Shaun of the Dead

A huge hit in England and a shoe-in for instant cult-classic status stateside, Shaun of the Dead is a hysterical dual-genre spoof about a 29-year-old London layabout who sees a zombie outbreak as his big chance to win back his peeved, reliability-seeking girlfriend by coming to her rescue--a plan he manages to screw up in every conceivable way. Writers Edgar Wright (who directs) and Simon Pegg (who plays the title character) have labeled their flick a "zom-rom-com" (zombie romantic comedy), and they delight in taking wickedly funny potshots at all the clichés that inspired them, beginning with the morning Shaun wakes up too hung over to notice the city is teeming with flesh-starved ghouls. Eventually he catches on and sets out, with a cricket bat and his couch-potato roommate, to round up his mum and his ex (Kate Ashfield) so they can fortify themselves inside--where else?--his favorite pub. It's a terrible strategy (especially since he drags the chagrined girlfriend away from a virtually impregnable high-rise apartment), but that's part of the joke. An enjoyably low-budget endeavor, packed with hilarious homages, well-delivered one-liners, and slack-jawed double takes from its comedically gifted cast, this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one by co-writer/star Simon Pegg and co-writer/director Edgar Wright; the other by costars Pegg, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield, and Lucy Davis), a “Zomb-o-Meter” fact track, a storyboard comparison viewing option with icons that jump to storyboards, “Edgar & Simon's Flip Chart” 13-minute text storyboard explanation, a “making-of” featurette (7 min.), “Simon Pegg's Video Diary” (7 min.), four minutes of casting tapes, an “SFX Comparison” narration-less featurette (2 min.), two minutes of makeup tests, four “TV Bits” (including the facetious segment “T4 with Coldplay,” in which Coldplay members discuss their involvement in the relief concert “Zombaid”), “Missing Bits” (including three segments of “Plotholes,” 15 extended scenes with optional commentary, and 11 minutes of outtakes), and ad, poster design, and photo galleries. Bottom line: a fun extras package for a fun film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 15, 2009—Universal, 100 min., R, $26.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2004's Shaun of the Dead sports a great transfer with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer-star Simon Pegg and writer-director Edgar Wright, a “Raw Meat” segment featuring casting tapes, video diaries, and special effects comparisons (52 min.), a “Missing Bits” segment with outtakes, deleted scenes, and extended scenes (31 min.), a “TV Bits” segment including an interview with Coldplay (10 min.), a zombie gallery, a storyboard gallery, an interactive “Zomb-O-Meter” with onscreen trivia, an interactive storyboard option, the BD-Live function, and trailers. Bottom line: a modern zombie comedy classic makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]