The World's End

The World's End
Creative absurdity: nothing ruins a pub crawl like a robot invasion

The title might sound familiar, but it could also be because of the June release of "This is the End" featuring Seth Rogan and James Franco or the earlier debut of "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.  Interestingly enough, though these films may all share a common theme, they are quite different from each other.  The award for originality, however, goes to "The World's End."

From, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the creators of "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" comes a story about five friends attempting to relive their high school years. This Sci-Fi comedy starts with an introduction that could only be compared to a John Hughes film from the 1980s—in a cheesy, but charming way.  Fast-forward to 2013 and Gary King, played by Simon Pegg, is having a mid-life crisis and gathering up a gang of friends to attempt a feat that they failed to accomplish in their late adolescence: a pub crawl in their hometown known as "the golden mile." 

As the group begins their tour of their old stomping grounds, they begin to notice that something strange has happened to their little town.  This is where the science fiction comes in: robots!  It sounds strange, but it becomes hilarious and thrilling in a matter of minutes, once the first human-battling-robot scene happens.  "The World's End" is a cross between BBC's "Doctor Who" and the 2012 Ben Stiller comedy, "The Watch," as it bridges creativity and ingenuity with a good dose of the absurd. 

King is a character clearly stuck in his past, while his old school mates quickly come to realize this fact on their journey.  Among the concerned friends are Nick Frost (of "Shaun of the Dead") and Martin Freeman (of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey").  This film successfully touches upon the struggles of adulthood and lost friendships without turning into a dull "dramedy" like 2012's "This is 40."

As this is a comedy, the stress is less on acting and more on getting laughs.  The plot lags in a few places and mystifies in others, but there was clearly a lot of effort put into creating this film.  It was fun, but it won't be winning any prestigious awards.  

Grade: B-