Zombieland Review
By: Mike Lee
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Year: 2009
I've already displayed my displeasure for zombie comedies out jus t to make a buck in my "Dance of the Dead" review, so I'll digress from talking sh*t about them like just about every "Zombieland" review I read has done. But whereas most recent zombie comedies have failed, "Zombieland" has prevailed. Let's run through a quick checklist of "Zombieland's" triumphs:
"Zombieland" starts off introducing you to a character who just has to take a crap. This is our main character, I am not sh*tting you. Of course, his bathroom break is interupted by zombies, which sets up a hilarious zombie chase in a parking lot and the introduction to this charcter's rules to surving the zombie apocolypse, also extremely hilarious. These rules keep popping up onscreen throughout the movie, Tarrentino style, as the rules are either followed or broken, once again hilariously. He has developed these rules because his defining character trait seems to be his phobias, which range from dirty dish rags to clowns to not wearing seatbelts. Jesse Eisenberg who plays our main character (I'll withhold his name for the time being) has the perfect awkward yet funny nature to him, and he was cast perfectly.
Within time, he meets up with Woody Harrelson's character, who is the ultimate zombie movie badass. He goes by the name of Tallahassee, and gives our main character the name of Columbus, as they use the city they are trying to get to as nicknames so they won't get too close. But of course the hopes of reaching these destinations are quickly tossed aside at the introduction of Emma Stone's and Abigail Breslin's characters, (the latter of which is probably the best child actor I've seen since Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone") who just want to reach Pacific Playland, an amusement park they went to as children and would like to expirience just one more time before the zombie apocalypse becomes too unbearable. Along their journey our group stops in places like Indian Reserves, Hollywood, and grocery stores to take in (and down) the zombie infected scenery.
The comedy in this movie isn't just used to make you laugh, it's to set up character development, be it the sister's decivious and con-artist like ways, Columbus' fears and lady issues, or Tallahassee's need for a Twinkie, which as far as I'm concerned the best premise for a character's development in a zombie movie (possibly any movie) ever. Matter of fact, Tallahassee is probably the funniest thing about this movie, and without a doubt the most badass of the badass, as displayed toward the end (which is set in an amusement park I might add, definitley the best zombie movie finale setpiece I've seen). And even when when he is being a total badass, he's not a total douchebag nor is he totally tough, killing zombies in the most hilariously cynical way possible.
But the zombie-comedy doesn't stop there. Whereas "Shaun of the Dead" parodied the slow-moving zombies of "Night of the Living Dead", "Zombieland" parodies the fast-moving zombies of "28 Days Later", blood barf and all. It also makes very funny jokes about certain zombie movie cliches like finding a ton of weapons in the most random of places ("Thank God for rednecks!"). This movie even takes a shot at movies like "Quarentine" and "Diary of the Dead" very early on.
"Zombieland" is definitely my favorite zombie comedy now (sorry Shaun of the Dead), possibly my favorite zombie movie ever (sorry 28 Days), and it's even one of the best movies I've seen this year personally. I'd recomend it to every zombie fanatic, though if you truely are one you'd been out to see this by now, and I'd even recommend it to the ocassional movie goer, as it is the perfect kick-off to the Halloween season.
8 out of 10 Nerdism Nerds.
