The World's End Review

As spiritual successors go, few have been quite so anticipated as cult threequel The World's End. Our review of Edgar Wright's lacklustre piece.
One of the oldest clichés in the book that still resides in our society goes something like this: you can't blame a guy for trying. Well, in the case of The World's End, it turns out that you can. In fact, in the case of director and screenplay author Edgar Wright, you can blame a guy for trying far too heavily to impress his fanbase, and in doing so subsequently alienating the mainstream audience cult pieces such as these rely so heavily on to succeed within the ranks of the box office.

What's so crushing in this particular case is that proceedings kick off with such promise. Reversing the roles and thus narrative arcs of Simon Pegg's and Nick Frost's lead characters from those seen in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz appears to be an inspired decision at first, with Frost's cold and calculating Andy reflecting the initial personality of Shaun and Sargeant Angel, while Pegg's Gary can be likened more to Ed and Danny in his irksome quirks and outrageous arrogance. However, such a reversal works far better in theory than in execution, as particularly in the film's second act, the pair of comic legends seem interchangeable in terms of their portrayals, dampening the effect of their new roles considerably.

Elsewhere, the other members of the ensemble cast are frequently short-changed by Pegg, Frost and Wright's screenplay. Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine all appear to be layered and compelling character constructs to bring along for the ride in a pub crawl to the titular 'World's End' establishment, yet once the science-fiction elements of the motion picture kick in, they're all either thrown to the sidelines or misused horrendously come the second half. Indeed, it seems that much of the shortcomings to be found with the narrative come in its inevitable transition from a satirical British comedy to an apocalyptic jaunt, with most of the mildly compelling gags offered up during the opening scenes of the flick lost to a predictable and unengaging extraterresterial incursion via phone networks that makes Doctor Who's enjoyable The Bells of Saint John seem like an utter masterpiece by comparison.

This unsettling quality discontinuity carries through with regards to the conclusion of the storyline in particular. For fear of spoiling one of a few underwhelming yet notable Brit star cameos, it's unneccesary to delve too deeply into the final events of the narrative, but sufficed to say that Wright and his team appear to think themselves far more intelligent than they truly are during the climax, offering up a tedious soliloquy from Pegg's unhinged protagonist that echoes the 2005 big-screen take on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but possesses none of the charm and anti-risque humour that boosted that piece so strongly. Follow that up with a completely unnecessary monologue from Frost that leaves plenty to be desired, and come the credits the viewer is left feeling that they have witnessed one of the least effective climaxes of recent times.

A particular element of this entry in the Summer of Film that cannot be omitted in this review is that of its role within the 'Cornetto Trilogy'. The reason for its significance within the context of our verdict is simple: those viewers who have not seen this finale's spiritual successors Shaun and Fuzz will be left with a bitter aftertaste of neglect once they leave the auditorium. Much of the movie's surprisingly limited humour hinges on the likelihood of the audience having seen the likes of David Bradley and another notable returnee in previous entries, or on their recollection of numerous 'shortcuts' attempted via fence mounting, or indeed that aforementioned recurring motif of a particular ice cream variety. Even those initiated viewers aren't safe from disappointment, though, since virtually each and every reference to the past two Edgar/Pegg/Frost outings falls short, enabling the entire piece to come off as more of a homage to the 'Cornetto' franchise than a genuine entry and finale within it.

Peculiar as it may seem given the tendency by fans of these three comic legends such as myself to assume that they can't take a wrong step, this sentiment of a sense of overriding nostalgia for the good ol' days is the most prominent and damning element of The World's End. Too often, the painfully lacklustre gags spared at a character's expense will only serve to illustrate the immense reversal of quality that's occurred between 2008's Hot Fuzz and this final instalment. Thanks to an immensely shortchanged cast, a narrative that we've seen done better countless times before and uninspired direction from Wright, all of the cult charm and memorability that still resides in both Shaun and Fuzz is virtually completely lost here. The World's End starts off with a bang and promises greatness, yet from the moment it switches to a science-fiction narrative rather than a whimsical and nostalgic pub crawl, it fails on every level to match its predecessors. Consequently, it only warrants a single viewing by those fans wanting a definitive resolution to their 'Cornetto' adventures and can be skipped by anyone who doesn't fall into that category.
3/5