The film originated from a Channel 4 sitcom that played a few years ago, called SPACED. It was very good. It won a lot of awards, rightly so. I still haven't met anybody (other than my sister) who's watched, over even heard of it. Which is a shame.
It focuses on the lives of a group of 20-somethings in a london flat. It parodies many films, tv shows, music, pop culture, and is very funny indeed. One of the early episodes involved Tim (one of the main characters, played by the fantastic Simon Pegg) getting so involved in playing Resident Evil 2 he starts to believe he's in the game, with all the zombies, shotguns and spraying blood that entails. Simon Pegg (who also co-wrote the series) and the director, Edgar Wright, concluded that filming that little sequence in the flat was so much fun, they should make a full length film. A few years later, they did.
Shaun of Dead is a self styled 'Romantic Zombie Comedy' (or a romzomcom to the initiated) which focuses on Shaun, a 29 year old Electric utility salesman. He is going nowhere in life. His girlfriend thinks so too, and she dumps him, under the guidance of her two friends (Dawn from the office and the drunk Irish bloke from Black Books - I don't know their names). Which leaves Shaun wallowing in the local pub and his flat in Crouch End with his stoner uber-slacker best friend Ed and super-officeman flatmate Pete. And a shitload of zombies.
See, Shaun of the Dead is pretty obviously a zombie film. One look at the posters can tell you that. But it's a very...British...zombie film. I guarantee that you have never seen a cricket bat used so viciously. Or a prized vinyl collection used with such determination. Or looked upon the local pub with so much hope.
I also guarantee that you will come away from this film looking at 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen in a whole new way.
Placing a zombie apocalypse in South-East London is a pretty daft thing to do. But much to the creators credit, it works prefectly. And, it is very safe to say, it is much, much better than that Dawn of the Dead remake everybody thinks this is a spoof of. For instance, we actually care about the characters. A lot. We want them to survive, to escape the situation. When they inevitably start beginning to be picked off, real emotion is felt but the audience as well as the other members of the gang.
But that makes it sound a bit serious. Which it is, sometimes. But mostly it's a fantastic pastiche of Sit Coms, Suburbian London and Horror films in general. And it's really, really funny. Go see this film. You'll only regret it if you're particually squemish.
The film is a tribute to George A. Romero's 1978 zombie classic, Dawn of the Dead. There are a few running themes from Dawn that are present in Shaun, namely the slow-moving, shuffling zombies, the small band of survivors holed up in a 'safe' place (the shopping mall in Dawn, and the local pub in Shaun) and a slight commentary on social life.
Alright, so maybe that last point is slightly pretentious, but ask any Romero fan about the underlying digs at American comsumerism and you'll get what I mean. Likewise, Shaun of the Dead has a bit of a go at the impersonality of London - Shaun walks through two days of a slow zombie invasion without realising what's going on. The way it's done is brilliant: we only hear snatched reports on the radio or news, and see people in the background acting...strangely.
I'm starting to realise this post lack any coherent structure, but you have to realise I really, really enjoyed this film. If you like black comedy, sitcoms or horror movies you will definately love it too.
The soundtrack also kicks arse.
Editied to add: Here are some better written reviews! www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=17341
Here's the homepage!
http://www.romzom.com
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Edited by: The Smee at: 4/14/04 5:55 am
I agree whole heartedly with Smee - uk kitties go see this please - lets support the first decent British film for aaaaaages that isn't all about posh London types or Hugh Grant stuttering - or rubbish mockney gangsters.
) and the Director Edgar - plus Jessica Stevenson has a cameo - yay! 
