Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.0/10   

Director:

Edgar Wright

Escritores:

Simon Pegg (written by) and
Edgar Wright (written by)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

9 abril 2004 (UK)

Género:

Comedia | Horror

Frase comercial:

It's just one of those days when you're feeling a little...dead.

Plot:

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Zombie | Cricket Bat | Pub | Record Collection

Premios:

6 wins & 16 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Flesh-eating fun for all the family

Reparto

Simon Pegg	...	Shaun
Kate Ashfield	...	Liz
Nick Frost	...	Ed
Lucy Davis	...	Dianne
Dylan Moran	...	David
Nicola Cunningham	...	Mary
Keir Mills	...	Clubber 1 (as Kier Mills)
Matt Jaynes	...	Clubber 2
Gavin Ferguson	...	Football Kid
Peter Serafinowicz	...	Pete
Horton Jupiter	...	Homeless Man
Tim Baggaley	...	The Usher
Arvind Doshi	...	Nelson
Rafe Spall	...	Noel
Sonnell Dadral	...	Danny (as Sonell Dadral)
Samantha Day	...	Woman on Trisha
Trisha Goddard	...	Herself
David Park	...	Grave Scientist
Finola Geraghty	...	Distraught Vox Pop
Bill Nighy	...	Philip
Robert Fitch	...	Distressed Man
Sharon Gavin	...	Florist
Patch Connolly	...	Pigeon Man
Jessica Hynes	...	Yvonne (as Jessica Stevenson)
Stuart Powell	...	Snakehips
Patricia Franklin	...	Spinster
Steve Emerson	...	John
Phyllis MacMahon	...	Bernie (as Phyllis McMahon)
Krishnan Guru-Murthy	...	Himself
Carol Barnes	...	Herself
Rob Butler	...	Himself
Jeremy Thompson	...	Himself
Vernon Kay	...	Himself
Mark Donovan	...	Hulking Zombie
Christopher Harwood	...	Grizzled Zombie
Penelope Wilton	...	Barbara
Martin Freeman	...	Declan
Reece Shearsmith	...	Mark
Tamsin Greig	...	Maggie
Julia Deakin	...	Yvonne's Mum
Matt Lucas	...	Cousin Tom
Nick Ewans	...	Pyjama Zombie
Alex Lutes	...	Trisha Zombie
Chris Martin	...	Himself
Jon Buckland	...	Himself (as Jonny Buckland)
Keith Chegwin	...	Himself
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Lucy Akhurst	...	Zombie shot by soldiers (uncredited)
Peter Bateson	...	Livid Commuter (uncredited)
Paul Bayfield	...	Army Officer (uncredited)
Peter Baynham	...	Man in street (uncredited)
Rob Brydon	...	Football Commentator / 'Zombies From Hell!' Presenter (voice) (uncredited)
Liz Cater	...	Wheelchair Zombie (uncredited)
Chris Clarke	...	Livid Commuter (uncredited)
Joe Cornish	...	Zombie shot by soldiers (uncredited)
Julia Davis	...	News Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
Mark Gatiss	...	Radio Presenter With 'Spaceship' Theory / Wildlife voiceover (voice) (uncredited)
Nick Goldsmith	...	'Fun-Dead' Zombie (uncredited)
Garth Jennings	...	'Fun-Dead' Zombie (uncredited)
Rich Johnston	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Paul Kaye	...	Zombie behind 'The Winchester' (uncredited)
Lauren Laverne	...	Zombie outside flat (uncredited)
Jason McDonald	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Michael O'Mahony	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Robert Popper	...	News Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
Paul Putner	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Peter Rnic	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Michael Smiley	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Dave Smith	...	Zombie Monkey (uncredited)
David Spratt	...	Zombie shot by soldiers (uncredited)
Greg Tanner	...	SWAT Team Officer (uncredited)
Ben Thompson	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Kenneth Thompson Marchesi	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Ronaldo Vasconcellos	...	Livid Commuter (uncredited)
David Walliams	...	News Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
Julianne Watling	...	Zombie (uncredited)
Edgar Wright	...	Rabid Monkeys Newsreader / Prat-falling Zombie / Italian Restaurant Voice (uncredited)

