10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Shaun Of The Dead, 20 Years Later

Shaun of the Dead is now 20 years old, and while the film is still as beloved as ever, 10 harsh realities have come about upon rewatching the film for the last two decades. Shaun of the Dead was a massive hit upon its success, with it standing up to 20 years of scrutiny and still being held as one of the best comedies of all time. Like every film, however, there are a few issues with Shaun of the Dead, and these 10 problems only become apparent after rewatching the classic zombie comedy.

2004’s Shaun of the Dead is a beloved zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, with it being the first in a trilogy of Edgar Wright comedies to star the duo. Shaun of the Dead follows Simon Pegg’s titular loser as he attempts to survive a sudden zombie apocalypse, with it parodying many tropes of the genre in ground-breaking and hilarious ways. Like many of Edgar Wright’s other films, Shaun of the Dead is critically acclaimed, but here are 10 harsh realities of watching the film 20 years after it was initially released.

10 Shaun Of The Dead Is The Least Unique Film In The Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy

But That Doesn’t Mean It Is Bad

Shaun of the Dead is the first film in Edgar Wright’s Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy, and while it is probably the most well-known of the three films, it is also the least unique. Shaun of the Dead was made to homage and poke fun at the tropes of popular zombie movies, meaning that while it is successful at what it does, the premise of the film means that it is a bit unoriginal.

This problem becomes clear when comparing Shaun of the Dead to its two sister films, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. Although both of these movies are parodies as well, they rely less on parodying specific tropes of their genres and focus more on using the genre as a framework for a unique premise. Shaun of the Dead is simply about Shaun trying to save his family and friends from a zombie apocalypse, whereas Hot Fuzz is about a unique police mystery and The World’s End is about friends trying to pull off a bar crawl in the middle of an alien invasion.

9 Shaun Of The Dead Has Some Problematic Jokes

As All Old Comedies Do

Like many classic comedies, some of Shaun of the Dead‘s jokes haven’t aged well, with many of them being problematic in 2004 and even more problematic now. One scene in Shaun of the Dead has Nick Frost’s Ed say a racial slur when picking up Shaun and his friends in a car. While Shaun’s character seems annoyed by the use of this racial slur, it is still played off as a joke, with it being an odd non-sequitur in the film.

On top of that, Shaun of the Dead also has its characters use the word “gay” as an insult, another joke that is pretty cringe-worthy by today’s standards. Shaun of the Dead is a film full of some of the funniest gags ever put to screen, so problematic jokes like this seem especially lazy when compared to the constant hits that surround them.

8 Shaun Of The Dead Is Far From The Only Zombie Parody Movie Now

And It Wasn’t The First

At the time of its release, Shaun of the Dead stood out in the genre for being a zombie parody movie, something that hadn’t really been tried up until that point. However, that isn’t the case anymore, as all kinds of parodies of the zombie genre have been tried in the years since Shaun of the Dead‘s release. Zombieland, One Cut of the Dead, The Dead Don’t Die, and others have reached similar levels of critical success, with these being just a few of the many examples.

Because of this, some of the later zombie parody movies have taken away some of the punch from Shaun of the Dead‘s jokes, with these films all relying on poking fun at the same elements. While it isn’t Shaun of the Dead‘s fault that other zombie parodies have been released in the years since, it is a hard fact to ignore.

7 Edgar Wright’s Later Movies Are More Ambitious Than Shaun Of The Dead

Especially As Time Goes On

Shaun of the Dead was Edgar Wright’s second feature film, with it being the movie that really launched his career as a major director. Edgar Wright has gone on to direct all kinds of beloved movies in the years since Shaun of the Dead, and due to him growing as a filmmaker, some of these later movies make it seem as if Shaun of the Dead lacks ambition.

The aforementioned films Hot Fuzz and The World’s End both feature much more ambitious stories and worlds, but those aren’t the only Edgar Wright films that kicked things up a notch. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World‘s editing is some of the best in cinema history, Baby Driver is a big-budget action movie with an all-star cast, and Last Night in Soho attempts to tell a much more dramatic story (although opinions on whether it succeeded are mixed).

6 Shaun Giving The Zombies The Slip Is A Bit Of A Plot Hole

Even Though It Is Funny

One moment in Shaun of the Dead requires Shaun to lead the zombies away from the group, with this being one of the funniest jokes in the film. Shaun returns to the Winchester and explains that he gave the zombies the slip, with him not expanding on it. It is later revealed that the zombies managed to follow Shaun back to the bar, adding even more humor to this gag.

Despite the giving them the slip moment being funny, it is a bit of a plot hole. It seems inconceivable that Shaun not only managed to escape a massive horde of zombies but also that he was able to lure them perfectly according to his plan. While Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have attempted to explain what happened off-screen, the actual content of the film leaves a lot of questions surrounding this moment open.

