Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead is the most perfectly executed genre comedy of the 21st century — a zombie film that is genuinely scary, a romantic comedy that is genuinely sweet, and a bromance that is genuinely moving, all operating simultaneously without any of the three elements undermining the others. Edgar Wright's direction is so precise, so rhythmically inventive, and so densely packed with visual gags that it rewards infinite rewatching.

Simon Pegg's Shaun is the ultimate slacker hero — a man whose life is already zombie-like before the actual zombies arrive. He shuffles to the shop, shuffles to work, shuffles to the pub. The genius of the opening act is showing how little changes when the dead rise. The film's most famous shot — Shaun walking to the shop, oblivious to the chaos around him — is a joke about modern disconnection disguised as a zombie gag.

Nick Frost's Ed is the heart of the film — a lovable, useless best friend whose loyalty is total and whose competence is zero. The scene where Shaun has to kill his mother, who has been bitten, is genuinely heartbreaking. The scene where they beat a zombie to death with pool cues synchronized to Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' is the funniest action sequence in any comedy. Wright proved that genre mash-ups do not have to compromise. You can have all the zombies and all the feelings if you are skilled enough.