By 
Now I aint sayin’ she’s a gold digga, but she aint messin’ wit no broke niggas.
Well, maybe she is while you’re gone, who knows right?
Anyway, I apologize for the especially late update, I’ve got all kinds of crazy things going on lately so I’ve been busier than the average bear–which is to include looking for a new apartment–which is always a pain in the ass.
The Necropocalypse contest is officially closed! I received a few last minute ones that will be considered in the run, but anything after this update is null and void. You can view the entries here. Next week will conclude the Necropocalypse series, so for you haters out there look forward to the regular strips coming back after that.
I will announce the winners to the contest on Tuesday!
The film I’m going to talk about today is one you’ve probably seen, but a very important film in the zombie genre.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Why is this film important? It was the first major zombie film to make light of the subject of the undead–this was followed by others like Fido and Zombieland, but Shaun was really the first one to do it successfully and make it appeal to everyone.
The basic premise, for the few of you that haven’t seen it, is our lead character Shaun (played by Simon Pegg) is having a load of relationship issues with his girlfriend Liz. A lot of these are brought on by the fact that he and his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) are inseparable, resulting in Ed being a kind of third wheel that just doesn’t seem to go away. While sorting through these issues in the beginning, strange things start happening around London–people aren’t showing up to work, people are disappearing, calling in sick, etc. We catch minor glimpses of the unfolding apocalypse as little more than background noise to Shaun’s romantic tribulations.
Soon, the outbreak becomes obvious as they find their roommate (or “flatmate” if you’re Londonese) turned into a fully fledged zombie in the shower. Shaun then embarks with Ed on a mission to save his (now) ex girlfriend from the impending, rotting doom.
The reason I’ve chosen to talk about this film is because it does everything a comedy should do, as well as everything a zombie film should do. What’s important here is that, while the zombies aren’t actually the focus of the movie, they are treated seriously and realistically. I tend to roll my eyes at anything that’s supposed to be a “zombie comedy”, as these things usually bring in a lot of awful clichés and poor undead treatment. Zombies don’t talk, they don’t play pranks and just calling something a “zombie”, doesn’t make it so.
The undead horde in Shaun of the Dead is as real as any Romero flick, and follow the same grounding in realism as any tried and true horror movie. The humor doesn’t use the zombies as a kind of crutch to appeal to people that “love zombies”, the humor is grounded in the situations presented to Shaun and the supporting cast.
In the end though, the reason this film is so great? Because it’s fucking hilarious. Though, it is very British, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying it. I would pick Shaun of the Dead over Zombieland any day.
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