The World’s End, starring Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, directed by Edgar Wright

For Gary King (Pegg) and Andy Knightley (Frost) it was supposed to be the ultimate reunion – one night, five friends, twelve bars. A boozy quest to ‘The World’s End’ pub on which only the strongest will survive. Having the time of their lives, they’re ready to take on the world… and that’s all you get as a cover synopsis.

Why? Because if you went any deeper, the meltdown begins.

I was expecting the usual magnificence that Pegg and Frost have been solo renowned for, “Run, Fatboy, Run”, “Hot Fuzz”, Paul… the list rolls on. But unfortunately this “Shaun of the Dead”eque flop is a disaster from start to (and especially) the finish.

First up, Pann plays a completely unlikable character. OK, that’s standard fare for most films, but in this he’s sincerely unlikable with seemingly no redeeming factors at all. Then there’s the Why: why is the world been taken over by Zombies? Who is in charge? How is it that these unsavoury characters can save us all?

Well, but the time we get ten minutes before the end and are still completely in the dark, suddenly the worst happens. We get an almost unending explanation of why and who and where and… well, it’s dismal and it drones of for the full 10 minutes… TALKING!!!

Simon Pegg was interviews on Jonathan Ross on Saturday and said the failure of the film was down to a hot summer, which kept people out of cinemas… I think not, sir.

Verdict: Appalling scriptwriting, an unsympathetic protagonist and a fairly brain-dead story put this the absolute bottom of an otherwise brilliant Pegg/Frost list of accomplishments. **

This film will be shown at The Harbour Club, Portscatho on Monday 16th December