Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. I can’t wait until Universal takes the embargo leash off of me for this film. I’ve seen it twice now, and I’ll go back the moment they let me. I unabashedly love HOT FUZZ, and I’m excited to see what happens when people start laying eyes on it in the weeks ahead. I’m not surprised that we’re getting our first batch of reviews from the UK already. And I’m not surprised by how enthusiastic they are. Here’s the first one:
Just got back from an advanced screening of Hot Fuzz. You know that little british movie by the same guys who did this other film called "Shaun of the Dead", I think you may have heard of it. Every since I saw the opportunity to see this film 10 days before it opens nationwide (UK) I have been so excited I could break into a Harry style description of erections and orgasms.... but I wont. Instead I will tell you that I loved every fucking second of it (I believe that was a pound for the swear box). You all know the story about a Super cop being moved to a quiet country town and discovering a murderous plot. Everything about this film was genius the cast and characters, the swearing and the violence. Oh the violence was superb and I have to agree with an earlier review I read that it does contain the best death so far this year (I always knew churches were dangerous). The town shoot out was brilliant and well paced. Plus I dont think you will see another film where an old lady gets dropped kicked in the face, I think I pulled a muscle laughing. I would like to give a mention to Bill Bailey's role in the film which had it's own unique little twist to it. When he first came on screen the whole audience cheered, which was brilliant. We should see more of this comic genius in film. Is it better than Shaun of the Dead? at the moment I would say Yes but only because its brand new and I have only seen it once. I love SOTD and have watched it countless times. With Hot Fuzz I believe it will be the same but only time will tell. Go see you Cunts (that will be £2.00 for the swear box) Call me Captain Rawbeard.
There are going to be so many quotable moments that become part of the geek lexicon after this film comes out, and I can already see it happening as these people write their reviews. Here’s another:
hey harry long type no speak! i was the spy who sent in the first bbc pics of the ep1 pod racers and the photo of ewan from the SE premiere in London anyway i just got back from a gala screening of "hot fuzz" not sure if you have seen it yet (if not get a flight over here as I have 2 spare tix for another pre release screening of it on thursday!)just want to let all the readers know that if they liked shaun and spaced they will not be dissapointed, i cant remember a movie that had me watching it in 1. tears from laughter 2. fits of hysterics 3. pumped with adrenaline from the action ALL AT THE SAME TIME and that was just one scene! this could be the best british movie ever made (cant think of anything that comes close)it wont be everyones cup of tea but they can f*ck off and have a coffee, all the performances are solid and perfect for their environment, the cast is a who's who of british comedy, there are many familiar faces peppered throughout (well familiar to us in the UK and probably those with BBC america)the action, gore and laughs are nonstop and i cant wait to see it again, one word of warning though, "before u see it make sure you have "point break" ready for when u get home, failing that bad boys 2 or lethal weapon! if u have anything u want me to ask the guys just let me know as im seeing them this week no edgar this time though as he is doing the "fuzztival" thanks again, hope i get more scoops soon! its been too long :( PJ
And another!
Hi Harry, Moriarty Love your site, been reading for a long time but never sent anything in before. I just got back from the gala screening of Hot Fuzz at the Vue cinema, Leicester Square and I’ve just seen a slice of fried gold. I know you guys over in the states aren’t going to get this film for a while yet but thought I’d send you my review to either use now or when it comes out in the states, or not at all. Just to be straight with you from the beginning, I am a huge fan of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead and I also saw this film in a theatre full of people that are also huge fans, which of course made the preview screening a great experience. There’s going to be some minor spoilers a bit later on, but for now I’ll just get to the main question that I’m sure everyone’s asking: is Hot Fuzz as good as Shaun of the Dead? Well, no, it’s not. Shaun of the Dead was a great comedy, but it was also a great Zombie film which came together to make something unique, a funny Zombie film. Hot Fuzz is a great comedy, maybe even funnier than SOTD, but it’s not a great action film. A lot of the action sequences are played for laughs first and as an action film second, it’s a subtle difference, but Hot Fuzz really does seem to be more of an out and out comedy rather than a funny action film. That said, Hot Fuzz is brilliant [and from here on there may be a few minor spoilers]. For us film geeks it’s so full of references (from masters of the universe to point break), homages and in-jokes without these ever getting in the way or pulling you out of the film. As in SOTD, there’s still some wonderfully gory deaths, carefully drawn supporting characters and violence towards old people (no, in this context that’s a good thing, honest). The plot you can probably work out from the trailers and any twists in the plot you see coming as easily as if you were up a toy slide looking over a fence at a street full of zombies but, and I can’t say this enough, it’s very, very funny. Of course, what one person finds funny is not necessarily what another will and I’ll be interested to see how the comedy in this film translates in the States, will the English country life that is sentimentally sent up in this film be something that you guys can appreciate and understand? Will the idea of these gentle English village characters wielding some hefty hardware be as funny to a country where guns can be found in most houses and brought legally? I don’t know and I’m looking forward to finding out. Ultimately though this is a great film, Simon Pegg (Nicholas) and Nick Frost’s (Danny’s) on screen relationship seems to be getting better with age, the supporting cast is really outstanding and reads like a who’s who of current British comedy (as well as, I believe, Edgar Wrights mum). And, as I may have mentioned, it’s very, very funny. If you use this, you can call me Grinner
Interesting. I actually really loved the action in the film, particularly the way the third act builds. But if it “only” works as a comedy for you, that’s still pretty damn good. Here’s one more.
