Review: "The World's End" is an Intoxicating Look at the Past, but not the Future

Simon Pegg

One of the more loathsome trends of the past few years has been the impending doom of planet Earth. While it could be seen as a chance to reflect on what makes life worth living, it does leave little inspiration for great stories. Recent examples include Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and this summer's This is the End. Both were solid tales in their own right, but leaned too heavily on the sympathetic side. While it is unfortunate that one of the most anticipated movies of the year, director Edgar Wright's The World's End, is essentially an apocalyptic tale, at least it distinguishes itself by getting plastered before going into battle.

Can "The World's End" Do the Sci-Fi Comedy Category Justice at the Oscars?

Top to Bottom: Paddy Considine, Simon Pegg, and Martin Freeman

There is this weird disconnect between Academy Awards and comedy that seems unfair. While it has improved slightly in the past decade, stories that deal with less conventional methods are most likely reduced to little or no awareness at all. Even with director Edgar Wright's latest film The World's End planning to hit the scene in America this Friday, there is little chance that it could break the mold and become one of the first British comedies not named Four Weddings and a Funeral or The Full Monty to get into the Best Picture race. Of course, summer blockbusters in general don't stand a chance, though they seem more forgiving in the Best Original Screenplay categories.