Edgar Wright: The Best Director You’ve Never Heard Of

By: Craig Mannino
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Edgar Wright is an English director who creates movies that surpass even the highest of expectations. However, most do not know who Wright is, and they may not have even seen his most famous work, The Cornetto Trilogy, featuring Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End; all three movies ricochet from genre to genre, each creating a unique experience for the audience.

Wright’s work is distinct, stylized, and memorable. His films have the ability to make anyone laugh or cry. Using one-of-a-kind shots, fast-paced editing, and actors that truly give it their all, Wright makes a name for himself as one of the best modern directors.

Here are five of his best feature films:

Shaun of the Dead (2004)
If you could not tell by the title, Shaun of the Dead is a zombie movie meant to both parody and pay homage to films like Dawn of the Dead. Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg as the lead role of Shaun and his co-star, Nick Frost, as Shaun’s best friend and roommate Ed.

Shaun of the Dead is primarily a comedy that parodies zombie movies, poking fun at clichés. However, the movie also functions as a top tier zombie film itself, presenting important themes that highlight drama, trauma, death, and regret.


Hot Fuzz (2007)
Hot Fuzz is Wright’s take on cop films, both good and bad. Centered in the countryside near London, the main character, Nicholas Angel, played once again by Simon Pegg, must uncover a conspiracy revolving around a series of murders in a small town. Angel enlists the help of Danny Butterman, played by Nick Frost.

Hot Fuzz is similar to Shaun of the Dead, in that it parodies cop films like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. The film succeeds as both a comedy and cop film. Hot Fuzz features clever writing with flashbacks and subtle foreshadowing that makes watching the film more than once a blast.


Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie based on a graphic novel. The film centers on Scott Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera), a 22-year-old resident of Toronto, Canada, and his “new, new” girlfriend, Ramona Flowers (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

After meeting, Scott realizes that dating Ramona will be more difficult than it seems because the “league of evil exes” lead by Gideon Graves, Ramona’s seventh ex-boyfriend, targets Scott to keep a grip on Ramona’s love life.

One unique aspect of the film is its use of music; everything from background tracks to songs that play a prominent role in the film are noteworthy. Some of the best songs include “Black Sheep” by Metric, “Ramona” by Beck, and “Scott Pilgrim” by Plumtree.


The World’s End (2013)
The World’s End is the final piece in The Cornetto Trilogy. The movie stars both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, playing Gary King and Arthur Knightly respectively. The World’s End is about, guess what, the world’s end. More specifically, how both Gary King and Andy Knightley cause it.

The plot centers on a pub-crawl in King’s hometown that involves drinking at 12 different pubs and ending at The World’s End. However, things take a sharp turn when in order to survive, the group must fight robots called “Blanks” that have replaced the town’s population.


Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver differs from the rest of Wright’s films. Rather than being a comedy that pokes fun at the tropes of a genre, Baby Driver is a heist film and an incredible one at that. Wright syncs almost everything in the film to the music that Baby, played by Ansel Elgort, listens to on his classic iPod. By doing so, Wright creates a unique and stylized experience.

Wright uses every kind of music imaginable throughout the film, everything from “Hocus Pocus” to “Tequila.” Wright makes every scene sound different and unique.

Wright´s movies are unique, creating an incredible viewing experience for anybody from the casual viewer to the most avid film fan. Luckily, for anybody desperate to experience even one of his films, both Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World are included on Netflix’s lineup.