The third and final part of the Cornetto Trilogy is the weakest. When you come after one of the best horror comedies and one of the best buddy cop movies ever made then it was always going to be an impossible task to end this trilogy on a satisfying note. People can argue/debate which is the best and they will either say Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz but no one will say that The World’s End is the best. The film follows Gary King (Pegg) who convinces his old school friends to return to the village they all grew up in to complete the Golden Mile beer drinking challenge. The only problem is that Gary hasn’t grown up and yet everyone else has.
As they progress things start to get a bit strange when the residents of this supposedly sleepy village. It turns out that the residents (or most of them) have been replaced by an alien race and after talking to Gary, the Network decide to give up and leave causing the world to basically end and things to go back to the dark ages. The idea of an alien invasion of a sleepy village is a good one but the main issue is that the idea of one of the leading characters is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict is something that can’t and isn’t used in a humorous way. There are some amusing moments but the memorable gags are way down on the previous two films. This film has so many big names (big for the UK) and the second film in the trilogy that features a Bond but I think whilst Pierce Brosnan is very good I dont think the character is as well used as the Timothy Dalton one.
The thing about The World’s End is that if it didn’t follow Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz then it would be a perfectly fine film but when you raise the bar to the heights that those films did then you can’t really afford to drop the ball and unfortunately they did. I don't think that the humour is there and Gary basically being an alcoholic doesn't really lend itself to comedy and a lot of the arguments just come across as mean spirited. The ending is too downbeat I think for this film. These films don't end on a downbeat note even Shaun of the Dead has a relatively upbeat end.
Like the previous two films, this is a very well directed film. Edgar Wright had really honed his skill down in making the plot zip along at a good pace and the fight scene in the toilets is ok although it did feel like there was a bit too much shaky cam used. Due to Wright’s skill, he still makes the town feel like a real place considering the sci-fi aspect of the plot. Simon Pegg is good as Gary King and it's hard to feel angry at him even when he clearly hangs his friends out to dry in events before the film. Nick Frost is fine when he is sober and straight faced Andrew but once he puts bar stools on his fists and starts fighting then that is when he becomes more interesting. Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman & Eddie Marsan are fine as Steven, Oliver & Peter but they feel like supporting characters because the relationship between Gary and Andrew is clearly the most important and not just because of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Rosamund Pike is the love interest but doesn't really add anything and thats not the fault of Pike but it's just what she had to work with.
This isn’t a terrible film by any means and if it occurred separately from the other two films then this would be a perfectly fine film but following on from Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead means the Cornetto trilogy ends on a sour note.