Almost a decade ago, the terrific trio of director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost worked together to make the horror comedy Shaun of the Dead (2004) which became a cult British classic. Three years later, they surpassed that with the vastly-entertaining crime-caper Hot Fuzz (2007), a film that poked fun at the action genre. Several years on, the ‘three musketeers’ are back together again to complete the concluding film of their unofficial ‘Cornetto’ trilogy with their action/sci-fi outing The World’s End (which just so happens to be have been released so soon after another end-of-world comedy, This is the End!). Five guys, twelve pubs, fifty pints, what could possibly go wrong?….

SYNOPSIS: Eccentric layabout Gary King (Simon Pegg) tries to recapture his youth by reuniting his quartet of childhood friends consisting of Andy (Nick Frost), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman) and Peter (Eddie Marsan) to embark on an epic pub crawl that they previously tried to pull off twenty years ago in the village of Newton Haven. During the night out, the group recollect their past and how their lives have turned out only to be confronted by a gang of youths that are actually mysterious robot beings. Realising that everyone in the village has been taken over by these robots, the group must battle their way to the other pubs to try and survive knowing that the fate of mankind rests on their drunken shoulders.

As he has done with his previous films, Edgar Wright once again chooses to incorporate satirical genres into The World’s End including action and sci-fi but also demonstrates some important themes that exist within the group of leading characters such as regret, friendship (a popular trend in the Cornetto trilogy) and the battle between adulthood and adolescence. There are also the little recurring elements from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz which continue to be mentioned here such as the clinically-edited montages, the rock-hard soundtrack and the ‘jumping the fence’ gag which always bring a laugh. Yet again it is refreshing to see leading duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost back on-screen together. The banter that exists between the pair has always stood out in the ‘trilogy’ though there is a case of role reversal in this outing as they switch character personas. This allows Pegg to shine with his performance as the selfish and at-times offensive Gary whereas Frost is finally able to give more depth to his role as the reluctant Andrew. However there are still traces of the old Frost we all love especially when he drinks more and more throughout the film. However the interplay between the pair is bolstered by the additions of Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan and Martin Freeman as their three other friends, each of whom have different personalities. While the latter fails to stand out due to a  lack of focus on his character, Considine and Marsan manage to put aside their hard-edged performances in recent films by providing surprisingly good comic timing especially in Marsan’s case. Kudos too to the scrumptious Rosamund Pike for showing her potential as an actress with comedy talent as she brings eye candy to the film but also seems to have jolly fun kicking alien ass. One other standout feature of this production is the use of well-choreographed action which, like Wright’s previous films, continues to be shot in a fast-paced manner that adds to the entertainment. Just spare a thought for Gary in one one sequence where he desperately tries to drink his pint only to be constantly interrupted by the fighting going on around him!

However the film’s problems do stem from the over-the-top plot-line which can clearly be seen as jumping the shark. While zombies and gun-welding villagers would seem silly to other people, they at least worked because of the satirical nods to classic horror/action films but in this case, the alien sub-plot is literally too ridiculous. While the younger audiences wouldn’t have been keen watching a film about a group of men reminiscing their lost youth (especially when the laughs are lacking in the first half hour), the inclusion of the aliens seems like a desperate way of getting more attention amidst all the loud bangs and thrills of other summer blockbusters. It also doesn’t help that the final act is a big letdown that links all the sci-fi stuff together via a lot of talking which drags the ending out as we are left wondering whether we’re really bothered who gets out alive. That particular feeling can be aimed directly at the Gary character, a man who lacks the charm and empathy of Pegg’s previous incarnations from other Wright films. He spends a large majority of the film acting obnoxious and rude especially at the expense of his friends and fails to make us root for him even when we get to the ‘bitter’ end. Even the inclusion of former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan as the friend’s former teacher fails to enlighten the film as it is clearly obvious that the production team wanted him to share similar traits to fellow Bond actor Timothy Dalton though he just lacks the sinister presence that Dalton had in Hot Fuzz.

VERDICT: It’s last orders for Pegg, Frost and co as their ‘Cornetto’ trilogy comes to a ludicrous end in this amusing yet bizarre outing that falls short with its end-of-world plot. While I (controversially) prefer it to Shaun of the Dead, it just lacks the humourous fun of Hot Fuzz.