t notice the bloody handprints on the local shop’s freezer door. Oblivious. When the threat finally becomes clear to him, it hardly seems a threat at all. The zombies move so slowly that he has plenty of time for a well-aimed cricket bat to the head; that brings them right down. So against the televised advice of the authorities, Shaun decides to collect his mum and Liz and hold up at the Winchester until the crisis is over. (The group will grow larger.) After all, hanging over the Winchester Pub’s bar is a famous rifle of the same name that might come in handy. Will Shaun redeem himself? Who will survive the onslaught of flesh-eaters? Can our hearty band survive on warm beer and crisps?

As serious as this premise may seem, Shaun of the Dead is laugh out loud funny. It’s satirical and sarcastic and silly. And the humor can be quite subtle. When Shaun and his little band have to abandon their car as he leads them on foot through backyards and allies toward the pub, they run into one of Shaun’s friends. She is leading in the opposite direction a mirror image group, right down to a slacker Ed-surrogate bringing up the rear.

There are numerous references to other films; your attention is required. As regular readers are aware, I’ve long enjoyed the British sense of humor. I enjoy the irony and the wit. It’s situational and attitudinal. The filmmakers do not hit the audience over the head with a comedic two-by-four. This is humor best served dry. And yet, this film has an emotional core: Shaun’s relationships with his mother and stepfather; and, his rising to the occasion, casting off his slacker ways to become a reluctant hero and win back his girl.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35 1 is presented in anamorphic video. Modest edge halos are visible from time to time and there is a touch of low pass filtering, but in general, this is a pleasant transfer. Small object detail is above average but fine textures are ever so slightly suppressed. Complexions are a bit on the pale side; I couldn’t tell if this was a consequence of English weather or low chroma levels. The red gore is vivid, so I’ll give the color level the benefit of the doubt. Shadow detail in the night scenes around the besieged pub is quite good. I didn’t notice any mosquito noise or macroblocking.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is a hoot. Intentionally exaggerated, early in the film the viewer is constantly distracted by overwrought audible dramatics for the most mundane scenes. Like Shaun brushing his teeth. It’s as if the director is winking at the audience as he demonstrates how easy it is to startle and frighten with sound. Or perhaps this is an intentional desensitizing to keep the real scares from bringing down the humor. The surrounds are exceptionally active, plunging the viewer into an enveloping audible landscape. Very deep bass is present; most often used for its shock value, it can be felt as easily as heard. The score’s source tracks are nothing special, but I was impressed by the transparency of the symbols. The dialog is quite clear throughout, which is essential for those who may have some trouble with various British dialects.

Alternative languages are offered in French and Spanish, both in Dolby Digital 5.1. Optional Subtitles are available in French, Spanish, and English.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The DVD is programmed to open with a selection of trailers. Unleashed with Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, and Bob Hoskins looks interesting. Less promising is Drunken Jackasses - The Quest. And for Chucky fans out there, here comes Seed of Chucky.

Tucked away on the Subtitles Screen are Storyboard Comparison and Zomb-o-meter. Unlike similar features on other DVDs, this storyboard comparison requires viewer intervention. When the supplement is enabled, red icons will occasionally appear in the upper right corner of the screen during the film. Press Enter on your remote or select them with your mouse and the film will pause; the view will then switch to a series of sketches thoughtfully displayed in anamorphic video (so changing your display mode won’t be necessary). Zomb-o-meter is a subtitle text trivia feature that offers an encyclopedic collection of factoids about the production. As I’ve suggested in previous reviews, multitaskers can listen to one of the two commentaries while reading the trivia.

There are two feature-length commentaries on this DVD. The first is by co-screenwriter/star Simon Pegg and co- screenwriter/director Edgar Wright. They discuss the shoot, the challenges of working on location, the pressures of the shooting schedule, and behind the scenes anecdotes. The second commentary features Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, and Dylan Moran. There is some duplication of material here. I enjoyed the actor’s interaction as they teased one another and joked around. Between the two commentaries, you’ll gain some reasonable insights.

