Every film and television work must reflect the creator's three views, more or less, whether they know it or not.
However, those who have watched the "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" can easily find that Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg are very outstanding in their storytelling ability. style and narrative.
I don't doubt that they can articulate the story they want to convey, and I believe that this movie is more than just the end of the trilogy. I've probably watched "The End of the World" no less than 5 times in a few years, and each time it's just a relaxed state of mind and a mental buffer.
The first time I saw it, it was a joke. Like the first two films, it is full of baggage and jokes, fast-paced, and the lines echo back and forth, which is very interesting. But the plot is really ridiculous, especially the debate with the "alien" about social stability and individual freedom is really boring, and the ending is unintelligible.
When I revisited this movie a few days ago, I found that maybe what this film wants to express is not so simple. What kind of spiritual core is contained in the absurd plot as always, which are obvious, and which are deliberately hidden?
I don't want to analyze the comedy plot in "Doomsday". It's a matter of opinion whether it's funny or not. What I want to talk about is the word "black" in "black humor". "Black" has absurd and ironic meanings. Doomsday is very similar to Sean Zombie. Sean didn't turn into a zombie in the end, so why is the title called Sean Zombie? From the beginning, isn't Sean also the most zombie-like one? "Doomsday" tells a somewhat similar story to the first from another angle, less funny and more heavy:
1: Memories and the present, spiritual freedom and reality
"We want freedom! We want freedom to do what we want! We want to get drunk, we want to have a good time"
Gary King (king) has been the leader of the five friends since he was in school. They regard him as a leader like king and spent a good time as a student. Unfortunately, until everyone else started their own family business, he still looks like That young man in a black coat, taking drugs, taking mental therapy, and achieving nothing. He hasn't changed, hasn't changed at all, except for his old appearance, he is still the same him, an optimist, driving an antique car bought from a classmate back then (although all replaceable parts have been replaced), using someone else's car Deducting points from his driver's license, playing racing games in the rest area, ringing the doorbell of a stranger's house, and follow-up to the toilet when he meets an old friend... Especially that night was unforgettable for him. Smoking marijuana, toilet ooxx, and finally he was drunk, vomit stuck to his shoes, sitting on the lawn watching the slowly rising sun, he felt that there could be no better moment in his life.
When the patient asked him whether he regretted not clearing the customs, he made a decision and organized his best friend to return to his hometown to re-enter 12 bars. This is a more ingenious idea of "Doomsday" than "Shaun of Zombies", which helps to deepen the story line: even if you have accepted the right and wrong of the present, it is difficult to hide the regrets left in the years... What better than How can the reunion of several middle-aged men who have been baptized by annual rings better reflect the cruelty of the real society and the changes of time? So this is also logically combined with another important theme in the film, that is, the collision of the free spirit of pursuing happiness and real life (this is reflected in the whole film between king and the other four)
King and the other four have something in common, that is, they have unforgettable things in their growing memories. The difference is that everyone else is gone, and the king is still there.
Some of them have a girl they love deeply in their hearts, some do not want to remember the past of being bullied, some have undergone laser surgery to get rid of their nicknames, and some have stopped drinking for many years because of the accident.
Did these disappear just because of the years? No, but they all come back to their minds in their reunion years later, some are in pain again, some are still emotional, and some are relieved.
And for Gary King, he just wanted to go back to that wonderful moment of the sun rising again, that's all.
At that time, Gary King was still king. He was proud of being king. He missed drinking too much with his best friend, as if he owned a small town. He was carefree at that time, and the precious sense of achievement and satisfaction made him feel Extremely fulfilling. And now he's just a loser, loser doesn't mean a fool, he's no longer carefree, he's no longer the king of anyone, looking at his own incompetence and getting older face, and then look at the career and family that the people around him have , can he accept his "failure" and remain that pure optimist? The happiness he pursues appears degenerate and unbearable in the face of reality, which is contradictory and ironic. He wanted to see the sunshine of that day again, the beauty in the sunshine.
