The World's End (film)

The World's End

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Edgar Wright
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music by Steven Price
Cinematography Bill Pope
Edited by Paul Machliss
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 10 July 2013 (2013-07-10) (Leicester Square)
  • 19 July 2013 (2013-07-19) (United Kingdom)
  • 23 August 2013 (2013-08-23) (United States)
Running time
 109 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States[2]
Language English
Budget $20 million[3]
Box office $46.1 million[4]

The World's End is a 2013 British comic science fiction film directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg, and starring Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike and Eddie Marsan. The film follows a group of friends who discover an alien invasion during an epic pub crawl in their home town.

Wright has described the film as "social science fiction" in the tradition of John Wyndham and Samuel Youd (John Christopher).[5] It is the third and final film in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, following Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). The film was produced by Relativity Media, StudioCanal, Big Talk Productions, and Working Title Films.[6]

Plot

Gary King (Simon Pegg), a middle-aged alcoholic, tracks down his estranged schoolfriends and persuades them to complete "the Golden Mile", a pub crawl encompassing the 12 pubs of their hometown of Newton Haven. The group had previously attempted the crawl as teenagers in 1990 but failed to reach the final pub, The World's End.

Gary arrives in Newton Haven with friends Peter (Eddie Marsan), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine), and Andy (Nick Frost), and they begin the crawl. In the second pub, the group is briefly joined for a drink by Oliver's sister Sam (Rosamund Pike), whose affections Gary and Steven fought over in school. At the third pub, Gary is turned away due to being barred as a teenager, but drinks some beer left behind on a table outside. In the toilets of the fourth pub, Gary picks a fight with a teenager and knocks his head off, exposing a blue blood-like liquid and subsequently exposing him as an alien android. Gary's friends join him and fight more androids, whom they refer to as "blanks" to disguise what they are talking about.

They decide to continue the pub crawl so as not to make the androids suspicious of their actions, as Gary had told various people that they were doing the Golden Mile. At the seventh pub, the group runs into Sam again. In the garden, Gary, Sam and Steven get into a fight with androids impersonating Sam's twin friends, making Sam convinced of the androids' invasion after previously not believing Gary. At the eighth pub, androids impersonating attractive girls from their youth attempt to seduce Gary, Andy and Peter, while Basil, a man whom they had spoken to in their previous pub crawl in 1990 and who had been known for making wild theories, explains to Steven the details of the android invasion. At the ninth pub, Guy Shepherd (Pierce Brosnan), their old schoolteacher, encourages them to accept their fate and be replaced by androids. Andy realises that Oliver has been replaced with an android after seeing the return of his birthmark, which he had earlier told he had removed with cosmetic laser treatment, and crushes his head with a barstool. Another fight breaks out and the group scatters. Gary and Sam escape the pub together and Gary tells her to leave for her own safety.

Once reunited, the four remaining friends accuse each other of having been replaced by androids, but prove that they are human. At this point, it is revealed that earlier in their adult life, Gary had betrayed Andy and allowed him to be arrested and almost killed, explaining Andy's hostility towards Gary. The androids close in on the group and capture Peter after he picks a fight with the android representing his former childhood enemy, but Gary is determined to finish the pub crawl. However, Andy refuses and demands that they return to London, knocking Gary out in the process to make him go with them. Andy and Steven find that to get to the car, they must go through the tenth pub, where Gary wakes up. After having his tenth pint, he decides to carry on alone, which leads to Andy chasing after him. After quickly having a drink at the eleventh pub, he runs towards the final pub, the World's End. Steven is overwhelmed by the androids while attempting to drive the car away, and Andy continues to chase Gary towards the final pub.

At the World's End, Andy confronts Gary. In the quarrel, Andy reveals that his wife has left him, and realises that Gary attempted suicide in the years since school. As he tries to stop Gary from drawing his final pint, they discover a hidden chamber and are reunited with Steven. A disembodied alien entity, the Network (Bill Nighy), reveals that the limited android invasion has been responsible for all of humanity's advances in telecommunications in recent decades, bringing humanity closer together as a first step to joining the galaxy's community of planets. The Network offers the men the chance to contribute to Earth joining the galactic community, even offering them eternal youth by becoming androids, but they refuse as they point out the numerous flaws in The Network's plan. Exasperated, the Network abandons the invasion after Gary manages to prove that the Network had to replace nearly all of the citizens in the town to make it acceptable enough for its standards. Sam arrives just in time to drive the group out of Newton Haven as it self-destructs.

