Written by Polina Olhovska (33661919)

In “The World’s End” directed by Edgar Wright, the cultural phenomenon of the pub serves as a recurring backdrop, symbolising safety and nostalgia, but is skilfully subverted into scenes of chaos with action-genre elements that become satirical, humorous, and adrenaline-filled. Through Steven Shaviro’s explanation of affect and emotion, it is interesting to analyse how cultural phenomena is used to evoke a layered emotional response. 

In The World’s End, a group of old school friends decides to complete an unfinished “pub crawl quest.” During their crawl, they discover the town is overrun by robots, and the only way to escape is to complete the quest and reach the final pub—“The World’s End”.  Pubs are sites of comfort, and a local pub, in particular, can be best described as a ‘living room outside one’s home’.

Steven Shaviro describes affect as “primary, non-conscious” and emotion as “affect captured by a subject.” Affect comes into play as the audience is presented with the familiar setting of a pub: stereotypical interiors with photos from the past, a house-like layout, and characters’ remarks on ownership changes and refurbishments. Gary, in particular, provides an olfactory sensory cue for the audience when he says, “Can’t take away the smell,” a detail that resonates with those who have experienced a pub before. The characters proceed to ask the bartender about beers, longing for the past themselves. The audience experiences a series of affects, including visual cues and auditory affects created by the characters’ conversations, which evoke emotions of nostalgia and comfort, while also drawing on personal memories and experiences of pubs, triggering recollection.

Edgar Wright uses these comforting emotions to heighten the impact of the later fight scenes with robots, creating a stronger emotional response through juxtaposition. A place of safety transforms into a place of chaos, and, paired with emotions of comfort, this contrast layers humour with adrenaline. Arguably, the pub itself acts as a cultural affect, deeply resonating with those familiar with its cultural background. Furthermore, Wright employs other techniques, such as nostalgic songs and characters’ remarks, as well as visuals, to evoke pseudo-fear and translate it into humorous scenes. However, the cultural affect of the pub adds an additional layer of meaning and connection for the audience.

Bibliography;

Pegg, S. (2013). The World’s End Official Trailer #1 (2013) – Simon Pegg Movie HD. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/n__1Y-N5tQk [Accessed 22 Nov. 2024].

Shaviro, S. and John Hunt Publishing (2010). Post-cinematic affect. Winchester ; Washington: O Books.

The World’d End . (2013). [Film ] International : Universal Pictures.