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The World’s End

The World’s End

By Patrick Samuel • November 20th, 2013
Static Mass Rating: 4/5
THE WORLD’S END (MOVIE)
Universal Pictures UK

Release date: November 25th, 2013
Running time: 109 minutes

Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike

The World’s End

The years between 1994 and 1999 were some of the best years of my life. I’d barely finished high school when my friends took me to my first bar and it was there I had my first drink. From there it was only a matter of time before my first smoke, first concert, first night club…and a few other things. Often described as the “quiet one – until he had a few drinks”, I was a bit of a handful and could never hold my drink, but all in all it was harmless fun with the weekends sometimes starting on Friday night and ending with a hangover from Hell a few days later.

Being in my mid-30s now with those days long behind me, occasionally I do wonder what it would be like to be that reckless again; to get the old gang together and see if we could finally finish the night properly without one of us into trouble, landing in hospital or ending up on a plane to Germany (all of which I’m guilt of!).

The World’s End, directed by Edgar Wright, is a film which starts off with a similar premise and sees Gary King (Simon Pegg) trying to get his former school friends, Andrew Knightley (Nick Frost), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman) and Peter Page (Eddie Marsan), back together to accomplish what they failed to do back in 1990, to finish a legendary pub crawl consisting of 12 pubs starting with The First Post and ending at The World’s End. Though his friends are apprehensive at first, Gary his own reasons for wanting to revisit his boyhood days and it soon becomes clear that he’s never actually grown up.

The World’s End

No sooner than they return to the town of Newton Haven where they went to school, the group realise things have changed. Not only have the old pubs been bought out by chains and turned into soulless places, but the folks seem different – also kind of soulless! The first to discover this is Gary, but after a few drinks no one’s likely to believe him. Thankfully there’s enough evidence in the blue ink stained bath bathroom where he managed to dissemble a teenage robot to convince his friends he’s telling truth this time.

While Andrew, Steven, Oliver and Peter would rather hotfoot it back to London than stay a moment longer in a village of robots, Gary thinks that if they leave suddenly they’ll know that they know, so the best option is to play along and finish the pub crawl as if nothing’s wrong. Of course, this could just be another ploy to get them to go a drinking binge with him, or maybe Gary has another agenda altogether?

The World’s End brings together elements from classic films such as Village Of The Damned (1960) and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956) but with a robot The World’s End twist to tell a story about a man who desperately wants to recapture what were obviously the best days of his life. With a script that offers many funny moments, Pegg, Frost, Considine, Freeman and Marsan bring it all to life as they battle a town they once thought was boring and predictable.

Through some well-coordinated fight scenes we see Andrew going crazy with a pair of barstools and Gary trying to finish a pint while smashing a few heads. It’s a film that rivals Hot Fuzz (2007) for a place in my heart but will never top Shaun Of The Dead (2004), or my all-time favourite of Pegg and Frost’s pairings – Paul (2011). By the third act the film seems to stall and comes across as unsure of which direction to go in as the characters continue onwards to The World’s End. This gives way to a climax that feels a little unimpressive, but what it lacks in awe and action in these final moments it makes up for with heart – a lot of heart, which is something Pegg and Frost always bring to their screen time together.

Featuring a soundtrack that includes some of the finest anthems of the 90s, such as Primal Scream’s Loaded, I’m Free by Soup Dragons and Step Back In Time by Kylie Minogue, The World’s End really took me back to a place in my life that I’ve been longing to revisit, but without the hangover from Hell.

The World’s End

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Patrick Samuel

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

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