Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, Ranked

Don't let the name deceive you — the films that make up Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy don't share any kind of cinematic universe. Each movie covers a different genre, with the sole unifying narrative aspects being the passing references to different flavors of Cornetto ice cream cones. But that's not the only common thread in the trilogy, as the projects share a lot of the same actors, including, but not limited to Simon Pegg (who may be most familiar now for his role as Hugh Campbell Sr. on "The Boys"), Nick Frost, and Bill Nighy. The films also sneak in a lot of heartfelt moments to go with the laughs and are packed with rewatch bonuses for eagle-eyed viewers — there's always a Chekhov's gun or two (or more) ready to be fired when you least expect it.

That all said, the Cornetto Trilogy is a great way for new fans to get into Wright's work as a filmmaker. But how would we rank these films, and what can Wright newbies expect when watching these funny yet out-of-these-world cinematic escapades? This wasn't an easy task, and every ranking was a close call, but here are the three films in the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy ranked from least impressive (which is to say, already pretty darn good) to most impressive.

Coming in at third is the film that started it all for the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, the 2004 zombie comedy "Shaun of the Dead." At the start of the movie, we meet London resident Shaun (Simon Pegg), who comes about as your typical hard-luck everyman — his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), just dumped him, his mostly younger co-workers think he's a joke, and his roommate Pete (Peter Serafinowicz) has had it with his and his best friend Ed's (Nick Frost) juvenile lifestyle. Before anyone — not the least Shaun and Ed — knows it, zombies have taken over London, and it's up to the film's titular protagonist to save his loved ones and prove he's not the pushover he appears to be.

True to form, Pegg is in his element as he portrays an immature young man who's suddenly faced with the biggest crisis of his life through no fault of his own. And while Ashfield, Frost, and Bill Nighy (as Shaun's stepfather, Philip) likewise shine in their supporting parts, Dylan Moran deserves special mention as Liz's friend David, who is straight-up unlikable in his role. David's disdain for Shaun is so blatantly cruel that one can't help but cheer for the zombies as he meets his end midway through the film.

With a trilogy-best critic rating of 92% and audience rating of 93%, "Shaun of the Dead" was the biggest hit with fans and reviewers alike on Rotten Tomatoes. But mileage tends to vary when it comes to the Cornetto Trilogy, and this first "flavour," while certainly delicious as a horror-comedy, doesn't hit the spot as much as the two films that followed it. 

Rotten Tomatoes reviewers typically rank "The World's End" as their least favorite in the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy — it ranks last in critic (89%) and audience (72%) rating among the three films. However, there are arguments to be made that it doesn't deserve its bottom ranking on the site.

The protagonist of "The World's End" is Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man-child who is the epitome of peaking in high school — he still acts, talks, and dresses like he was still a teenager in the early '90s. Hoping to recapture the glory of his youth, he invites four school friends on a quest to conquer the "Golden Mile," a pub crawl they failed to complete as 17-year-olds. As all of them are now well-adjusted adults, they're reluctant to join in the fun, but when they do, they get more than they bargained for when they, along with Gary, discover that the residents of their hometown of Newton Haven have been replaced with lookalike aliens, or "Blanks."

"The World's End" offers an effective twist to Pegg and Nick Frost's dynamic as frequent co-stars; instead of the former playing the straight man and the latter portraying his goofy sidekick, the roles are reversed as Andy (Frost) deals with years of resentment over Gary's refusal to grow up. Viewers will also want to pay close attention to the opening scene, which ranks as one of the best in sci-fi movies for all the tiny bits of foreshadowing found in Newton Haven circa 1990.

Thanks to its flawed yet relatable main character, the unexpected heart amid the humor, the aforementioned opening sequence, and a shocking yet somehow satisfying ending, "The World's End" knocks it out of the park, but not as much as the next film does.

And we're finally down to the cream of the Cornetto crop, and it's none other than "Hot Fuzz." The movie has overwhelming positive ratings with critics (91%) and viewers (89%) on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's a stellar parody of buddy cop films and the many tropes found within these projects.

The film centers on Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), a by-the-book, hyper-competent police sergeant who is none too thrilled to be assigned to the quiet town of Sandford, Gloucestershire, where he is subject to the mockery of his bumbling colleagues on the force, and the annoyingly frequent mention of the village's unusually low crime rates. He does, however, bond with Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), a fellow cop he pulled over for driving while intoxicated (and the son of one of Sandford's high-ranking police officers), and the two of them investigate a series of mysterious "accidents" — actually murders — that threaten to ruin the town's reputation for peace and order.

it's easy to see why many would argue that "Hot Fuzz" is the best film in the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. The jabs at various action movie cliches are spot-on, and the slow-burn reveal of the real bad guys in Sandford is executed perfectly. Then there's the excellent chemistry between Pegg and Frost, which shines through in all of the trilogy's entries, but especially so in "Hot Fuzz" as they play the sole voices of reason in a town that isn't what it's cracked up to be. If you're looking for a ton of laughs and pop culture references with your fast-paced, explosive action scenes, this movie is definitely worth checking out.