20 years after a failed attempt at an epic pub crawl, Gary King (Simon Pegg), assembles his old stomping crew for another go at it. However, while Gary has struggled to let go of his former glory days, his childhood buddies have moved on. Peter (Eddie Marsan) is now a reserved salesman; Oliver (Martin Freeman) is a hands-free estate agent; Steven (Paddy Considine) is a level-headed businessman and Andrew (Nick Frost), Gary’s best friend who he hasn’t seen in years, is a straight-laced teetotaller.
Reluctantly accepting Gary’s offer of a reunion, the group find themselves back in their sleepy hometown, though things aren’t quite as they remember. Sure enough, three pubs in and Gary and co. begin to learn the unbelievable truth about the town they left behind.
The third helping in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy’ sees Wright, Pegg and Frost returning to familiar ground as overgrown boys run amuck through distinct genre territory (this time sci-fi), while doing their best to keep adulthood at bay. Pegg is at his most explicitly juvenile and tragic, playing a well-worn former lothario (at least in his own head) who believes that life hit its peak during his mid-teens.
Friendships are tested and Pegg and Frost’s bro-romance blooms once again to form the crux of the story. We’ve seen this all before of course albeit in a different setting in the likes of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and while there’s no doubt that the Pegg/Frost chemistry has resulted in some remarkable TV and snort-inducing movie moments, by the final act of The World’s End, it definitely feels like the right time to call last orders.
The stress placed on Pegg and Frost often leaves little room for the brilliant supporting players (Considine is criminally under-used), and there’s no question that Pegg bagged the most memorable character with all of the best lines (“We’re going to see this through to the bitter end or lager-end.). But there are plenty of laughs on en-route courtesy of Frost and Marsan. Wright’s infectious energy as a director once again shines through, making it impossible not to get caught up in the daft chaos of it all.
Overall Verdict: It won’t change the world, but like its predecessors, The World’s End is an irresistibly daft adventure with heart.
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths