Hot Fuzz Freshers Flick – print

Few films are better suited to a night of boozing and potentially awkward bonding than Hot Fuzz. Whether you’re a movie buff or think that Fast and Furious is actually about family, this hilarious buddy cop/murder-mystery thriller ticks all the boxes. Simon Pegg’s displacement, arriving in an unfamiliar place with nothing but a Japanese Peace Lily for company, can strangely resonate with the initial uncertainty freshers face on opening night. The uni parallels continue as Pegg and Nick Frost spend a substantial amount of time in the pub, with Pegg’s transition from cranberry juice to lager reflecting that one mate who eventually and painstakingly loosens up on a night out. Seemingly tailored for Exeter, the setting allows for full use of the magnificent West Country accent (highlights include Olivia Coleman’s plethora of sexual jokes and Nick Frost saying “Amazinggg”) and this exposure should come in handy for all the Home counties students acclimatising to life in the South West. Without giving too much away, the climax involves guns, horses, priests, supermarkets, scale model villages, and, you guessed it, the pub. For a perfect piss-up movie with your new flatmates, it doesn’t get much better than that.