Dirigida por
Edgar Wright

Créditos del guión
Simon Pegg		(written by) and
Edgar Wright		(written by)

Producida por
Tim Bevan	....	executive producer
Eric Fellner	....	executive producer
Mark Hudson	....	line producer: additional photography
Alison Owen	....	executive producer
Nira Park	....	producer
Ronaldo Vasconcellos	....	line producer
Natascha Wharton	....	executive producer
James Wilson	....	executive producer

Música original por
Dan Mudford		(as Daniel Mudford)
Pete Woodhead

Fotografía por
David M. Dunlap		(director of photography)

Montaje por
Chris Dickens

Casting
Jina Jay

Diseño de producción por
Marcus Rowland

Dirección artística
Karen Wakefield

Diseño de vestuario por
Annie Hardinge

Departamento de maquillaje
Faye Aydin	....	hair trainee: FT2
Faye Aydin	....	makeup trainee: FT2
Candice Banks	....	hair stylist
Candice Banks	....	makeup artist
Sarah Berry	....	additional hair stylist
Sarah Berry	....	additional makeup artist
Brian Best	....	additional hair stylist
Brian Best	....	additional makeup artist
Stuart Bray	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Cathy Burczak	....	additional hair stylist
Cathy Burczak	....	additional makeup artist
Lucy Cain	....	makeup artist: additional photography
Stuart Conran	....	prosthetic effects designer
Dan Frye	....	prosthetic effects technician (as Daniel Frye)
Anthony Lilley	....	hair stylist
Anthony Lilley	....	makeup artist
Nicola Matthews	....	additional hair stylist
Nicola Matthews	....	additional makeup artist
Nuala McArdle	....	additional hair stylist
Nuala McArdle	....	additional makeup artist
Caroline Morrison	....	additional hair stylist
Caroline Morrison	....	additional makeup artist
Lesley Smith	....	hair stylist
Lesley Smith	....	makeup artist
Jo Stelly	....	additional hair stylist
Jo Stelly	....	additional makeup artist
Jane Walker	....	hair stylist
Jane Walker	....	makeup designer
Isabel While	....	additional hair stylist
Isabel While	....	additional makeup artist
Karen Montgomery	....	assistant makeup artist: extras (uncredited)
Simon Rose	....	prosthetic makeup artist: additional shooting crew (uncredited)

Dirección de producción
Karen Beever	....	production manager
Jeanette Haley	....	post-production supervisor
Gary Pickering	....	unit manager

Ayudante de dirección
Jonny Benson	....	third assistant director
Julian Hearne	....	first assistant director: additional photography
Richard Hewitt	....	first assistant director
Toby Hosking	....	second assistant director
Andrew McEwan	....	second assistant director: additional photography

Departamento de Arte
Stuart Clark	....	scenic artist
George Dean	....	painting supervisor
Joe Fearn	....	trainee carpenter: FT2
Richard Field	....	stand-by art director
Segan Friend	....	stand-by dressing props
Fiona Gavin	....	draughtswoman
Warren Greenham	....	scenic painter (as Warren Grenham)
Liz Griffiths	....	set dresser
Kathy Heaser	....	art department assistant
Springer Horrill	....	property master (as David 'Springer' Horrill)
Tony Hoskins	....	carpenter
Shay Leonard	....	stand-by dressing props
Sarah Lovett	....	production buyer: additional photography
David Mears	....	scenic painter
Eddie Murphy	....	construction supervisor
Steve Nicholls	....	scenic painter (as Steven Nicholls)
Mark Overall	....	carpenter
Steve Parnell	....	dressing props
Simon Reeves	....	stand-by carpenter
Antoine Robin	....	construction manager
Carrie Rock	....	trainee painter: FT2
Russell Sargent	....	carpenter
Rosy Thomas	....	production buyer
Oli van der Vijver	....	art department assistant: video unit
Peter Wood	....	dressing props
Oscar Wright	....	storyboard artist
Leslie Wylie	....	carpenter (as Les Wylie)