Some time later, Andy recounts this story around a campfire in the ruins of London. The destruction of Newton Haven triggered a worldwide chain reaction that wiped out modern technology and sent humanity back to the Dark Ages. The remaining androids have reactivated and are mistrusted by surviving humans. Andy's marriage has recovered, Steven is in a relationship with Sam, android Peter returned to his family, and android Oliver returned to his estate agent's job (with a new head made out of a football). In the ruins of Newton Haven, the now-sober Gary enters a pub with the younger android versions of his friends and orders five glasses of water. When the bartender refuses to serve androids, Gary draws a sword and leads his android friends into a brawl.

Cast

Development

The World's End began as a screenplay titled Crawl about a group of teenagers on a pub crawl; it was written by Edgar Wright at the age of 21. He realised the idea could work with adult characters to capture "the bittersweet feeling of returning to your home town and feeling like a stranger".[8] Wright said he wanted to satirise the "strange homogeneous branding that becomes like a virus", explaining: "This doesn't just extend to pubs, it's the same with cafés and restaurants. If you live in a small town and you move to London, which I did when I was 20, then when you go back out into the other small towns in England you go 'oh my god, it's all the same!' It's like Bodysnatchers: literally our towns are being changed to death."[9]

In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Pegg told Clark Collis, "People think we choose the genre first every time, and it's not true. We find the stories first. The notion of alienation from your hometown taken to its literal conclusion was how we got to science fiction."[10]

After the story was complete, Wright and Pegg examined a list of real pub names and "tried to make them like tarot cards" to foreshadow the events of the story. Wright explained: "So we said, 'OK this one's the Famous Cock, because this is where Gary is trying to puff up his own importance.' ... We did go through and work out in each one how the pub sign was going to relate."[9]

Production

The Gardeners Arms pub on the boundary of Letchworth was used as the shooting location for the final pub, the World's End

Principal photography for The World's End began on 28 September 2012.[11] Filming took place in Hertfordshire, at Elstree Studios, Letchworth Garden City, and Welwyn Garden City.[12] Part of the film was also shot at High Wycombe railway station, Buckinghamshire.[13]

All twelve pubs in the film use identical signage on menus and walls, reflecting what Wright called "that fake hand-written chalk" common to modern British pubs.[9] The exteriors of the real pubs were shot at locations in Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth Garden City, with altered signage.[14] Letchworth Garden City railway station got a makeover as the "Hole in the Wall".[15] Stunts were coordinated by Brad Allen of martial arts film director Jackie Chan's team. Wright said: "In Drunken Master, Jackie Chan has to get drunk to fight, but this is more the idea of Dutch courage. You know, when you're kind of drunk and you think 'ah, I can climb up that scaffolding!' Or just that you're impervious to pain. One of the things we talked about is this idea that [the characters] become better fighters the more oiled they get."[9]

The Broadway Cinema, Letchworth, a renovated independent cinema built in a quintessentially Art Deco style in the 1930s,[16] was used to portray the Mermaid pub. This cinema was also the first outside London to play the film, with a special introduction by Pegg thanking the residents of Letchworth for their help during its making; over 800 viewers watched the film at the cinema on its opening night.[17]

Soundtrack

The World's End: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released 5 August 2013 (2013-08-05)
Genre Alternative rock, indie rock, Madchester, alternative dance, Britpop, psychedelic rock, dance-pop
Length 74:59
Label ABKCO Records
Edgar Wright film soundtrack chronology
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
(2010)		 The World's End
(2013)

The film uses what the New York Post's Kyle Smith called "a brilliant Madchester soundtrack",[18] alternative rock and pop music from the time of the characters' adolescence. Wright explained: "A lot of those songs are ones that really hit me and Simon hard when we were that age... [Gary] is still living by those rules. It's like he decided to take 'Loaded' and 'I'm Free' to heart and thinks the party's never going to end."[9]

The soundtrack for the film was released on 5 August 2013 in the UK and 20 August 2013 in the United States, with the film's score, composed by Steven Price, released on the same day.

