This movie comes from the gang who gave us Shaun of the Dead.  Shaun is a funnier film, there is no doubt about that.  The directing style of Hot Fuzz becomes a bit labored after a while; however, Simon Pegg is top notch as our hero of the film.

As with all parody type movies, the entertainment value of the movie comes from being able to recognize what movies they are attempting to parody.  Unfortunately, this reviewer was not able to decipher all films being mocked except for the obvious Bad Boys and Point Break.  But as with all parodies, the viewer has to be intent on catching these parodies to be entertained and not necessarily be entertained by the stand alone movie itself.  The parody movie should be entertaining enough for both crowds.  Austin Powers and Scream are two examples of homage or parody films that are entertaining on their own merit without noticing the homages.

Simon Pegg is the one in this movie who really can act.  Nick Frost cannot.  Pegg was brilliant in Shaun of the Dead, and he uses a similar character in Hot Fuzz but falls short in really selling his desire to clean up the town.  But as this is a comedy, is that really important?  The answer is yes, because by movie’s end, I felt like it was about 30 minutes too long.  This movie would have been fine as a 90 minute movie, but instead just keeps going and going plodding along waiting for the audience to be amused by the hilarity of obscene killings in comedic form and the silliness of the town as a whole.

If you are able to decipher the homages, then feel free to see this movie.  If not, you may only be entertained if you liked Shaun of the Dead. Ultimately, if your expectations are to see a Shaun of the Dead style action movie, I suggest you lower your expectations before pressing play.

By: Josh Wheeler - Contributing Writer

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