Video features are found on the Raw Meat screen; there are five extras. First is Simon Pegg’s Video Diary (6:45), a tongue in cheek (and syringe in cheek) look at the making of the film. In addition to giving us substantive glimpses behind-the-scenes, the video recording offers cast and filmmakers the chance to be clever and funny, and there are several giggles to be found here. I enjoyed it.

Casting Tapes (4:13) is a series of recordings of the players auditioning for their roles. They seem to enjoy the process, frequently finding the work quite funny after completing their reading.

Edgar and Simon’s Flip Chart (13:37) was created in September of 2001, before principal photography. The co-writers take us through what appear to be the pages they may have written during brainstorming sessions. It’s essentially the film in outline form. I found this extra to be a bit bizarre and ultimately pointless. Sorry guys, I want my fourteen minutes back.

The SFX Comparison (2:26) is a brief demonstration of the CGI used to create the illusions of a zombie falling on a pole and cutting a great hole through the abdomen, and a head shot in the pub. It’s a clever, narration-free montage of elements that include the final sequence, original live footage, and various special effects superimposed. It reveals all without saying a word. Nicely done.

Make Up Tests (2:21) appears to be some test footage of both make- up effects and zombie movements. I couldn’t understand why it was necessary to CGI the eyes when the effect might have been done with appropriate contact lenses. Perhaps it was a lighting issue.

I was surprised at the candor of the filmmakers when they named this next supplement EPK Featurette (7:10). This is a typical short in which the players and filmmakers describe the plotline and the characters for their prospective audience. There are a couple of laughs here, but it’s pure fluff.

Zombie Gallery is the stills collection for this DVD. It’s organized into three sections: Photo Gallery; 2000 Ad Strip; and, Poster Designs. The first has dozens of stills, again thoughtfully formatted for anamorphic video, as are the rest of the Gallery supplements. The second appears to be a comic version of the film with a very nice feature that allows a close look at the frames. The last is a bunch of one-sheet designs.

TV Bits is not what you may think. This isn’t a series of thirty-second TV Spots, it’s actually a group of random but related video segments, so they are more entertaining. T4 with Coldplay (4:22) is a tongue in cheek interview in which Coldplay’s drummer and bass are claimed to have been taken by zombies. The two remaining members are joined by Pegg and Frost, who are reported to have taken the musicians’ places. Fun Dead (1:06) is the zombie game show we only saw briefly in the film. Trisha, Your Nine Lives Are Up (1:27) is the Jerry Springer send-up also seen briefly in the film. Trisha, Update... I Married a Monster! (1:32) brings the same couple back to the show after one becomes undead.

The film’s theatrical trailer (2:30) is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. Which brings us to the Missing Bits.

(2:12) is a cute segment in which the filmmakers re-looped a sequence of the their film for airlines and commercial television. Silly but fun.

The Man Who Would Be Shaun (0:36) has Pegg and Frost playing a scene as Michael Caine and Sean Connery. It was going well until they completely lost it. Funny.

Plot Holes is another great example of the self-deprecating humor that runs through this film and this DVD. There are three sequences, illustrated like a comic book and narrated by the cast member featured in the sequence. Together they run about three and a half minutes and in the second sequence I was delighted to find that... no, that’s giving it away.

Outtakes runs an unusually generous 10:77 and is a delightful collection of genuine flubs, funny cock-ups, and giggle fests. These actors break each other up and they’ll break you up, too.

Extended Bits (13:29, aggregate) is a collection of fifteen scenes. You may use the "Play All" option and listen to the optional commentary with Pegg and Wright. You’ll find various bits and pieces have been cut from familiar scenes; I doubt that any more than four minutes will be genuinely new to you. We’re told that these edits were made for pace and as reactions to test screenings.

The 100-minute feature film is organized into thirty-seven chapters.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD- ROM features on this DVD.

Final Thoughts