Departamento de sonido
Peter Burgis	....	foley artist
Graham Day	....	sound trainee: FT2
Giancarlo Dellapina	....	sound recordist: additional photography
Andie Derrick	....	foley artist (as Andi Derrick)
Arthur Fenn	....	sound maintenance engineer (as Arthur Turner)
Jamie Gambell	....	boom operator: additional photography
Arthur Graley	....	foley editor
Ben Greaves	....	cable person
Andrew Griffiths	....	boom operator
Tom Harrison	....	sound trainee: FT2
Simon Hayes	....	sound recordist
Nigel Heath	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alex Hudd	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Lewis James	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Robin Johnson	....	boom operator
Matt Lygo	....	sound recordist: video unit
Dan Morgan	....	adr editor
Dan Morgan	....	dialogue editor
Julian Slater	....	supervising sound editor
Keith Tunney	....	sound recordist: additional photography

Efectos especiales
Paul Dunn	....	special effects supervisor
Cat Hart	....	special effects technician
Catherine Hart	....	special effects
Luke Marcel	....	special effects technician
Stephanie Bell	....	special effects painter (uncredited)
Wilma Dunn	....	special effects coordinator (uncredited)
Laurence Harvey	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Scott McIntyre	....	special effects (uncredited)
Mark Vanstone	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects
Paul Alexiou	....	runner: Double Negative
Oliver Atherton	....	scanning and recording
Matthew Bristowe	....	digital lab producer
Hal Couzens	....	visual effects producer: Double Negative
Ciaran Crowley	....	digital compositor
Claudia Dehmel	....	visual effects coordinator: Double Negative
Richard Etchells	....	online film editor
Andy Hague	....	visual effects editorial
Pete Hanson	....	studio manager
Jeremy Hattingh	....	visual effects supervisor
Alex Hope	....	visual effects producer
Max Horton	....	digital colourist
Alex Ireland	....	digital compositor
Jody Johnson	....	digital compositor
Philippa Leathers	....	data operator
Giles Livesey	....	digital film colorist
Begoña Lopez	....	digital lab producer
Lindsay McFarlane	....	first assistant director: vfx unit
Paul Riddle	....	digital compositor: Double Negative
Matthew Shaw	....	digital compositor
Clare Tinsley	....	visual effects coordinator
Thomas Urbye	....	online film editor
Daniel Walton	....	digital artist
Daniel Walton	....	digital compositor
Pieter Warmington	....	3D animator: Double Negative
Alison Wortman	....	3D matchmover
Martyn Drake	....	systems: MPC (uncredited)
Steve Lynn	....	technical support (uncredited)
Stephan Pilon Lectez	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Especialistas
Lucy Allen	....	stunt performer
Lloyd Bass	....	stunt performer
Dani Biernat	....	stunt performer
Michael Byrch	....	stunt performer
Tracey Caudle	....	stunt performer (as Tracy Caudle)
Abbi Collins	....	stunt performer
George Cottle	....	stunt performer
Danielle da Costa	....	stunt performer
Ray De-Haan	....	stunt performer (as Ray De-Harn)
Dave Fisher	....	stunt performer
Sarah Franzl	....	stunt performer
Paul Herbert	....	stunt performer
Jeff Hewitt-Davis	....	stunt coordinator
Mark Lisbon	....	stunt performer
Guy List	....	stunt performer
Tony Lucken	....	stunt performer (as Toni Lucken)
Tina Maskell	....	stunt performer
Heather Phillips	....	stunt performer
Andy Smart	....	stunt performer
Amanda Foster	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Paul Kennington	....	stunts (uncredited)

