Shaun of the Dead
March 2005 Reviewed by: Roger Kanno Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

The cover art of Shaun of the Dead depicts a film that's a romantic comedy with zombies. It is about an apathetic guy named Shaun who, like many men, does not put much effort into a languishing relationship with his girlfriend, Liz. He is stuck in an emasculating dead-end job and seems to harbor some resentment toward his mother and stepfather. But when zombies begin taking over England, it is up to him to save Liz, his mum, and his friends. However, things don’t always go exactly as planned in this very British comedy.

Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Edgar Wright, stars as Shaun, the rather ordinary hero of the film. His slovenly and even less-ambitious best friend, Ed, is played by Nick Frost. Although Ed’s character reliably provides slapstick laughs, it is Pegg who really delivers humor as the much put-upon everyman, Shaun. Although Shaun’s world is crumbling around him, you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of his situation. We still empathize with him as he tries to reconcile with Liz and his mother and stepfather as the zombies close in all around him. And if we didn’t, the movie would be little more than a series of unfortunate events inflicted upon this hapless fellow. The supporting cast is brilliant, with memorable turns from Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran as Liz’s annoying flat mates, Penelope Wilton, and Bill Nighy, whom you might recognize from Love Actually.

The video quality is quite good. The picture is sometimes a little grainy, but colors are always vibrant and lighting appears natural. Dark scenes show slightly more grain, but otherwise have good detail. Unfortunately, the audio is a bit of a mixed bag. Dialogue is not particularly natural-sounding, although it is quite intelligible. Action scenes often sound overly exaggerated, and loud effects are frequently jarring in their abruptness and volume. These bustling scenes exhibit good surround envelopment, but seem disjointed from the rest of the soundtrack, which is much quieter and oriented toward the front channels.

There is a surprisingly complete set of extras on this disc, including many video featurettes. Some of the video showing special effects and makeup tests lacks audio and would have benefited from commentary or at the least a spoken introduction. There are many other interesting extras such as outtakes, deleted scenes, extended scenes, casting tapes, and photo galleries. The two commentary tracks, especially the one with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, are informative and amusing.

If you enjoy British humor, then you will love this movie. And even if you don’t, you will probably find that Shaun of the Dead provides just the right amount of comedy and horror, with a smattering of social commentary. This DVD is a refreshing change of pace for anyone looking for something other than a typical Hollywood formula comedy.

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