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Anyone who’s ever moved away from their hometown can talk about the strange, off-balance feeling that comes with going back home again. On one hand, it feels as though absolutely nothing has changed—as if time has stood still. But, at the same time, there are always a few things that feel completely out of place. That’s definitely the case for five old pals who return home to drink themselves into oblivion in director Edgar Wright’s latest comic thriller, The World’s End.
The World’s End finds Gary King (Simon Pegg) reminiscing about the good old days—particularly one night in 1990, when he and his four closest friends set out on an ambitious 12-stop pub crawl through their small town. They ended the night without reaching their final destination—a pub called The World’s End—so now, all these years later, Gary is determined to try it again.
After luring his four reluctant old friends—Peter (Eddie Marsan), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Andy (Nick Frost)—back to Newton Haven, Gary gleefully begins the pub crawl. But it soon becomes clear that something is off in their old hometown.
The third and final film in Wright’s Cornetto trilogy (after Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), The World’s End concludes the series on a rather bittersweet note. The whole film has a kind of depressing undertone to it. After all, at its heart, it’s the story of a lonely has-been who’s trying to relive his glory days with a bunch of friends who grew up and moved on long ago.
Of course, that’s not to say that it isn’t still a fun-filled, action-packed romp. If you’ve seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, you already know the kind of action-comic genius that ensues when Wright, Pegg, and Frost decide to get together and make a movie. While The World’s End is a little chattier than the other two films—and it takes a while for the real action to build—there’s really no shortage of humor. Pegg is often side-splittingly hilarious at the most unexpected times—and he’s so charismatic as the immature and insensitive yet strangely irresistible trouble-maker that you’ll understand why his old friends can’t help but follow along.
As the five friends continue on their mission—getting progressively drunker with each stop along the way—the comedy builds. And while the otherworldly action sometimes seems like an odd addition, it definitely cranks up the quirk.
The World’s End isn’t the best film in this wild and wacky trilogy. In fact, it’s the least outrageous of the three. But the clever writing and comic cast still make it well worth rounding up your old pals for night out—especially if your local theater also happens to serve beer.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
