When they graduated high school in 1990, five friends celebrated by attempting to complete “The Golden Mile,” which is a 12 pub crawl in their sleepy English town. They were unable to complete it and eventually went their separate ways, shaping their adult lives.
Now that they’re all in their 40s, Gary King (Simon Pegg) decides to get the gang back together to attempt the pub crawl again and this time succeed. Reluctantly, the other four (Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan) agree to set their busy lives aside to reunite with each other. Along the way they discover their town is the hub of a mysterious group of creatures, plotting to take over the world.
We say, “The circle is complete.”
TAYLOR: I’m a big fan of the Pegg and Frost movies, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It would only be fair to include director Edgar Wright, as the three men together made what is now the unrelated trilogy that follows a successful formula of their own creation.
Dead, Fuzz and now The World’s End all have a unique, punchy style that pits ordinary blokes against a world gone mad. This new film, however, draws out a new depth that includes a very strong ensemble cast, real world problems like alcoholism and is more realistic than the first two. This realism doesn’t detract from the laughs and for fans of all things British, particularly those of us who are in our early 40s, the film is a trip down memory lane, to all things awesome.
HOWE: There are a few similarities between this and Shaun of the Dead (the pubs, getting chased by someone or something.) Also, the film is very funny and I laughed a lot. It certainly is a blast from the past: the awesome soundtrack (Soul II Soul and The Housemartins to just name a couple), pints of Foster’s lager and the classic Ford Cortina Ghia. Fantastic.
TAYLOR: The second half of the film, when the weird stuff starts happening, amps up the pace. The laughs come fast and furious, as the now quite inebriated gang attempts to simultaneously complete their pub crawl, while solving the mystery of what is going on in their town. The science fiction aspect of the film is kind of unique and fun as well, but in the end it turns out to be a bit disposable, a bit silly. I’m fully prepared to forgive the film for this fact as it’s so much fun.
HOWE: World’s End is a fun movie, and Pegg and company do a great job making you feel like you are there with them along for the ride: downing pint after pint, reminiscing about the ‘90s, getting sillier by the minute. Just a word of warning, there’s a lot of classy British working class language.
— Taylor gives The World’s End 4 pints out of 5.
— Howe gives it 4 straws out of 5.
The feature is currently showing at the Vernon Towne Cinema.
