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Friday
02Oct2009

Movie Review - 'Zombieland'

DateFriday, October 2, 2009 at 12:05AM
Zombieland

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Rated R

zombielandposter.jpg When but no if the zombie apocalypse happens, I want it to resemble Zombieland as closely as possible. The zombies in this movie aren't notably different from the most familiar forms. They can't sprint like the undead killing hordes in 28 Days Later but they move a little faster than George Romero's creations. And, of course, they still feast on what few human beings are left on the planet.

In Zombieland there are, as near as we can tell, five people left alive. Four of them figure prominently in the story and the fifth is a great, well-timed distraction that gives the film some of its biggest laughs.

Oh, that's another thing: This is a zombie comedy, which means that while there's blood, carnage, and mayhem, I can't think of a single reason you'd take any of it seriously. In terms of the impact of the violence, there might be more in Zombieland but it doesn't have the effect of Saving Private Ryan.

There are no names in Zombieland, only hometowns. The frightened young neurotic traveling from Austin back to Ohio is called Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), the tough-as-nails thrillseeker is Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and two sisters making their way to an amusement park in Los Angeles - rumored, like so many other spots on the map, to be zombie-free - are Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin). They don't use real names because they believe it will bond them to their fellow travelers too much and take their focus off simply staying alive. Doesn't work, but it's a neat enough gimmick for the movie.

Speaking of gimmicks, Columbus narrates our story. Because he's the kind to keep lists, that's exactly what he's done. Columbus has a set of rules for surviving a zombie attack. His rules are mentioned throughout the movie, and are cleverly placed as otherwise unnecessary graphics in applicable scenes. It's not done to death and you never truly expect it when it comes up, so the rules are handled very well and gives Zombieland yet another thing to separate them from other titles in the genre. There is another gimmick, a running thing involving Twinkies, that I don't think works outside of the first time. That's really the only major flaw I found here.

Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick clearly have a handle on the lore and popular culture manifestations of the zombies and appropriately, they treat them as background for a comedy. It's too convenient to compare this film to Shaun of the Dead, which made a greater point as a social satire than this even tries to do. Zombieland is an ensemble comedy that you could pick up and put in any surrounding because the characters are so specifically illustrated.

First-time feature director Ruben Fleischer also deserves praise for walking a very delicate line between not doing enough and doing way too damn much. The film has a spectacular pace, juggles the aforementioned gimmick and flashbacks with aplomb, gives each character room to breathe, and finds a space within all of it for the best cameo since Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder. None of it feels forced, the jokes all work, and we get an extremely memorable credits sequence to kick off the action. Three minutes in and you're hooked.

The two performers that stood out to me were Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone. Jesse Eisenberg is better here than he is in anything but The Squid and the Whale, but he's still a familiar variation. Abigail Breslin is also up to the challenge, but the nature of the story just gives her less to do. Stone we have seen in supporting roles in mostly bad comedies. And her character her is substantially different, displaying an edgier vibe that you'd expect one of the last five survivors of the zombiepocalypse to have.

But the star of this show is Harrelson, who has been proving us wrong since walking on the set of Cheers over 25 years ago. Tallahassee isn't quite the redneck his appearance would indicate, so Harrelson has to sell the outward stuff first and give us a few new wrinkles as the story progresses, all the while not betraying the way he played the character in the film's earlier moments. In short, he nails it.

There are people who will never see a zombie movie, just as there are people who won't plunk down good money to read subtitles for two hours. So I won't try to break their losing streak. But if you love a good comedy, even if the site of blood isn't your bag, Zombieland is one of the few must-see movies of the year. It's terrific fun, smarter than it has to be, and is the kind of flick you want to immediately see again.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment7 Comments |

Reader Comments (7)

i completely agree i thought it was great but there was alot of stuff in there that you might not necessarily appreciate if your not a fan of the genre but i do have to hand them that cameo...it was amazing

Friday, October 2, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterdan novak

Woody H. first appeared on Cheers in 1985- not quite 25 years ago, but long ago nonetheless...

Friday, October 2, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterW Zombee

Hilarious movie! Easily one of the best movies of 2009. "Nut up or shut up!"

Saturday, October 3, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterL-Dogg

OH, so much fun. Even Amanda immediately said we need to buy it on DVD. Woody Harrelson is now the second-coolest guy in the world...after The Cameo, of course.

Monday, October 12, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCarv

I'm so glad you *got* this movie like I did.

This isn't just a good zombie flick, it's a good flick period.

The pacing of the gore factor was a push-pull type thing, and was expertly executed. I was uncomfortable at the beginning because gore gets to me a little, but they kept it at the perfect level

"do you have any regrets?"
"oh, Garfield maybe"

Friday, October 16, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterzack

Funniest movie of 2009! Harrelson deserves on Oscar nod. Screenplay is witty and the direction is slick. I may see it again in the theatre. I will definitely buy the DVD.

Monday, October 19, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterElizabeth

I found a good copy at http://www.HitFlix.net

All I had to do was fill out a survey and the movie played. Its really a good movie and I think everyone will get a good laugh or two.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterSteven

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