10 Reasons Why The World's End Is Secretly The Best Of The Cornetto Trilogy

6. Social Commentary

Those who fancy themselves ready to tackle the genre of science fiction had better not do so without heeding the importance of social subtext, and thankfully Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright know this. Formerly content to exorcise their geek-cult demons by way of splattering heads and car chases, The World's End throws a bit more cultural context in to the mix, as is to be expected with the Ray Bradbury/John Wyndham territory of 'Social Science Fiction.' Their stance on the overall iffiness of a man in his forties refusing to grow out of his teens notwithstanding, The World's End begins with some appropriately middle-aged grumbling on the monopolisation of British pub culture and the loss of character inherent in such a corporate pursuit ("Starbucking," as Steven Prince puts it). The revealing shot of the second pub's interior being identical to the first makes for a delectable sight gag in that respect, while the townspeople €“ ultimately revealed to be hive-minded robots €“ underline this conviction in their monotonous, huddled behaviour and quiet, cautious scrutiny of the newcomers to the town. However, the film then takes a bold move towards the final act as it starts to question whether 'Starbucking' is such a bad thing after all. It is revealed that the network wish to conglomerate every planet in the galaxy €“ akin to an intergalactic coffee empire €“ and work to make each planet's people the best they can be. As Wright himself remarks in The World's End's making of feature, was the old coffee really ever that good in the first place? Whatever view one may take to this outlook, it has to be said that such ideals and societal inclinations are yet again above and beyond the duties of a comedy film, and while Shaun and Fuzz make their nods toward the dispositions of society, neither comes close to the unwavering undercurrent present in The World's End.