By Bill Friedell
One of the great modern masters of genre filmmaking is British director Edgar Wright. Throughout the Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy, Wright expertly tells human, relatable stories wrapped in genre conventions. Shaun of the Dead (2004) combines the Rom-Com and Zombie genres to tell the story of a man who needs to take responsibility and initiative for his life. Hot Fuzz (2007) combines action movie clichés and horror mystery elements to showcase the mundanity of police work and tell the tale of a man who needs to connect to people rather than cling to his job so seriously. In The World’s End, Wright continues to mix and match genre elements to comment on where we come from, where we are going, and the people we become as a result of it. What I wish to focus on is the way Wright takes the presupposed genre of the film (a bar hopping dramady) into an entirely new genre (sci fi invasion) while maintaining the dramatic throughline despite the change in stakes. By analyzing the pivotal scene in which the turn occurs as well as exploring what led up to the turn and how it affects the story moving forward, Edgar Wright along with actor/co-screenwriter Simon Pegg flip the script on the audience and enhance the themes and stake while doing so.
A brief summary of the plot: The World’s End follows the story of Gary King (Simon Pegg), a middle aged alcoholic who invites his high school friends to join him on a pub crawl called “The Golden Mile” in their old town. The turn occurs when they discover that the town has been secretly overtaken by alien invaders. In order to avoid being replaced, they must carry on the Golden Mile as if they know nothing.
What’s remarkable about The World’s End’s setup to this genre turn is that the story does not indicate that it is going to be a sci fi film until it becomes one. Shaun of the Dead delights in the foreshadowing of zombies in the background of the first act. Even Hot Fuzz has foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the film before the mystery at the center of its story is revealed. In The World’s End, Wright keeps its foreshadowing closer to the chest, with any sort of foreshadowing being more lowkey and comfortable in the context of a comedy. Simple observations such as not being recognized by certain people and closed off behavior, and the general bizzare energy of being in their hometown appears to be normal for these men, except for Gary who can’t stand it. As Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg point out during the film commentary, Gary is relieved to find out that aliens took over the town, because it means that it isn’t the traditional reasons one would feel this way: getting old (Wright, Pegg, 2013).
Now to look at the scene in which the turn occurs (Clips below). Gary King goes to the bathroom, knowing that his friends want to call it a night, ruining his plans to finish the Golden Mile. Nearly slipping in the bathroom, he nearly punches the wall in the same exact spot he hit as a teenager when he first attempted the Golden Mile. It symbolizes Gary’s desire to return to the past, to remain in his prime despite being well past it. As he goes to the bathroom, a teenager goes to the bathroom. Despite Gary’s attempts at small talk, even asking the teen to join him on the Mile (which Wright and Pegg determine to be his lowest point), that is when the twist occurs as a fight scene breaks out, causing the teen to lose his head, revealing that he isn’t human (Write, Pegg, 2013). After the head comes off, Gary’s friends storm into the bathroom, ready to ditch him for lying to them earlier, but end up roped into the conspiracy. Now this group of friends at their lowest moment are now forced together in order to survive.
A brief summary of the plot: The World’s End follows the story of Gary King (Simon Pegg), a middle aged alcoholic who invites his high school friends to join him on a pub crawl called “The Golden Mile” in their old town. The turn occurs when they discover that the town has been secretly overtaken by alien invaders. In order to avoid being replaced, they must carry on the Golden Mile as if they know nothing.
What’s remarkable about The World’s End’s setup to this genre turn is that the story does not indicate that it is going to be a sci fi film until it becomes one. Shaun of the Dead delights in the foreshadowing of zombies in the background of the first act. Even Hot Fuzz has foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the film before the mystery at the center of its story is revealed. In The World’s End, Wright keeps its foreshadowing closer to the chest, with any sort of foreshadowing being more lowkey and comfortable in the context of a comedy. Simple observations such as not being recognized by certain people and closed off behavior, and the general bizzare energy of being in their hometown appears to be normal for these men, except for Gary who can’t stand it. As Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg point out during the film commentary, Gary is relieved to find out that aliens took over the town, because it means that it isn’t the traditional reasons one would feel this way: getting old (Wright, Pegg, 2013).
