The World’s End isn’t a tribute to the science fiction genre as much as it is a treatise on dwelling on the past.
Gary King (Simon Pegg) is a 40-year-old alcoholic who can’t escape the memories of his rebellious, hard-drinking youth. The group of friends with whom he shared his halcyon days — Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Peter (Eddie Marsan) — have grown-up and moved on with their lives. Gary, however, still hasn’t gotten over a failed, early 90s attempt to complete a pub crawl called The Golden Mile. For some sad reason, Gary wants to recruit his estranged friends to take another stab at hitting twelve pubs in one night. So, that’s what he does.
And, somehow, he succeeds in dragging his former schoolmates out for a Friday night of drinking in their old hometown. To everyone’s amazement, he’s even managed to get the now-sober Andy (Nick Frost) to come with them. Andy and Gary had a falling-out due to an alcohol-related car accident not long after they graduated.
Shortly after they start the pub crawl, they notice that no one in their old hometown seems to recognize them. In fact, the townsfolk are acting very unusual. After an altercation in a bar’s bathroom, Gary discovers the reason why people are behaving so strangely and that humanity is actually in big trouble.
The World’s End is the final installment in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, preceded by Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Those films were loving riffs to zombie and buddy cop films respectively. The World’s End takes on science fiction. But it isn’t a tribute to the genre as much as it is a treatise on dwelling on the past. (Although it also feels like an extra-long episode of Doctor Who. Intentionally so, I’m sure.)
While the aforementioned entries in the Cornetto trilogy were packed with laughs, The World’s End has a definite heaviness to it. It’s clear that the film has a message to deliver. Unfortunately, it’s such an obvious moral that, once we get past the opening set-up, we (and the other characters) know that Gary’s attempt to relive the past is futile and sad. Don’t misunderstand me, though, as there is plenty of the trademark (and very British) humor that Pegg and co-writer and director Edgar Wright always bring to the table. This time around it just feels unusually ham-fisted.
Once the action gets going, the script puts aside most of the dourness and the laughs are more frequent. Some rather nifty special effects and well-choreographed action scenes add plenty of zip to the film’s final two acts. Unfortunately, the film falters again with a somewhat underwhelming climax.
I’ll always love the combination of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. Sadly, this outing falls short of their other work. For fans only.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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