A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012)

Oh dear.....it is plain to see that SimonPegg is at his best when he has written the screenplay himself. This film left me wondering why on earth Mr Pegg would do such a film. I enjoyed the way it was shot plus the narrative alongside the film but all the while seemed flat in regards to story. I wonder if it was trying to come across in comic book style but fell short of the mark. Perhaps if Edgar Wright had directed then it may have given it a little more momentum as 104 minutes can be a long time if there is nothing gripping you and keeping your focus. It is worth watching if you're a fan of the Pegg otherwise I'd choose something else.

Give peas a chance

Fmovies: This film was made because it is cheap. A man stuck in a room talking to himself and shouting at shadows does not make a movie. A lot of the humour feels at least 30 years old and is the kind of thing we've seen in old cartoons. Clothes get burnt while drying in an oven, a knife gets superglued to a hand etc. There is no real story, no characters to relate to in the slightest, and a lot of padding to keep the lead alone in a studio set for as long as possible. There are some interesting visuals but they don't counteract the boredom and frustration that sets in 15 minutes into the film. Despite the visuals, the film feels cheap because large parts of it are just one guy in a room. Avoid.

For any fans of Simon Pegg or independent cinema who may potentially be discouraged from viewing this film due to the low ratings, don't be fooled! "A Fantastic Fear of Everything" is an incredibly well-done film from start to finish. Pegg delivers a brilliant performance as an agoraphobic writer attempting to delve into the world of Victorian killers for a new book project. His paranoia forces him into a number of hilariously unfortunate and unexpected situations. This is not your typical middle school toilet humor nor does the film set up jokes you can see coming a mile away.

Overall, the film is humorous, entertaining, and incorporates a number of dark, unorthodox story-telling features (including bits of animation). Therefore, if you primarily enjoy big-budget blockbusters or expect that every film featuring Simon Pegg to be "Shaun of the Dead" that sadly, you will probably not enjoy this film. However, if you appreciate story-telling, exemplar acting, and something a little different than the norm, I would highly recommend this film.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything fmovies. Simon Pegg stars as a paranoid crime writer haunted by a fear of being murdered as well as launderettes. This is a wonderfully surreal film and a welcome change from the usual bland 'comedies' churned out ten to the dozen these days. The script is sharp and veers wildly through a number of weird and very funny scenarios which are milked brilliantly by Pegg.

This is a very British film and quirky film and therefore unlikely to find mass or foreign appeal. However for fans of Simon Pegg and his movies this will be a real treat.

Reading some of the previous reviews and looking at the rating I wasn't expecting to like this film quite as much as I did. Hopefully this film will become a cult classic as it really does stand out.

Here's a bit of advice: Cult films are usually made accidentally. Something like Withnail And I or Eraserhead were not designed to be quoted or referenced decades later, but thanks to a combination of public affection and quirkiness, that's exactly how its turned out. If on the other hand, you TRY to make your movie as a crazy and as random as possible to give it distinction, you usually all goes tits-up and the ends up with a bit of a mess. Exhibit A: This.

Now I don't doubt that Simon Pegg made it with the best of intentions, and there is SOME truly inspired stuff here that made me giggle no end. But there are also plenty of feeble jokes that not even a playschooler would laugh at, and a narrative which is all rather tragic. And Pegg's character is such a shrill worrywart who does such stupid things, he becomes a figure of hate rather than a 'hero' to sympathise with... which isn't good considering he's the sole person on screen most of the time...

A curate's egg then. (Gosh, I've been waiting to use that term for AGES, man... Don't I sound bright?) 5/10

I agree with everything the previous poster said. The movie is brilliant, hilarious, emotive, fantastic and everything most movies I have seen from EUA are not. I love comedy and I always hope to be amused and laugh, but I don't know if it's me who has a weird sense of humor or is the movies I watch. Most of the American movies I have seen lately, THAT'S MY BOY, BRIDESMAIDS, etc. are cute but not funny, not hilarious, not sad, nothing, just empty. I like THE NEIGHBORS, which I have seen nobody else likes, I like SLAMMING SALMON, where I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt, and so on. So Simon Pegg here is great! The story is great, I laughed and cried, what for me makes a movie perfect! This is a great movie for my sense of humor!