Now to look at the scene in which the turn occurs (Clips below). Gary King goes to the bathroom, knowing that his friends want to call it a night, ruining his plans to finish the Golden Mile. Nearly slipping in the bathroom, he nearly punches the wall in the same exact spot he hit as a teenager when he first attempted the Golden Mile. It symbolizes Gary’s desire to return to the past, to remain in his prime despite being well past it. As he goes to the bathroom, a teenager goes to the bathroom. Despite Gary’s attempts at small talk, even asking the teen to join him on the Mile (which Wright and Pegg determine to be his lowest point), that is when the twist occurs as a fight scene breaks out, causing the teen to lose his head, revealing that he isn’t human (Write, Pegg, 2013). After the head comes off, Gary’s friends storm into the bathroom, ready to ditch him for lying to them earlier, but end up roped into the conspiracy. Now this group of friends at their lowest moment are now forced together in order to survive.
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The central drama in The World’s End is what’s crucial to the execution of the turn and the success of the movie itself. While being an alien invasion story, the central plot focuses on the character of Gary King. The reason Gary continues the Golden Mile isn’t because they need to keep their cover. It’s because he wants an excuse to continue his path of self destruction. This throughline never changes and is actually enhanced by the fantastical setting.
Another film of Wright’s that nailed the hard right turn that involved a shift in genre was Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010). Scott Pilgrim began as a simple, quirky, stylishly directed love triangle story that turns into a video game-eque action film where Scott must fight his girlfriend’s evil exes (see the two clips below). Just like The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim takes a shift in genre, but the central ideas, themes, and drama remain the same. Scott Pilgrim is about the baggage we carry into a relationship and how we respond to it. When Scott has to fight his exes, it becomes an exaggerated metaphor for something that many people struggle with in their romantic relationships.
Another film of Wright’s that nailed the hard right turn that involved a shift in genre was Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010). Scott Pilgrim began as a simple, quirky, stylishly directed love triangle story that turns into a video game-eque action film where Scott must fight his girlfriend’s evil exes (see the two clips below). Just like The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim takes a shift in genre, but the central ideas, themes, and drama remain the same. Scott Pilgrim is about the baggage we carry into a relationship and how we respond to it. When Scott has to fight his exes, it becomes an exaggerated metaphor for something that many people struggle with in their romantic relationships.
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The World’s End uses the invasion as a sort of intervention for the group of friends. Each character has unresolved issues that went unresolved. Gary peaked in high school and never moved on. Andy (Nick Frost) was horribly let down by Gary ditching him in a car crash and is dealing with a wife who is leaving him. Steven (Paddy Considine) was kept down by Gary, causing him to never be able to pursue a romance with Sam (Rosamund Pike). Peter (Eddie Marsan) is reminded of the pain he felt when being bullied in high school after seeing his high school bully in a pub. The town brings about these issues the characters are dealing with and giving them a situation to change them. They face their personal problems by metaphorically confronting them as they are confronted with aliens that offer a sort of reset button by turning everyone who they deem a problem into a robot (referred to as a blank). Gary can be reborn as his younger self, but it wouldn’t be him. By the end of the film, Gary is confronted by the Network, the intelligence behind the invasion. He sees Gary as representative of the whole world, irresponsible screwups. However, Gary and his friends stand against the Network proud of the fact that they aren’t perfect because that’s what makes them human. The aliens are attempting to reform humanity within their hometown, but find that they need to replace the entire town with blanks (which they note is more than they do with other planets they have inhabited). The large scale plot of the world being forced into correction reflects Gary confronting the failings of his life.
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Genre filmmaking at its best takes real world issues and themes and packages them in fantastical settings, elements, and characters. By taking the invasion story and beginning it as a comedy about friends getting drunk on a pub crawl, Wright seamlessly invites the audience to partake in a stylish, comedic, action packed tale of regret, friendship, and soldiering on in the face of regret. It’s one thing to write a twist that recontextualizes the film at the very end, but it’s another to shift genre and have the genre change enhance the drama already found in the story.
Works Cited
"Feature Commentary with Writers Edgar Write & Simon Pegg." The World's End. Dir. Wright. Universal Studios, 2013. Blu Ray
Works Cited
"Feature Commentary with Writers Edgar Write & Simon Pegg." The World's End. Dir. Wright. Universal Studios, 2013. Blu Ray
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