The Cornetto Trilogy comes to its epic conclusion with The World’s End. As with the previous two films in the trilogy, The World’s End is helmed by Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. With this installment, Pegg and the gang intend to take a playful shot at the science fiction, alien invasion genre. Let me tell you, they land their shot and take it 10 times further.
There is so much that is done right with this film, its hard to know where to begin. Part of what made it so great was the cast. Of course, much of the cast is back from the previous two films, and again they don’t fail to deliver. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Gary (Pegg) and Andy (Frost) steal the show. They are backed up by a bunch of funny and strong performances, including Bilbo Baggins himself, Martin Freeman, but its really Pegg’s and Frost’s movie. That’s totally fine with me. As with the other films, we’re in fine hands.
The beauty and genius of The World’s End is that it ends up becoming a complete shit show. Wright knows his limits and he stretches them as far as possible. Of course, there are times when the logical thing doesn’t happen, or maybe its a little too cliché, but that is exactly how its meant to be. In reality, this movie couldn’t have been done any other way. More times than not, this ends up being the strongest part.
Something that took me a bit by surprise, though, was that it turns out to be a lot more than just a comedy. Don’t get me wrong, this is a comedy through and through, but there is also more to it. In a way, I think that everyone can relate to the core of the story. It’s all about a group of friends who have lost touch and want to get together for one last hoorah. We all have those people who have drifted out of our lives, but if the opportunity presented itself, we would seize it in a second. The World’s End never tries to take itself too seriously, but there is just enough of this in the film to contrast the comedy that it makes it even more meaningful.
My only real complaint with this film is that it starts off a little slow. I had very high hopes for The World’s End as soon as I saw the trailer for it, and I was getting a little bummed when it first started. If you go see it (which you all should), give it a chance. Getting past the first bit of the movie pays off in a big way by the time the credits roll. As with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World’s End delivers in every way that you can hope for.