The desire to relive the past tends to be strong when the present is not up to par. Edgar Wright’s third major comedy, The World’s End, explores the idea of using the past to make the present seem better.
The World’s End follows a group of friends who attempted the Golden Mile, a legendary pub-crawl, 20 years prior. The friends fall short of the last pub and soon after part ways and grow up. Four of the friends go on to live great and successful lives except for Gary (Simon Pegg.) In an attempt to go back to the glory days, Gary gathers the friends together to attempt the Golden Mile one more time.
When the group returns to the town of Newton Haven, something is not right. No locals remember who they are and they are greeted with suspicion.
No matter what happens, Gary insists the gang finish the pub crawl and the friends are tested during the Golden Mile. The World’s End is best when it shows its science-fiction roots. The action scenes are entertaining and fast but never quite live up to director Edgar Wright’s best scenes.
The characters in the main group of friends are entertaining, and it is obvious at times they are close. The acting is top-notch, with names like Nick Frost and Martin Freeman joining Pegg.
However, Gary is unlikable at first, and the movie relays that his well-being has declined steadily. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear Gary is far more concerned about the crawl than his friends, who appear to live fulfilling lives.
At the same time, if given enough time, Gary becomes a truly remarkable redemption story. While Wright’s Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz both focused on a character’s growth and redemption, The World’s End really shines in Gary’s rebirth. For all his faults, you begin to care about him by the end as the main situation reaches its climax.
The humor, which has always been a staple of Wright and Pegg, is spot-on in this movie. They use humor in unexpected ways, including when the group has to keep drinking at each pub to avoid arousing suspicion. It’s a smart move, but by the time any fighting comes about, the group is a little too drunk to be of much use.
The World’s End lives up to other movies in the Wright/Pegg comedy series in both humor and general production value. Just like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, this movie comes across as a labor of love from Wright and Pegg, and it’s obvious they put their heart into it.
