Zombieland (2009)

I'm hoping Zombieland is the last gaggle of flesh-eating corpses we'll see on the screen for some time. I don't say this because it's bad, on the contrary, it's a lot of fun, so much so that I left the theater smiling and asking myself "Okay, what more can they do with this genre? Best to end on a high note." Zombieland is essentially the American answer to Shaun of the Dead, a film that has comedic elements but still manages to be one of the best post-apocalyptic zombie films ever crafted (though it lacks for much horror).

*SHAMBLING, BRAIN-STARVED SPOILERS AHEAD*

First, the opening credits to the film are the best I've ever scene for this genre, badass scenes of battle vs. zombies set to "For Whom the Bell Tolls". How cool is that? The film follows the journey of a quartet of survivors after this universe's version of the zombie apocalypse. Columbus is a geek, an ex-WoW player who creates a system of personal rules through his use of logic and pop culture reference to avoid a grisly death at the hands of the undead (sort of a Zombie Survival Guide with legs). He is played by the awkward Jesse Eisenberg (of Adventureland, essentially the Michael Cera who does not suck). Tallahassee is a redneck zombie asskicker played by Woody Harrelson, and by asskicker, I mean this guy revels in the creative destruction of zombies. He'll even forsake guns against a small number of the undead to destroy them each with a separate weapon (in one fantastic supermarket scene). Wichita and Little Rock (played by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) are a pair of young sisters and con artists who have also somehow survived, though one extremely idiotic decision late in the movie makes me question how. Emma Stone is obviously there as the 'cool girl' love interest counterpart for Eisenberg (much like Kristen Stewart in Adventureland). She gets a few decent scenes, but it's the typical 'the world has ended but I look great in my eye shadow' Hollywood casting. I did like Breslin but she doesn't do a whole lot in the film, and I almost would have preferred some cooler survivors to round out Columbus and Tallahassee (the older woman who wins the 'zombie kill of the week' in a quick scene by rigging a piano to drop on a zombie pursuer would have been fantastic).

The four travel around to various locations in their quest for 'home', kicking some ass along the way. There's a nice cameo used in the film, though you are given more than ample warning (it works for the film, but it wasn't nearly as thrilling as others had told me). What I really enjoy is that the film tries its best to avoid most cliches of this genre (with the exception of the Eisenberg-Stone relationship which had my eyes rolling). The zombie fights are fun and what few effects they use are well placed and work seamlessly. The gore is bone crunching and satisfying. When they're fighting the zombies in the amusement park the film actually uses the location to its advantage. Shotgun + roller coaster + lotsa zombie slayings? Check. Tower of terror to escape zombie horde? Check. Reverse shooting gallery? FUCKING AWESOME. The music throughout the film is quite good, it gets the blood racing. The dialogue is genuinely funny. The constant use of Columbus' rules (text flashes across the screen) had me in stitches.

I honestly have very few nitpicks for the film. As mentioned earlier, the film could have benefited from another more interesting survivor in its ensemble (the stone sour Stone was meh). Also, in a film which displays just how obviously the zombies react to provocation (through sound, etc), the decision to 'turn on' an amusement park by the two girls at the end was quite idiotic and contrary to the survival instincts I felt these characters portrayed early on. But alas, this same decision led to some great actions scenes.

That the best zombie films in the past decade are comedies is quite telling. Zombieland is no masterpiece of cinema, and not quite enough to match Shaun of the Dead in the humor division, but it's the most fun I've had at the theater in months. I highly recommend seeing it with some friends or even bring the girlfriend, mine is not a horror/zombie buff but she had a blast regardless.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10] (fuck this clown)

http://www.zombieland.com/