Shaun also has a mother, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), who lives across town. The fate of Shaun's birth father is unknown, but for years Barbara has been married to Philip (Bill Nighy), whom Shaun dislikes.
Zombie day hits London, and in short order the newly dead are staggering about, surrounding and eating people. Clueless at first, Shaun and Ed eventually realize that the lives of all are in danger. Shaun hatches a weak plan to unite with Ed, Liz, and his Mum in the safest place he can think of, his favorite pub.
How others will see it. The low budget Shaun of the Dead had middling box office but has been a massive success in its video release, confirmed by a whopping 360K user votes at imdb.com. The user ratings are extremely high but decline moderately with advancing age of the viewer. The lowest grade (7.2 out of 10) comes from women over 45, always the most interesting demographic due to its independence from group think. But even this audience enjoys the familiar absurdity of it all.
Every movie has its naysayers, and the ones for this film simply believe it isn't funny, or has average actors. No one seems to be offended by its grisly nature, as it is endemic to the genre.
BAFTA, perhaps in an attempt to become trendy, nominated this movie in the category of Best British Film, an accomplishment that would be more impressive if Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wasn't a fellow nominee that year. The UK Empire Awards was even more forthcoming, nominating the movie for Best British Film, Best British Director, Best British Actor, and Best British Actress.
How I felt about it. Most zombie films are comedies. The major exception is the genre's gold standard, the original Night of the Living Dead (1968), which everyone has seen and defined the rules of the game. Since it is likely impossible to surpass that film on its own terms, most filmmakers instead approach the genre as gross comedy, epitomized here by the unlikely sudden dismembering of David after he is seized by zombies.
Although comedy is the goal, suspense runs rampant because there's no telling who will be eaten next. A prick like David is high on the list, but it is a surprise that Ed is a victim.
Technically, Shaun of the Dead is also a romance, since Shaun spends the movie trying to get back with Liz. Because it is a movie, events works out that Shaun succeeds, something that is only possible because all the people that would impede the romance become zombies.
Shaun of the Dead is much better than expected. True, all the cliché's of the genre are present, but the script is generally witty (by all means throw the Batman soundtrack at the zombies), and Shaun's affection for Ed, despite endless peer pressure to exclude him, is also charming.