What Did I Just Watch?: Cockneys vs Zombies

I am a rabid fan of Shaun of the Dead. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. When it comes to non-Romero zombie movies it's one of the best, in my opinion. Followed closely by the one episode of Spaced, in which I'm sure gave life to the concept of Shaun of the Dead. You know the one. Recently free streaming platforms such as Tubi and Pluto brought a movie to my attention called Cockneys vs Zombies. Since the DVD of the movie likened itself to Shaun of the Dead, in a way, I had to give it a watch. I will be doing my best to #NoSpoilers this, so if you want more details just go watch the movie yourself.

The plot of the movie, to me, seemed interesting, although not completely original. We have a pair of brothers in a single-sided relationship, where one is always bailing the other one out of trouble, paralleling the friendship of Shaun and Ed. Things progressed a bit too quickly for me. It's a bit like the writers had a lot to say, but only had an hour and thirty minutes to say it, so there wasn't really time to let things sink in. The zombie outbreak sprung up super quick, and took control even quicker. The action takes place over a larger span of the movie than it does in Shaun of the Dead.

I know, I know. It's NOT Shaun of the Dead! I did like Cockneys vs Zombies as its own thing, I just felt that it went more action based than it wanted to allow the story to grow organically. Things just felt hastened to push the fun, violent action scenes, but that's just my opinion. You know what I would love to see? A series of movies, with the blessing of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, showcasing other people's adventures, or misadventures, during the exact same outbreak in which Shaun of the Dead took place. In most of them it would even be a nice little Easter Egg to see Shaun's group in the background in various stages of their journey to the Winchester.

Cockneys vs Zombies had its moments that made me laugh at the comedy, recoil at the horror, and even some "DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!" moments thrown in at both the comedy and the horror aspects. The sentiment of the plot is actually kind of nice. The ending throws a few, albeit brief, surprises in for added affect. One little spoiler: Even as an American, the football supporter zombies gag was fucking hysterical. I just wish it had lasted a bit longer, pretty much like everything else in this movie. Is Cockneys vs Zombies anywhere near Shaun of the Dead? No. No, no, no, no no. Is it a decent zombie film? Yep! Will it become part of my Halloween movie lineup? Maybe. Maybe this is just a movie I need to watch a few (hundred) times to appreciate. I don't think it's bad. I'll certainly be giving it another try!