Let me start by saying that I absolutely loved Hot Fuzz. The whole British comedy thing really does it for the chaps when it is done properly. It sparked me to re-watch Shaun of the Dead, which was better upon a second viewing, and to enjoy Paul a whole lot. I thought Simon Pegg was great in both Star Trek movies. My fellow chap and I have even gone back and checked out the earliest major collaboration between actor/writer Simon Pegg and writer/director Edgar Wright, the late-nineties television show Spaced. We like Simon Pegg. There is really no reason not to. Based upon the trailer, it was clear that The World’s End was going to keep up Pegg’s good name, as it appeared to be another strong comedy to pad his résumé. But the question moved away from if The World’s End would be any good and avalanched into how good The World’s End would be. As the movie blossomed, it became less of a comedy and more of a warning that could resonate with every group of friends as their teeth started to get longer and the friendships changed along with the people taking part in it. The World’s End became an interesting look at time itself with jokes cushioning a harsh storyline. So once again, how good was The World’s End? Well, not as good as it could have been.

The World’s End started out with a tale of five friends finishing up secondary school in smalltown England and having a ball on graduation night by attempting to complete “The Golden Mile”, a walking pub crawl that takes you through twelve different pubs on a mile loop and concludes at a pub called “The World’s End”. All of the commercials and promotional materials for the movie did a good job of explaining this plot, so there was no shock there. What was not explained in the trailers was that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost would be switching their traditional roles in the film, where Pegg’s character Gary King was the screw-up and Frost’s character Andy Knightley seemingly had his life completely in order. Yes, all of the primary characters had names that reference imperial British hierarchal status. In addition to the king and knight, the gang also included Peter Page, Stevie Prince, and Oliver Chamberlain. It was a clever way to show the pecking order of the group, as Gary often proclaimed that he was “the King”. They had failed at “The Golden Mile” as youths, and Gary decided that there was no better time than the present (twenty-three years after graduation) to pick back up. This provided the basis for the movie, initially, as five men in their early forties decided to go get at it like they were kids again.

From the moment he began speaking with his old pals, it was clear that everyone in the group had grown tired of Gary’s crap and that he and Andy had some sort of falling out. The issue between the friends was briefly explained late in The World’s End, but with a certainty that assured the viewer of the solemnity regarding that broken bond. Gary King is a character that can easily be related to by those who see the movie. Nearly everyone has or has had at least one friend who is a complete jerk, but convinces people to do whatever crazy idea he has and is able to smooth talk his way out of trouble. Less than Jake even have a song about it. We cannot help but be enticed by the magnetic charisma of these individuals, to the point of uncontrollable frustration through both foresight and hindsight, and yet the antic-fueled situations are bound to inevitably repeat themselves. The World’s End contained a story telling what happens when that jerk we all love to hate and hate to love grows up and alienates himself from his friends and family. And in the backdrop, robots (or something incredibly similar) had taken over Gary King’s hometown.

The casting of The World’s End was pretty solid, while maintaining a lot of the Edgar Wright standards. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were necessities, of course, and they played their characters very well. This was especially interesting because, as I said earlier, they were not playing their ordinary character types. Pegg’s character Gary King progressed a lot through the movie, and notably did not progress when you expected him to, adding to his charm and humor. Nick Frost’s Andy progressed a bit, and was a driving force emotionally. While you might be frustrated with King, Andy provided relatability, as he was settled into a career and was finished with the boyish fantasies of his contrasting friend Gary King. The group also contained accomplished British actor Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit movies, lead role in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Watson on the BBC’s Sherlock) who played the Bluetooth ear-piece clad Chamberlain, or O-man as he was commonly known throughout the film. O-man was integral to the story’s development, but did not have a very strong character. The less accomplished British actor Paddy Considine played Stevie Prince, who was slightly whiny but someone you will root for. Stealing the show in a supporting way though was Eddie Marsan as Peter Page, who is excellent as a giggly sidekick who even has a very emotional scene about bullying mid-movie. You may recognize Marsan as the Parkinson’s Diseased brother Terry Donovan on the Showtime series Ray Donovan. I cannot decide if his role on Ray Donovan is more impressive based on his role in The World’s End or vice versa, but either is a testament to his acting skill and brilliant range. In addition to the main troop of comrades, Pierce Brosnan has a very small role which is pretty sweet, because he’s Pierce Brosnan.

As the storyline of The World’s End developed, it became less of a comedy and more of a post-experience life lesson with jokes sprinkled on top. When a funny movie turns serious though, the jokes become more spaced out. At this point, the jokes need to be top class since there are fewer spots. Unfortunately, most of the memorable humor from The World’s End came early in the movie. There were many lines that seemed to have been clutched straight from real life Pegg and Wright jokes (“take a look at the town in its natural colors boys because tonight we’re gonna paint it red”, Dr. Ink, etc…), but they were all spouted early on. As the movie continued forward, the characters got drunk since they were partaking in a pub crawl. The British accents got thicker and some lines were missed in the New World (most of it was audible though, I mean, it’s not Trainspotting or anything…). Meanwhile, the characters were very drunk at points and able to have rational discussions at other points. It became confusing and somewhat exasperating, but still enjoyable at points.

The last third or so of The World’s End is where the film fell from great to good. It’s no Hot Fuzz, that’s for sure. But if you enjoyed Hot Fuzz, then you should definitely see The World’s End as soon as possible. And if you did not see Hot Fuzz, stop being a fool and get it done. I would put The World’s End level with Paul, just behind Shaun of the Dead, and obviously well behind Hot Fuzz. Wow, I wasn’t kidding, I guess I really did enjoy Hot Fuzz.