Retrospective Film Review

Shaun of the Dead (2004) • 20 Years Later — relatable characters fuel a hilarious zombie comedy

The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.

In Shaun of the Dead, our eponymous protagonist is stuck in a rut. Shaun (Simon Pegg) ambles through life like a zombie (figuratively, at least). While this sentient way of living seems to be draining him of his energy and optimism, not only does Shaun not deviate from going through the motions, he is so locked into this lifestyle that he shows no ability to change. Shaun is the perfect everyman character, oafish but relatable, underachieving in life and lacking self-discipline and motivation. Even when he resolves to make more of an effort with his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) to spice up their humdrum routine, his promise to book them a table at “the place that does all the fish” falls flat when he gets so absorbed in his day-to-day activities that he forgets to make a reservation.