Genre: Comedy/Horror
“Zombieland” is a (somewhat) fresh take on the venerable “zombie flick.” Like 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead,” “Zombieland” isn’t a traditional horror movie, but rather a comedy that just happens to have zombies in it. While “Shaun” was a romantic comedy set in the middle of a zombie outbreak, “Zombieland” is essentially a road movie set after the zombie apocalypse.
This apocalypse is shown in several highly stylized scenes during the opening credits, reminiscent of last spring’s “Watchmen”. Once the audience has been filled in on the backstory, it is introduced to Eisenberg’s character, a college student in Austin, Texas. All four main characters are referred to by their hometowns rather than their names; Eisenberg’s character is “Columbus,” as in “Columbus, Ohio.” Columbus, serving as the film’s narrator, shares some of his rules for survival with the viewer. These rules, such as “Do your cardio,” “Double-tap,” and “Beware of restrooms,” become running gags throughout the movie. Evading multiple zombie attacks, Columbus eventually meets Tallahassee (Harrelson). After an initial standoff, they reluctantly agree to travel together. Stopping at an abandoned grocery store for supplies (specifically, a Hostess Twinkie), Tallahassee and Columbus encounter a pair of teenage girls, Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), who have been running confidence scams since before the apocalypse and use their talents to steal the men’s vehicle, weapons and supplies. After a second encounter with the con girls, Columbus manages to convince the other three that they should work together. From that point on, the four travel west as a group, albeit a distrusting one. Once the guns are put away, much of the film’s conflict comes from the characters bonding in spite of their best efforts not to. The film’s final act starts once they reach Los Angeles, including a cameo that has is too good to spoil.
All four stars (and the aforementioned cameo performer) turn in solid performances, but the film’s highlight is Harrelson’s snakeskin-jacket-wearing, Dale-Earnhardt-loving, Twinkie-craving Tallahassee. Harrelson chews scenery like a zombie gnawing on a femur, providing the action scenes with the requisite bad-assery. But as the movie progresses and the characters start to lower their guard with each other, he reveals a depth to Tallahassee that goes beyond “stock action-film bad-ass”. Eisenberg and Stone take what could be tired, annoying characters (nervous, O.C.D. virgin and bad girl with a heart of gold, respectively) and make them not only entertaining, but also likeable. Breslin handles her role well, able to effortlessly switch between scheming con woman and innocent little girl when needed. Writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese provide all four actors with the kind of snarky dialogue needed to keep the proceedings light and fun, such as Columbus’ summary of his first encounter with a zombie: “The first girl I let into my life, and she tries to eat me.” First time director Ruben Fleischer balances the character moments and zombie-killing chaos perfectly and gives the film lots of unique visual flourishes.
“Zombieland” is not high art. It’s an over-the-top romp, inspired as much by video games as the films of George Romero. It’s also fun as hell. Go see it.
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