5 Ed’s Jokes Are Too Low-Brow

Even If They Are Intentional

Nick Frost’s Ed is meant to be an annoying character in Shaun of the Dead, and while the character does pull this effect off, it can be a little too much at times. Ed’s constant jokes at the expense of Shaun’s mom get a little annoying, as they are constantly repeated without much being added. Ed’s jokes work for the story of the film, but they just aren’t all that funny due to how immature they are.

This contrasts with just how clever many of the jokes in Shaun of the Dead are, with Ed’s low-brow humor sticking out like a sore thumb. It is possible to make Ed annoying to Shaun without making him annoying to the audience, with Ed’s jokes being hard to sit through upon rewatching Shaun of the Dead.

4 The Tone Of Shaun Of The Dead Is A Little Inconsistent

Especially Near The End

Shaun of the Dead is an interesting film, as it attempts to pull off a major tonal shift near the end of the film. Although Shaun of the Dead is a comedy, it features some surprisingly dark moments, such as when Shaun has to kill his own mother. Mixing moments like this with goofy gags at the end of the film makes Shaun of the Dead seem a bit inconsistent, hurting its standing as a comedy.

However, these tonal inconsistencies don’t completely break the film, as the shift from comedic moments to dramatic moments still overwhelmingly works in Shaun of the Dead. While there are a couple of jokes that don’t land due to the gravity of the characters’ situations, overall Shaun of the Dead pulls this trick off incredibly well.

3 Shaun Of The Dead’s Themes Are Incredibly Tragic For A Comedy

But That Isn’t A Bad Thing

Although this isn’t a flaw in the film, rewatching Shaun of the Dead leads to the harsh reality that the film’s themes are incredibly tragic for a comedy. Through all of the comedic moments, it becomes apparent that Shaun of the Dead is about keeping dead relationships alive, with this theme being explored through the relationships between Shaun and Liz, Shaun and Ed, and Shaun’s mother and stepfather.

Related

Shaun Of The Dead: 10 Ways It’s A Spot-On Spoof Of Zombie Movies

Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead is such an accurate lampoon of zombie movies that it qualifies as one of the genre’s greatest entries.

Moments like this being paired with scenes in which Shaun has to kill his own mother and lose all of his friends turn Shaun of the Dead into an incredibly dark comedy. When really thinking about Shaun of the Dead, it becomes clear just how upsetting the movie is, with it tackling some pretty depressing themes about love and loss.

2 Shaun Of The Dead Heavily Relies On Dawn Of The Dead

It’s Worse If You Haven’t Seen It

Shaun of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead are two closely related movies, with Shaun of the Dead‘s title clearly letting viewers in on the fact that it is parodying George Romero’s classic zombie movie. While Shaun of the Dead does reference other classic horror movies, its story, world, and some of the best jokes are blatant parodies of Dawn of the Dead.

Because of this, there is a lot that will be missed for viewers of Shaun of the Dead who haven’t seen the George Romero classic. This is especially apparent for audience members who watched Shaun of the Dead before Dawn of the Dead only to rewatch the former film after seeing the latter, with these viewers realizing just how much they missed. Thus, watching Dawn of the Dead is key to fully understanding Shaun of the Dead.

1 Shaun Of The Dead’s Sequel Potential Is Even More Exciting Than It’s Main Story

But A Sequel Still Hasn’t Happened

Shaun of the Dead is a fantastic film, but viewers who have seen the movie know that Shaun of the Dead‘s ending sets up an even more exciting story for the sequel. Shaun of the Dead ends with zombies being integrated into society, with game shows and other products catered towards the zombie-infected world being seen on TV. This premise is absolutely hilarious, and a Shaun of the Dead sequel could explore this idea.

However, Shaun of the Dead 2 still hasn’t happened, leaving this perfect concept unexplored after 20 years. Shaun of the Dead is a satire, so a film fully exploring the world and mechanics of the post-zombie universe would be incredibly exciting, with a new Shaun of the Dead movie needing to be made in order to highlight the comedic potential of this concept.

Shaun of the Dead

From director Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg as Shaun, an ambitionless slacker who one day finds his world overrun by zombies. From a script by Wright and Pegg, Shaun of the Dead injects comedy into a typically horror-focused subgenre as Shaun and his lazy friend Ed (Nick Frost) attempt to rescue Shaun’s estranged girlfriend and make it through the apocalypse unscathed.

Release Date

September 24, 2004

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Cast

Kate Ashfield , Nick Frost , Simon Pegg , Lucy Davis , Dylan Moran

Runtime

99 minutes

Budget

$6.1 million