The other four, in this film, represent a large group in society, who are suppressed by real life but helpless. They are running around for a living, frowning for the trivial family, and they have gone in a completely different direction from the king: growing up. This is in stark contrast to King. They sit at a table and talk about their parents. They no longer go to the next bar full of morale, no longer understand King's every move, and no longer put smiles on their faces.
The so-called black humor is that even though this reunion has been separated for several years, it cannot escape the bondage of memories and the trick of fate. The bullied person sees the original culprit, the infatuated man sees the girl he loves again, the person who has quit drinking for many years breaks his precept, and the person who drinks the 6th drink can't make it to the 7th drink... Yes When we escape, can we really escape?
The appearance of the town has changed, and even the former bar has been formatted in a "Starbucks" style, and a strange air permeates the seemingly bland atmosphere. The old bartender didn't know them anymore, and the only one who saw the clue was the one who didn't live in "reality" the least, Gary Kim.
3: The Same Enemy: The Blank Man
Blanks, created by copying human DNA. They're just like us, and I'm afraid they won't be able to tell the difference without pulling their heads off to see the blue liquid. There is one detail worth noting, that is, their most common action: holding people's heads with their hands. It's less like copying for the purpose of harm, more like copying for the purpose of contact. Copy, or assimilate.
Garrigin didn't care about the blank man at all, he just made an excuse to finish the wine he couldn't finish, that's all he cared about. But when the last drink was received, the switch was turned on, and the truth of the blank man appeared instead of beer. This section has a lot of dialogue and takes up a lot of time in the film. It seems to say some nonsense, but it is actually the most important bridge.
What does the blank person stand for? Alien life says that the earth is a low-civilized planet with flaws, and they aim to create a more civilized and harmonious environment and "join a greater society". In my opinion, the blank people are similar to Garry King's four best friends, referring to the same large social group, but only similar, not similar. The blank people are more inclined to reflect a trend, the so-called "pseudo-positive energy" trend of the society's development. In this environment, once the right is recognized by the society, the so-called wrong is not allowed, and there is no absolute right or wrong, just like "Our civilization was built by idiots, and we have basic human rights," as Garry King said. Who would want to live in an ideal country where everyone is like a robot? Kim made a choice, he abandoned the young him and pursued freedom. The blank man is similar to the zombies in the first part, and its meaning is not only an indifferent and socially assimilated group, but also people who blindly follow the social trend. At this time, Gary Jin's two best friends could not help but protest, but they are different from the king who simply pursues happiness. They are people who bow to reality. Why do they resist? Because everyone will not really bow their heads in their hearts, everyone yearns for freedom, and even in the darkest corner of their hearts, there is still the sunshine that Gary Kim saw.
4: Respect for freedom
Freedom here refers to personal pursuit.
The alien left a word of "fuck it" and walked away, leaving behind a vast land. People's homes were destroyed, and they returned to primitive society overnight. Survivors gathered together and tried to live anew. Interestingly, the remaining blank people woke up, "Like homeless children, seeking guidance and hope for help "There can be multiple meanings here. Children often wake up at the last moment when they get into trouble, and they are like walking dead returning to a sense of reason. They are at a loss and can't find their way. Some accept them, some reject them.
The hardest thing about this movie for me to understand is which side of the scale is the creator tilting? Is it living in the eyes of reality but being devastated and falling into the crowd? Or do you disdain the eyes of others and be a loser who pursues pure happiness?
Not really, Garrkin's friends, in the rubble, in the shabby house, by the campfire, telling his story, living as usual, but in a daze. And King brought four blank people who looked like his besties, returned to his hometown, ordered 5 glasses of water, he excitedly drew his sword, with the smile he always had, maybe he didn't need it anymore wine, because his eyes will always see the morning sun.
Human rights and free choice, I think this is what the creator wants to express. Although there are absurdities and ironies, they are still impartial. They tell the world of two kinds of people. There is not necessarily good or bad, but there must be happiness. or not. It's hard to put "black" in humor, at least that's what directors Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg did.
"We want freedom! We want freedom to do what we want! We want to get drunk, we want to have a good time"
The king who seems to fail is the happiest one
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