Hot Fuzz is the first movie I saw in theaters after Grindhouse where I felt like I got my money's worth, and then some. (It was also the first movie I saw in theaters after Grindhouse, not counting Cannes.) From start to finish, there was never a dull or boring moment. The dialogue was witty and peppered with multiple references to I don't even know how many movies, many of them classics (2 that I caught and remember from Chinatown, 1 from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and at least 3 from The Departed). Every single time I recognized one of them, I smiled so wide I almost couldn't focus on the rest of the dialogue (partly because they race through it, as is typical of British humor). The story didn't rely on these homages, though; it had a life and soul of its own (and plot, as much as any action movie can have a plot of its own these days). The music and action was extremely well done; I didn't realize such a funny movie could also be so tense. The cinematography and editing were also excellent, even ignoring the homages and considering the camerawork and cutting on their own merits. The acting was also quite good. And the best part about this movie is the replay value. I can watch this many more times (and very much want to right now) and catch a ton of different things each time. It's layered not unlike an onion, and that is a sure reason I will come back to it time and time again.As always with any British movie, sometimes their accents made it difficult to hear them and therefore get some of the jokes and plot points. Being a comedy-spoof-action movie, it doesn't have much staying power or meaning. When it does try to go for that dramatic message, however, the entire movie slows down a bit too much and it isn't very convincing. I do admire that they're trying though, but I don't know how well it fits. The character list is massive and mostly forgettable, with some characters clearly being superfluous--I don't know why that many people were in this movie at all. It is at times shockingly and extravagantly gory, like Shaun of the Dead, but it was less expected in this movie. Overall though, these are pretty small and fictitious negatives about the movie, so I strongly recommend you go out and see this as soon as you are able.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0425112/