Slant Magazine

An ordinary drama embellished and in some sense infringed on by genre elements rather than the other way around.

Slant Magazine by Calum Marsh

An ordinary drama embellished and in some sense infringed on by genre elements rather than the other way around.

New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein

This is by light-years the most entertaining movie of the year. How many apocalyptic sci-fi action extravaganzas leave you feeling as if the world is just beginning?

Time Out by Joshua Rothkopf

The beauty of this movie, both a nostalgic romp and a futuristic scream, is its stubborn insistence on getting all the trapped-in-amber details right.

Tampa Bay Times by Steve Persall

What "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" did for zombie and cop flicks The World's End does for sci-fi fatalism, respecting its doomsday tropes while presenting them with cheeky wit and a refreshing strategy of sensory underload.

Slate by Dana Stevens

The World’s End not only makes a more than worthy conclusion to the Cornetto trilogy — it stands on its own as one of the sharpest, saddest and wisest comedies of the year.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Adam Nayman

The World’s End isn’t perfect – – but its best moments leave the bulk of recent American “event movies” gasping in the dust.

The A.V. Club by A.A. Dowd

Easily one of the year’s best comedies, the movie thrives off the chemistry between its leads, with Pegg painting a very funny portrait of emotional paralysis and Frost demonstrating a heretofore unseen talent for intimidation.

The Dissolve by Matt Singer

As in all of Wright’s films, the surface is just as satisfying as the subtext: hilarious comedy, compelling character drama, eye-popping visuals, and a juicy science-fiction story.

Salon by Andrew O'Hehir

Indeed, while the action-packed final act of The World’s End gets pretty formulaic (as it channels everything from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to “The Stepford Wives”), there’s ALMOST something serious at the core of this riotous comedy.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

The movie is madly, wonderfully at odds with itself.

Film.com by William Goss

A knowing take on movies and maturity alike, The World’s End is just as thoroughly thoughtful as those which came before it, and maybe more than ever, you’ll find yourself laughing to keep from crying.

Empire

Bravely refusing to rigidly adhere to a formula that has been so successful, Wright, Pegg and Frost’s Cornetto Trilogy closer has tonal shifts you won’t expect, but the same beating heart you’ve been craving.

Total Film

The armageddon-through-beer-goggles approach brings the chuckles, but The World’s End stands up as a great example of the genre it ribs. Nostalgic, bittersweet and very, very funny.

The Telegraph by Robbie Collin

The World’s End is a fitting end to the trilogy: it is by turns trashy, poignant and gut-bustingly funny, and often all three at once.

The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer

While things get a tad buckled town in mayhem and special effects throughout the film’s busy final reels, Wright spends enough time sketching out his mischievous middle-aged men so that their journey...feels worthwhile and even meaningful for a few of them.

Time Out London by Tom Huddleston

This is a tighter, smarter film than either Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, and buried beneath all the blue-goo aliens and terrible punning is a heartfelt meditation on the perils and pleasures of nostalgia.

IndieWire by Eric Kohn

Despite its shortcomings, The World's End glistens with a comedic energy not present in equivalent mainstream blockbusters.

Variety by Leslie Felperin

A fraction less gut-bustingly goofy than its predecessors.

The Playlist by Todd Gilchrist

As a film whose central theme emphasizes the dangers of living in the past, Wright, Pegg and Frost become fatally distracted by nostalgia, eventually paying too much homage to previous classics—especially their own—to create another film that deserves to stand alongside them.