Principal Cast Simon Pegg -- Shaun Kate Ashfield -- Liz Nick Frost -- Ed Lucy Davis -- Dianne Dylan Moran -- David Nicola Cunningham -- Mary Kier Mills -- Clubber 1 Matt Jaynes -- Clubber 2 Gavin Ferguson -- Football Kid Peter Serafinowicz -- Pete Horton Jupiter -- Homeless Man Tim Baggaley -- The Usher Arvind Doshi -- Nelson Rafe Spall -- Noel Sonell Dadral -- Danny Ratings Ratings are based on Rick's four star system. One star - the commercials are more entertaining than the viewing. Two stars - watch if you have nothing better to do. Three stars - good solid entertainment. Four stars - you never dreamed viewing could be this good.

The joke in Shaun of the Dead is that our everyday lives are so mindless that when people start turning into zombies, things aren't all that different. The problem with the film is that that's the joke -- the only joke. There is, however, a theory that if something isn't funny, you have only to say it in a working class British accent to make it funny. It's similar to the rule that when a mystery isn't interesting, you have only to say it in an upper class British accent to make it interesting.

Oddly, the movie works best when it forgets about being funny, and has a go at being serious drama or even at action adventure. The scenes with Shaun's mum are honestly touching, and the climax is reasonably exciting.

The message of the film is, I think, that we are only really alive when we are in danger. Speak for yourself. I'm really alive when I write, when I teach, when I learn, when I meet new people, when I read a great book (currently it's Confusion by Neal Stephenson). So I'll pass on being attacked by zombies, thank you very much.

Still, Shaun of the Dead is a mildly diverting way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

No credit cookies.

Rick Norwood is a mathematician and writer whose small press publishing house, Manuscript Press, has published books by Hal Clement, R.A. Lafferty, and Hal Foster. He is also the editor of Comics Revue Monthly, which publishes such classic comic strips as Flash Gordon, Sky Masters, Modesty Blaise, Tarzan, Odd Bodkins, Casey Ruggles, The Phantom, Gasoline Alley, Krazy Kat, Alley Oop, Little Orphan Annie, Barnaby, Buz Sawyer, and Steve Canyon.