Good food. Fine Ales. Total Annihilation - The World's End Review

Before I start showering Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s new film with praise, I should qualify that I am not a particularly big fan of either Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz and have always considered Spaced their collective high point. Having seen The World’s End, I am quickly reconsidering that opinion as not only have they produced the funniest film of the year so far, they may have even surpassed their cult Channel 4 sitcom.

The film begins with a short preface set in 1990, showing five teenagers attempting to complete a legendary pub crawl of 12 pints in 12 pubs around the fictional town of Newton Haven. The scene quickly cuts to the present day and Pegg’s Gary King, during a group counseling session, is given the idea to finally complete the pub crawl. Soundtracked by a host of 90s indie bands, the plot is very clearly aiming to inspire nostalgia in a certain demographic. As part of that demographic, I may be very susceptible, but I bought into it completely.

King sets about re-uniting the gang, who are now the wrong side of 40 and, with the exception of King, all have sensible jobs. Martin Freeman plays Oliver, an estate agent, complete with blue-tooth headset permanently fixed to his ear. Steven (Paddy Considine) is in construction and, as he frequently reminds us, has a 26-year-old girlfriend. Peter (Eddie Marsan) is a used car dealer and Andrew (Nick Frost) is a lawyer who bears a particular grudge against Gary.

They arrive back in Newton Haven and the crawl begins in earnest, with the group soon observing how much the town differs from how they remember it. They’re only a few pints down before old wounds are open and tempers are flaring. Just as it looks like the crawl will end before barely starting, Pegg finds himself covered with blue gunk after unexpectedly decapitating a local youth with the help of a urinal. Even more unexpectedly, the now headless youth continues to fight Pegg, leading the group to question just what has become of the town they once knew.

Recalling a whole host of sci-fi films, the group are forced to battle the town’s other-worldly inhabitants but for reasons that are best to gloss over, they continue on their quest to reach the twelfth and final pub, The World’s End. As the situation becomes more desperate and blood alcohol levels increase, cracking one liners are delivered with impressive regularity, bar-room fights are brilliantly staged and Pegg’s manic energy keeps the pace high.

The final 10 minutes involves a fair amount of exposition that may go over the head of some viewers but an inspired sight gag and the year’s best one liner keep the laughs going. Fans of Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz may have been nervous about the final part in the unofficial “Cornetto trilogy” but they needn’t have worried, Pegg and Wright are too clever and too talented to squander such an opportunity. The World’s End is coming, book your seats now.