The World's End (2013): A Capable Cap to its Trilogy

The very title of The World's End is one big pun, and not a very good one. To be fair to puns of all shapes and sizes, it's not meant to be, and it won’t surprise you to hear that this movie contains just as many jokes as both Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, the other two films in what has become the most unconventionally structured trilogy I’ve ever seen, if one can even call it that. This is solid work from Edgar Wright, even if you can’t help but get the sense while watching it that it lives in the shadow of his other Cornetto films. What it is, dear reader, is just as cheerfully Bri’ish as the other two movies, as its story is based upon a pub crawl – English slang for serial drinking in one pub after another – that takes a turn for the worst once a sinister secret about the townspeople is brought into the light. Yes, this is a bit like Hot Fuzz, but it also stakes out an identity to call its own, one that sets it apart from two movies that would have overshadowed it even more had it not been for this one being a relatively new experience.

To explain the pun, The World’s End is also the name of the final pub of Gary King and his newly-reunited band of misfits’ crawl along the famous Golden Mile of pubs, and as for the actual world and whether or not it will end, well, you’ll just have to see. Gary is an infectiously, annoyingly cheerful chap whose friends go along with his delusions because of the force of his personality, though once events start to get progressively weirder and more sinister, they’ll need to stick together for the sake of survival. It’s a lot of fun watching the over-enthusiastic Gary try to encourage his four mates who don’t seem to be entirely on board with the idea of this reunion, because after all, desk jobs and kids – something Gary hasn’t experienced yet – do change you, often for the better, if I’m being honest.

This is a “get the gang back together” movie, because this isn’t the first time Gary and his chaps have tried the Golden Mile, though youth and excessive consumption of alcohol stymied them before. However, a wrench has been thrown into Gary’s plans. Once they arrive at the first pub, Andy, his best friend, orders a tap water. He’s the first to fall out of love with Gary and his reunion, and perhaps that’s because Gary’s something of an annoying chap, far too talky, drunk, and enthusiastic about his poor life decisions for Andy's tastes. Take one look at him, and it’s not hard to see why Andy wanted that water.

The World’s End is very good at setting the scene, whether it be one of Gary’s raging enthusiasm or the decreasing supply of it on the part of his friends. Its scene transitions are very creative, and give the movie a real shock of momentum. Every time the scene changes, it feels like an important development. Speaking of important developments, it’s eventually revealed that not everyone in the town is what they seem to be. In fact, that’s true for almost the entire town, save for a few lucky souls. Think the for the greater good crowd from the previous movie, but different. Once all these sinister souls show up to challenge our drunkards, minus one, the movie takes a turn for the fantastical.

This is a more heartfelt story than either of its predecessors, though it’s still got plenty of comedy baked in, and Wright’s struggle to mesh this sincerity with his filmmaking style is actually what keeps The World’s End from working as well as the rest of its trilogy. One can’t help but get the sense that Edgar Wright isn’t as in control of the serious elements of his movie as he is the silly ones, and this is the weakest chapter in its trilogy because it never feels entirely natural for him. I expected to laugh heartily like I did during Hot Fuzz, and walked away a little disappointed. This is still a funny movie, though not as laugh-out-loud as the other two films, but it also contains some really interesting and even heartfelt beats that we didn't see or hear in either of them. That, dear reader, is the double-edged sword of Wright stepping out of his comfort zone: The World’s End feels like an evolution for him.

Granted, it’s an evolution that sometimes moves away from what made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz work so well, but I’m still thankful that The World’s End tries something new, nonetheless. While its cast could have lost a few of its less influential players and gained some focus because of it, it’s still top-notch, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reminding us yet again why they’re one of the greatest comedy duos of all time. This is a fun movie with a fresh take on its premise, and Lord knows we could always use more of those. The World’s End and its occasionally frustrating shortcomings are not the end of the world. They’re the beginning of something new that stays fun because of it.

The World’s End – 8/10

Mark 13:28-37