By Michael Gleason

Over the past few years, zombie films have gained traction. With “Dawn Of The Dead”, “28 Days Later”, and “Resident Evil”, zombie movies have, fittingly enough, risen from the grave to terrorize film critics everywhere. The resurrection of the zombie genre continues with this well-deserved and razor-wire clever satire. Movie fans of all kinds can enjoy this spoof of a genre that often takes itself much too seriously.

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is the poster boy for dysfunction. His best friend Ed (Nick Frost) is a slob, his job is menial, his family relationship is strained and his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashford) just broke up with him. Surely, the dead rising seem the least of his worries. Indeed, Shaun goes through much of his day without even noticing the denizens of the damned actually have risen, only realizing the fact after nearly being eaten.

If this movie doesn’t sound like the typical zombie fare, that’s because it isn’t. It’s more of a situation comedy than a horror film. It is credited as the first (and probably last) entry into a new genre: the zombie romantic comedy, or, to the initiated, the zom rom com.

Much of the humor here comes from relationships. Shaun wants to be the savior of his small social circle and this leads to complications. Ed continues to answer his cell phone, even in the direst situations. Liz debates with Shaun over whether they are or are not still a couple. His mother strays from the group to visit a family she knows. The movie gives great attention to how absurdly people react in the face of near-Armageddon (witness Shaun agonizing about sacrificing his record collection to battle zombies) situations.

Certainly, Shaun is a conflicted hero and even, at times, an anti-hero (when he imagines dispatching his suspected-zombie stepfather, his eyes light with malicious glee). However, Shaun gives us hope that, given the right circumstances, any working slob could become a pro-active zombie-slayer. The zombie invasion gives Shaun something his life lacked: a sense of purpose. Shaun’s encounters with the zombies allow him to unleash the pain and frustration of his life, care of a well-used cricket bat.

All good zombie movies contain a degree of social commentary. In “Dawn Of The Dead”, director George Romero was satirizing the American mall culture (even if we were turned into zombies, we’d all go to the mall). “Shaun Of The Dead” is no different. Here, the greater statement is that the average workaday humans are the real automatons in society-that we all allow our jobs to turn us into mindless, droning zombies. In their own way, everyone is similar to a zombie. Some stare mindlessly at the TV. Others work jobs they hate. Some people stumble aimlessly through life. The reason why Shaun cannot see that his world had been invaded by the living dead is that it already has been.

The movie does have its flaws. Its tone is wildly unbalanced; the very funny and the extremely sad or touching are often side-by-side. The deus ex machina ending leaves much to be desired, and really isn’t the product of the events leading up to it. Some of the characters ([cough] Liz’s friends [cough]) seem to be rather flat caricatures instead of well-drawn people. But criticizing a zombie movie for having flat characters is like criticizing the ocean for being wet.

On the whole, though, “Shaun of the Dead” is entertaining and hilarious, though not a classic. It is recommend to both fans and haters of the zombie movie.

Final Grade: A-/B+

“Shawn Of The Dead” is the first in the zombie romantic comedy genre, or zom rom com. (Image courtesy www.movies.yahoo.com)