Cámara y Departamento Eléctrico
Rob Armstrong	....	stand-by rigger
Paul Barker	....	stand-by rigger
Peter Bateson	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera (as Pete Bateson)
Jason Berman	....	second assistant camera: additional photography (as Jason Burman)
Craig Bloor	....	first assistant camera: additional photography
David Carey	....	Steadicam operator
Wailoon Chung	....	electrician
Chris Clarke	....	camera trainee (as Chris Clark)
Glenn Coulman	....	second assistant camera: additional photography
Julia Curtin	....	video assistant operator: "b" camera
Tom Debenham	....	director of photography: effects unit
Paul Edwards	....	Steadicam operator
Steve Evans	....	loader: additional photography
Mark Gay	....	electrician
Mark Hanlon	....	electrician
Star Hart	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Star Hart	....	video assistant operator
Paul Hatchman	....	key grip
Darren Holland	....	grip: additional photography
Tony Jackson	....	Steadicam operator
Tony Jackson	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Craig Loveridge	....	camera assistant: video unit
Pat Miller	....	rigging gaffer
Mark Moriarty	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Mark Moriarty	....	lighting camera operator: additional photography
Andy Mountain	....	lighting console operator
Gary Nagle	....	best boy
John Palmer	....	camera operator: additional photography
Rod Patterson	....	trainee grip
Rupert Power	....	Steadicam operator
Clive Prior	....	first assistant camera: additional photography
David Rist	....	grip: additional photography (as Dave Rist)
Roger Sabarwal	....	generator operator
Paul Slatter	....	gaffer
Adam Stevenson	....	video playback operator
Chyna Thomson	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Roger Tooley	....	Steadicam operator
Tony Turner	....	additional grip
Oliver Upton	....	still photographer
Tammo van Hoorn	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Terry Williams	....	grip: additional photography
Jon Wood	....	camera operator: video unit
Chris Clarke	....	camera loader (uncredited)

Departamento de reparto
Vanessa Baker	....	adr voice casting
Dixie Chassay	....	senior casting assistant
Nick Forgacs	....	junior casting assistant
James McCavana	....	extras casting
Jessica Weetch	....	extras casting
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)

Departamento de vestuario
Fiona Coutts	....	wardrobe assistant
Peter Halston	....	additional wardrobe assistant
Phil Lester	....	assistant costume designer
Aaron Timperley	....	wardrobe assistant
Ruth Young	....	additional wardrobe assistant

Departamento de Edición
Ian Cunningham	....	trainee editor: FT2
Lucinda Glover	....	editor trainee
Lucie Graves	....	post-production coordinator
Max Horton	....	colorist: MPC
Giles Livesey	....	colorist: MPC
Catriona Richardson	....	first assistant editor
Jason Wheeler	....	negative cutter

Departamento de Música
Nick Angel	....	music supervisor
Alexandra Hill	....	music coordinator
Kirsten Lane	....	music consultant
Kathy Nelson	....	executive in charge of music: Universal Pictures
Andy Richards	....	original score mixer
Andy Richards	....	score mixer

Departamento de Transporte
Mike Billamore	....	unit driver
Tom Cheape	....	facility driver
Colin Giffin	....	unit driver
Geoff Gowland	....	driver: technical vehicle (as Geoff 'Cookie' Gowland)
David Grose	....	unit driver
Finn Hillman	....	driver: technical vehicle
Michael Hoskins	....	driver: construction department
Jeff Hudson	....	unit driver
Lee Kitchen	....	driver: minibus
David Lewis	....	unit driver
Jim Lynch	....	driver: technical vehicle
Chris Parker	....	facility driver (as Chris 'Kiwi' Parker)
Rod Patterson	....	driver: technical vehicle
Phil Richman	....	facility driver
Brian Tame	....	props transportation
Paul Watson	....	driver: minibus
Barrie Williams	....	transportation captain

