The World's End Review

A glass half full.

Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman

The World’s End is director Edgar Wright’s finale to the cult favorite Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, which featured previous entries Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The three films have several things in common -- they share directors (Wright headed all three), stars (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost once again lead the charge), supernatural themes, raucous violence and, of course, cameos by various flavors of cornetto. The World’s End succeeds where its predecessors did and finds itself succumbing to many of the same pitfalls, resulting in a fitting if somewhat uneven conclusion to the trilogy.

The film follows the pursuits of Gary King (Pegg) as he attempts to reunite his high-school friends and attempt the Golden Mile pub crawl, a legendary feat requiring that the participants down twelve pints of beer at twelve different pubs in the group’s hometown of Newton Haven, with the final stop being The World’s End. Gary’s group of friends, whom, as it turns out, have grown up a bit more than Gary himself, includes Andy (Frost), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine) and Peter (Eddie Marsan). As the friends get to know each other again over the course of the crawl, they soon become aware that everything is not as it seems in their seemingly peaceful hometown, and find themselves in a fight for their own survival -- and perhaps that of mankind itself.

The World's End is at its best when its entire main cast is united.

Like each of predecessors, The World’s End goes over-the-top quite suddenly, bringing supernatural elements into the mix without much warning at all. And like in its predecessors, the mix works brilliantly in the film, adding up to a bizarrely satisfying mix of insanity, comedy,  ingenuity and a strong dose of heart. The entire cast is phenomenal, and each main player gets the chance to spout out more than one hilarious line throughout the film’s running time, with Pegg sprinkling in a multitude of lighting-quick laughs for those with keen enough ears to catch them. Nick Frost is given the time to shine perhaps more so than in either of the other Cornetto films, delivering much of the film’s most emotionally affecting material with grace and delivering what is perhaps the film’s single most side-splittingly uproarious laugh.

The film’s entire first half is expertly crafted; the quieter (in contrast) laughs that this section of the film delivers are highly effective. This initial fifty minutes of film is when the ensemble cast is given the most uninterrupted time to shine, and the strength of every supporting member shows through in spades. After the initial ludicrous twist has set in and made itself welcome for a while, The World’s End decides to bump things up another notch -- this time to less stellar results.

This isn’t to say that the second half of The World’s End is bad. It most certainly is not, still delivering many laughs, some exciting action and a gleefully memorable exchange at the climax. As a whole, though, the film’s latter section feels more hollow and lacking in as much character as the first. By taking things even further over the top than the initial twist does, screenwriters Wright and Pegg disrupt the wonderful balance they had previously forged, resulting in what feels like a comparatively mixed bag. Furthermore, the stellar cast isn’t given nearly as much time to interact in the film’s second half, with breathless action taking the place of some of the character that dominates The World’s End’s first section. 

To top off the disappointing second half, The World's End features an ending that feels slightly out of place. Though the conclusion leaves viewers with considerable food for thought, especially for a wacky sci-fi comedy, it's rather disappointing on its own terms. The ending leaves a somewhat sour taste in the mouth, not necessarily because it's bad, but because it's a marked tonal departure from the rest of the antics within the film, and ultimately doesn't satisfy as a sendoff to the many memorable qualities of The World's End.

Pegg displays the course of The Golden Mile.

As a whole, though, The World’s End is not lacking in character. It’s filled to the brim with the same caliber of ludicrously un-stylized violence and clever practical effects that made its predecessors the cult hits that they are. As a result, The World’s End remains as inaccessible and inherently British as Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, leading to a quirky delight for those who know what they’re getting into, but a somewhat confusing mess for those who don’t.

When you’re dealing with a group with as much comic prowess as Wright, Pegg and Frost that also happens to be rooted in England, though, that’s to be expected. Ultimately, the entirety of The World’s End is just that for previous fans of the Cornetto trilogy -- expected -- in a great way. Though its tonal misgivings make for a product that can safely be considered the weaker link in the series, The World’s End is definitely not a black mark on the Cornetto Trilogy. More than likely, it will achieve the same cult-hit status as its delightful predecessors; rightfully so.