Heya, first time reviewer Bloodied Fox here with my take on 'Hot Fuzz', courtesy of a gala showing in advance of it's UK release on Valentine's Day. 'Shaun of the Dead' was perhaps one of the smartest comedies made in god knows how long. The idea of marrying the romantic comedy genre with zombie films is one of those simple yet genius concepts that just make you go "Damn, I wish I'd thought of that", and it was a good idea backed up by genuine affection for what was being parodied, a far cry from the witless likes of 'Scary Movie'. Following that was always going to be hard, topping it seemingly nigh on impossible. Guess that makes Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg miracle workers then. 'Hot Fuzz', like all good sequels (and let's be honest, this is a 'Shaun...' sequel, in spirit if not narrative), takes its predecessor's merits and amplifies them. The affection for the target genre that helped make Pegg and Wright's first effort so likable is here tenfold, because rather than marrying two genre ethoses, it takes one and embraces it so fully and takes it to such insane lengths that you remember why you love them all over again. Everything that makes dumb Hollywood action flicks so stupidly (in all senses of the word) entertaining is here: the over the top set pieces, the ADHD editing, the ludicrous dialogue, the daft plot and most especially the constant homoeroticism (there's a reason 'Point Break' and 'Bad Boys II' are the most explicitly referenced films here, after all). The plot is aptly summed up by the trailer so there's little point repeating it here, especially since it pretty much just serves to move us through the playful pastiche, though it also allows for some nice pokes at rural English life and attitudes (and as a guy who spent a good portion of his life in small countryside towns, it's honestly not too far off the mark, though how much of that comedy will translate to an American audience is pretty hard to say). The jokes come fairly thick and fast and hit the target far more often than not, a combination of good writing and fine performances all round. It's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's film, with their double act again working because you can actually see why these two characters would like each other, even given how much they piss each other off. At the same time, there's plenty of great support from the rest of the cast, with Timothy Dalton in particular getting the chance reminding us why it's a shame he doesn't do more film work with a great turn as the world's most sinister supermarket manager, and a fun chance to spot the slew of British comedians cameoing (my personal favourites being Bill Bailey, who gets maybe the film's best visual joke, and Adam Buxton from 'The Adam and Joe Show' as an incompotent reporter). The only real complaint I can manage is the editing on the fight scenes. Know when I listed the ADHD editing as a good thing about action movies? That was kinda bullshit, wasn't it? Well, it's in the film in full force. Now, you can argue that it's all part of the parody but it does detract a bit from the gloriously insane kickass (is that proper dictionary usage of the word, I wonder?) of the climax, and part of me speculates if it appears so much due to Edgar Wright's lack of experience in directing action. Still, a minor quibble in a film sold on, and delivering on, comedy. Simply put, this is 'Shaun of the Dead' ramped up to the Nth degree, and that's not a bad thing at all...
See what I mean? These are satisfied viewers we’re hearing from. I’m printing everything I get, too, so it’s not like I’m cherrypicking only the good reactions here. Check out how enthusiastic this last guy is:
Just got back from a preview screening of Hot Fuzz, and figured I'd send in my thoughts (which I'll attempt to keep as spoiler free as possible!). Well, it's no Shaun of the dead! but in the best way possible! Don't get me wrong, I loved Shaun, and am a big fan of Spaced, but if Shaun was a sketch from Spaced spread out to a full feature, then this is a seperate off shoot, same parentage, different end product! All the Pegg / Wright / Frost touches are there, with some beautifully executed nods both to Shaun of the Dead and too many other films to mention, though I was a bit disappointed that I seemed to be the only person in my screening who got some of them . . . I was the only person who laughed out loud at (what I considered) a fairly blatant Goodfellas nod. And I'm fairly certain that the slot machine that you hear when they re-enter the bar near the end, play the same tune as the tune that alerts the Zombies to them hiding in the pub in Shaun of the Dead! BRILLIANT! Cast are excellent! Timothy Dalton for me was the stand out, and will be picking bits of scenery out of his teeth for weeks after his portrayal. Edward Woodward, brilliant, but seemed little more than an extended cameo, redeemed by his last moments on screen. Jim Broadbent was great in his role as the police chief. Nick Frost... man, Danny is great, the bit (spoiler alert) when he pops up at the castle, my jaw was on the floor... had they pulled off a surprise secret twist? (I read too many spoilers!). And he carried off what could have been easy to cock up, and spoil the entire film. Pegg! The man is a God of comedy! No more needs to be said about him. Edgar Wright, aside from over using the jump cuts a bit, got annoying during the police photos near the start so when re-used later it was really grating! Pace was good, with a slow build up, but everything from the rammed landrover to the finish moves at a breathtaking pace! I love Supergrass, to me they are one of the most underrated bands to come out of the "Britpop" movement of the 90's . . . so to hear their track "caught by the fuzz" at the end of the film (yeah an obvious choice) completed a great film for me. My favourite band, singing one of my favourite tracks at the end of what will undoubtedly be one of my top 5 films of 2007! (I think it will place higher than just top five, but the years only 1 month old, and there seems to be alot of potentially good films coming, but the bar has now been set very, VERY high!) If you use this call me ol-king-col