Otros miembros del equipo
Paul Bayfield	....	stand-in: Nick Frost
James Biddle	....	production coordinator
Litza Bixler	....	choreographer
David Blank	....	assistant accountant
Charlotte Bloxham	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Rhidian Bridge	....	military advisor
Nick Clark	....	location assistant
Chloe Dorigan	....	assistant: Tim Bevan (as Chloé Dorigan)
Susie Gordon	....	assistant to producer and director
Madeline Herbert	....	fabric painter
Nina Hume	....	stand-in: Kate Ashfield
Carl Isherwood	....	chef
Aliza James	....	assistant: Eric Fellner
Rowena Ladbury	....	script supervisor
Sarah Lee	....	location manager
Kenny MacDonald	....	assistant production coordinator
Stacy Mann	....	unit publicist (as Stacey Mann)
Paul Melton	....	base runner
Oliver Musgrave	....	production runner
John Nixon	....	armorer
Nick Oliver	....	location manager: additional photography
Rachel Plose	....	production accountant
Dan Precious	....	runner (as Daniel Precious)
Jim Rickard	....	location assistant
Sascha Robey	....	armorer
Gavin Rothery	....	stand-in
Sandra Shepherd	....	production runner
Joss Skottowe	....	supervising armorer
Anthony Smith	....	armorer
Trine Thielen	....	stand-in: Lucy Davis (as Trine Van Thielen-MacPhail)
Ed Tull	....	stand-in: Simon Pegg
Morag Webster	....	unit nurse
Oscar Wright	....	title designer: main titles
Sarah Jane Wright	....	production executive
Paul Bayfield	....	runner (uncredited)
Kellie Belle	....	product placement (uncredited)
Peter Foster	....	additional floor runner (uncredited)
Jethro Harris	....	operations manager: Pepper Post-Productions Ltd. (uncredited)
Nina Hume	....	runner (uncredited)
Charlotte Keating	....	production runner (uncredited)
Tony Muro	....	publicist (uncredited)
David Pinkus	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Ed Tull	....	runner (uncredited)

Gracias
Rob Brydon	....	thanks
Adam Buxton	....	thanks
Julia Davis	....	thanks
Mark Gatiss	....	thanks
Charlotte Hatherley	....	thanks
Paul Machliss	....	thanks
Robert Popper	....	thanks
Paul Putner	....	thanks
David Walliams	....	thanks

Compañías Productores

• Studio Canal
• Working Title Films
• WT2 Productions
• Big Talk Productions (in association with)
• Inside Track 2 (in association with)
• FilmFour (developed and produced with the assistance of)

Distribuidores

• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Focus Features (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• NFP Distribution (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Neue Filmproduktion (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Odeon Films (2004) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Premium Cine (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL7)
• Rogue Pictures (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Argentina) (all media)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2004) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2004) (Finland) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Efectos especiales

• Animated Extras (prosthetics) (as Animated Extras International Limited)
• Cine Image Film Opticals (end titles)
• Crystal Reflections (contact lenses)
• Double Negative (digital visual effects)
• Moving Picture Company (MPC) (digital intermediate)
• Postoptics (contact lenses)
• ReelEye Company (contact lenses) (as Reel Eye Company)
• Special Effects UK (special effects)

Otras Compañías

• Shepperton Studios  movie studio
• 2020 Casting  extras casting
• AFM Lighting  lighting
• ARRI Lighting Rental  lighting equipment
• ARRI Media  camera and grip equipment
• Audiosend Communications  walkie talkies
• Audiosound  sound equipment
• Bickers Action Enterprises  tracking vehicles (as Bickers Action)
• Compuhire  video playback equipment
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  sound editing facilities (as De Lane Lea)
• Hackenbacker Sound  audio post-production (as Hackenbacker Studios)
• Island Records  soundtrack published by
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Marshall/Plumb Research Associates  legal clearances
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)  digital film master
• Out of Eden  original score mixed at
• Pepper Post Production  preview conform and grade
• Production Copier Company  production equipment and services
• Right Music  music consultant
• SA19  extras casting
• Salon  sound editing equipment (as Salon)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• TLO Film Services  action vehicles
• Universal Records  soundtrack released by
• Wheeler Film Services  negative cutting (as Jason Wheeler Film Services)

También conocida como:

Shaun of the Dead (France)
Tea-Time of the Dead (UK) (working title)
Muertos de risa (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Zombies Party (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for zombie violence/gore and language.