The only songs featured in the film that did not make it onto the soundtrack are "The Only One I Know", "Summer's Magic", and "The Only Rhyme That Bites", by The Charlatans, Mark Summers, and 808 State respectively.[19] The original soundtrack tributes the song "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" by Yes when the young characters reach the hills.

Tracklist

In addition to songs featured in the movie, the album also features dialogue snippets. The track list for the soundtrack is as follows:[20]

  1. "Loaded" (single edit) - Primal Scream (4:21)
  2. "There's No Other Way" - Blur (3:19)
  3. Dialogue: "I Put This On a Tape for You" - Simon Pegg and Paddy Considine (0:09)
  4. "I'm Free" - The Soup Dragons (3:50)
  5. "Step On" - Happy Mondays (5:14) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  6. Dialogue: "Was The Music Too Loud?" - Steve Oram and Simon Pegg (0:04) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  7. "So Young" - Suede (3:37)
  8. "Old Red Eyes Is Back" - The Beautiful South (3:32) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  9. Dialogue: "A Humble Taproom" - Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (0:15) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  10. "Come Home" (Flood mix) - James (3:53) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  11. "Do You Remember the First Time?" - Pulp (4:22)
  12. Dialogue: "Welcome" - Simon Pegg (0:04)
  13. "What You Do to Me" - Teenage Fanclub (1:57)
  14. "Fools Gold" (single edit) - The Stone Roses (4:15)
  15. "Get a Life" - Soul II Soul (3:36)
  16. Dialogue: "We Have Changed" - Nick Frost (0:07)
  17. "This Is How It Feels" - Inspiral Carpets (3:10) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  18. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" - The Doors (3:16)
  19. "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" - Definition of Sound (3:43)
  20. Dialogue: "This Is What the Kids Want" - Simon Pegg and Martin Freeman (0:07)
  21. "Step Back in Time" - Kylie Minogue (3:04) [Deluxe version bonus track]
  22. "Join Our Club" - Saint Etienne (3:15)
  23. "Here's Where the Story Ends" - The Sundays (3:52)
  24. Dialogue: "I Hate This Town" - Nick Frost (0:04)
  25. "20 Seconds to Comply" (World's End Bomb Squad mix re-edit) - Silver Bullet (4:35)
  26. "This Corrosion" (single edit) - The Sisters of Mercy (4:21)
  27. "Happy Hour" - The Housemartins (2:21)
  28. Dialogue: "Let's Boo Boo" - Simon Pegg and Paddy Considine (0:24)

Release

The World's End premiered on 10 July 2013 at Leicester Square in London[21][22] and was released on 19 July 2013 in the United Kingdom.[21] It was released in the United States on 23 August 2013.[23]

Reception

Box office

The World's End earned £2,122,288 ($3,242,064 USD) during its UK opening weekend, losing the top spot to Monsters University. Its weekend grosses were higher than Shaun of the Dead's £1.6 million but lower than Hot Fuzz's £5.4 million.[24]

In the United States, the movie was released on 23 August and earned $3.5 million on its opening day, beating out The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and You're Next. The World's End also had the highest per-theater average out of all films in theaters throughout the country on its opening day.[25] On its opening weekend, the film landed in fourth place with $8,790,237, behind Lee Daniels' The Butler, We're the Millers, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.[26] This exceeded box office expectations ranging from $7 million[27] to $8.5 million,[28] and The World's End's opening weekend earned the most out of all films in the Cornetto Trilogy.[29]

Critical reception

The World's End received critical acclaim. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an 89% approval rating with a weighted average score of 7.5/10 based on 202 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Madcap and heartfelt, Edgar Wright's apocalypse comedy The World's End benefits from the typically hilarious Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, with a plethora of supporting players."[30] The film also holds a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 45 collected reviews.[31]

Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+, praising it as "hilarious" and the "best" collaboration of Wright, Pegg and Frost, saying that "these pint-swilling Peter Pans also know how to work the heart and the brain for belly laughs... The finale is a little too shaggy and silly. But what do you expect after a dozen beers?"[32] Mark Dinning of Empire magazine gave the film four stars out of five, writing: "Bravely refusing to rigidly adhere to a formula that has been so successful, Wright, Pegg and Frost's Cornetto Trilogy closer has tonal shifts you won't expect, but the same beating heart you've been craving."[33] Movie blog eatpraymedia gave the film four and a half stars, calling it "...the perfect antidote to big budget movie making."[34] Henry Barnes of The Guardian gave the film four stars out of five, writing: "With this final film they've slowed down a bit, grown up a lot. And saved the richest bite until last."[35]

Accolades

The World's End received two Critics' Choice Movie Awards nominations, for Best Actor in a Comedy (for Simon Pegg) and for Best Comedy, but lost to The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle respectively.

The movie won Best British Film at the 19th Empire Awards held in London in March 2014.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "THE WORLD'S END (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "The World's End". British Film Institute. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Simon Pegg: The World's End is $4 million shy of double what Hot Fuzz cost". 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  4. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (18 August 2013). "The World's End (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (28 May 2012). "Pegg And Wright Talk The World's End". Empire. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "The World's End". Big Talk Productions. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  7. ↑ "Edgar Wright on The World's End, Man-Child Movies, and Not Tweeting While Making Ant-Man". Vulture. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Brooks, Xan; Barnes, Henry (17 July 2013). "The World's End: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright on their apocalypse comedy - video interview | Film | guardian.co.uk". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Franklin, Oliver (2013-07-17). "Edgar Wright interview on The World's End, pubs & Ant Man - Film - GQ.COM (UK)". Gq-magazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  10. ↑ Collis, Clark (30 August 2013). "3 Blokes. 3 Films. Many, Many Laughs". Entertainment Weekly: 47.
  11. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (28 September 2012). "Production Begins on Edgar Wright’s THE WORLD'S END; Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan Join the Cast". Collider.com. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Creative England supports the production and filming of The World's End". Creative England. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  13. ↑ Cain, Rebecca (14 Oct 2012). "Film crews at High Wycombe train station". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "The Railway Station looks a bit different this morning". Love Letchworth. facebook.com. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  15. ↑ Davies, Alan (21 July 2013). "The World's End pub crawl locations revealed". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "Cine-files: Broadway Cinema, Letchworth Garden City". The Guardian. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  17. ↑ Tanna, Chandni (19 July 2013). "Letchworth premiere of The World's End a big hit with viewers". The Comet (Hertfordshire newspaper). Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  18. ↑ Smith, Kyle (22 August 2013). "The World's End can't come soon enough". New York Post. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "The World's End (2013). Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  20. ↑ Phares, Heather. "The World's End: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  21. 1 2 Kemp, Stuart (10 July 2013). "The World's End Premiere: Cast Celebrates Boozy Pub Crawl Comedy in London". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  22. ↑ "The stars come out for Simon Pegg at The World's End premiere". Evening Standard. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  23. ↑ Fischer, Russ (20 March 2013). "Edgar Wright’s The World's End US Release Date Pulled Forward to August". /Film. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  24. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (24 July 2013). "Monsters University holds off The World's End at UK box office". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 July 2013..
  25. ↑ "Daily Box Office for Friday, August 23, 2013". Box Office Mojo.
  26. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 23-25, 2013". Box Office Mojo.
  27. ↑ Subers, Ray. "Forecast: You're Next Targets Top Spot on Quiet August Weekend". Box Office Mojo..
  28. ↑ Weekend Forecast: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The World's End, & You're Next.
  29. ↑ Subers, Ray. "Weekend Report: 'Butler' Repeats, Newcomers All Open Below $10 Million". Box Office Mojo..
  30. ↑ "The World's End". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  31. ↑ "The World's End". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  32. ↑ Nashawaty, Chris (31 August 2013). "The World's End". Entertainment Weekly. p. 48. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  33. ↑ Dinning, Mark. "The World's End". Empire. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  34. ↑ "The World's End Review: The tastiest Cornetto is the one you wait for". Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  35. ↑ Barnes, Henry (9 July 2013). "The World's End - first look review". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2013-07-15.

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