"The World's End" seems a lot like director Edgar Wright's attempt to repeat the success of his 2004 cult hit "Shaun of the Dead." Where "Shaun" was basically a comfortably numb stoner dropped into a very British version of "Night of the Living Dead," "The World's End" stars an immature alcoholic dropped into a Hertfordshire "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Simon Pegg (from "Shaun") plays a 40-something loser who's never grown up and enlists four rather reluctant old friends (Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan) to join him on a 12-pint pub crawl that they were unable to finish as youths. Cue much "Hangover"-style drunken debauchery, a nostalgic soundtrack, a few life lessons — and an alien-invasion subplot. The film suffers due to Pegg's wearying, laddish performance, which comes off as simply obnoxious: Imagine Jim Carrey at his most manic, throwing his arms out wide as if appealing directly to the audience for a laugh. Sorry, but no.
For a chance to win one of three pairs of tickets to see "The World's End," visit http://jtimes.jp/film
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| Director | Edgar Wright |
| Language | English |
| Opens | Now showing |
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.