Duración:

99 min

País:

UK | France

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

Dolby Digital EX

Clasificación:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:R21 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Locaciones de Filmación:

Archway, London, England, UK

Compañía:

Studio Canal

Trivialidades:

Shaun's last name is Riley. It can be seen on a poster ad from Shaun's Disc jockeying days.

Errores:

Personal o Equipo Visible: When the 'Groom Zombie' enters Shaun, Ed and Pete's home you can see positioning markers on the floor in Shaun and Ed's reaction shot. Look to the lower right of the screen and you'll see at least two markers in blue tape on the floor. These are for continuity and should not be visible in the final cut.

Citas:

[first lines]
John: Last orders, please!

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in Severance (2006)

Banda de Sonido:

Zombi

Flesh-eating fun for all the family

The great British sit-com has undergone something of a revival in recent years. Galvanised by the new wave of smart, sassy imports from the US, the Brits have girded their loins and produced a spate of quality comedies that have banished memories of the bland, identikit dross of the late eighties and early nineties.

One such series is Spaced, a wholly original and delightfully quirky comic bagatelle which has built up a small but dedicated following in the UK. Now writer/actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright have teamed up once again to give us Shaun of the Dead which is, in a nutshell, a feature-length episode of Spaced (with added zombies). Happily timed to coincide with the Hollywood remake of the 1978 classic shocker Dawn of the Dead, Shaun is the perfect antidote: Irreverent, warm and very funny.

Shaun (Pegg) is your stereotypical sit-com loser: An ineffectual slob in a dead-end job, he is terminally afraid of commitment and spends all his time with his flat-mate Ed (Nick Frost, also from Spaced) who is an even bigger loser. After his girlfriend dumps him, Shaun and Ed seek solace in their local pub the Winchester - a good old-fashioned English hostelry with warm beer and pork scratchings which is infamous for its lock-ins. They stagger home in a state of advanced refreshment, unaware that the dead are now walking the earth. Indeed, it takes Shaun a little while to work it out the following morning despite interacting with a few of them (one of the recurring themes is that most of us go through the drudgery of our daily routines in a trance close to inertia).

When the penny drops, Shaun resolves to rescue his mother and his (ex) girlfriend and generally stand up for himself for the first time in his life. There is not much more of a plot than that. The film, like Spaced relies on a flawless script, observational humour and the theatre of the absurd. Pegg has perfected this in his writing but he is also a surprisingly good actor. It helps that he has surrounded himself with the pick of the British comedy fraternity who seem to have been lining up (literally in one scene) for a cameo. The stars of similarly acclaimed series' such as Black Books, The Office and Little Britain are all on show here as well as Jessica Stevenson, Pegg's Spaced co-writer, who plays a jolly-hockey-sticks human vigilante with a stiff-upper lip and can-do attitude ready to give those nasty zombie's what-for.

Veteran support comes from Penelope Wilton (a sit-com stalwart from a bygone age) as Shaun's curtain-twitching mother and Bill Nighy as her fearsome second husband who performs one of the most dignified and poignant descents into zombieness ever caught on camera.

Despite all the high praise, it must be acknowledged that Shaun of the Dead is still a spoof - a comic tool that you could argue is as low a form of wit as sarcasm. But where it scores highly is in its respect for the original material. Most spoofs (the Scary Movie franchise, for example) are vicious lampoons that unmercifully mock the films they are taking off. Shaun of the Dead gently pokes fun but doesn't lose sight of the fact that if something is worth parodying, it must have some merit. Pegg is also careful to ensure that his film can stand up on its own - there is barely a minute goes by without a very good joke and despite the light-heartedness, there are some satisfyingly scary moments and ample gore.

What is most encouraging is that us Brits have started playing to our strengths. It took a long time for comedy writers to realise that making an English version of Friends is doomed to failure (in the same way that The Office will not work with an American make-over). We should celebrate the Britishness of this film, laugh knowingly at the in gags, and be proud that it doesn't take a huge budget or movie stars to entertain people at the cinema.

8/10