Zombieland: Guns, the undead and Twinkies.

Oct 2, 2009 by Joshua    No Comments    Posted under: film, film feature

Title: Zombieland

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

Genre: Zombie comedy

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

At first glance, “Zombieland” might seem like another zombie comedy in the same vein as “Shaun of the Dead”. Truth be told, it is, but it takes a new approach to the recently popular notion of surviving a zombie apocalypse.

The film takes place some time into the world-shattering catastrophe. The survivors are not merely trying to escape a zombie-infested city or find shelter until the whole thing blows over. The nation has fallen to the zombies, and to them, it’s just a matter of staying alive from day to day.

The survivors refer to each other by the cities they came from, an indication of the tenuous nature of their relationships in the uncertain world of zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, possibly channeling Michael Cera) is a neurotic young man who abides by his anal-retentive list of rules for zombie survival – with such gems as “Beware of bathrooms” and “Buckle your seatbelt”. While trekking back to Ohio to see if his parents are okay, he meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a man’s man with a deep penchant for Twinkies. The two of them head off east in Tallahassee’s modified Cadillac, complete with cowcatcher.

Along the way, they run into two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone of “Superbad”) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin of “Little Miss Sunshine”). Believing the pair to be in trouble, the men attempt to help them, only to be conned out of their guns and vehicle. In time, however, they catch up with the sisters, and the motley group members eventually decide to stick together, if only for a little while.

Where “Zombieland” strays from most other zombie thrillers is that it avoids pandering to the typical zombie tropes. There is little to no tension about having to put a bullet between the eyes of loved ones before they turn to zombies. Conservation of ammunition is not a concern – rather, in several instances, Tallahassee wastes several rounds out of sheer excitement, shooting a semi-automatic into the air to celebrate. The survivors are not constantly hiding from zombies. Instead, they have a sort of sick enjoyment in dispatching them in amusing ways.

One characteristic quality of zombie movies that can be found, however, is an abundance of moments where one cannot help but ask what the characters were thinking. Actions like running a zombie-covered vehicle into a lake, or willingly running into a “Haunted House” amusement to escape zombies, might make the die-hard zompocalypse enthusiast guffaw.

The film also has its fair share of violence and gore, as should be expected. The zombies are thoroughly decked out in blood and decay, blackish gobs spewing from their mouths. In one scene, a zombie woman is chewing the entrails of her deceased husband and breaking his bones to suck out the marrow. In another, Tallahassee takes out a trio of overweight undead with a banjo, a baseball bat and hedge clippers. Much of the violence is brief, however, and often comical in nature.

That is not to say that the film is devoid of serious moments. As Columbus learns, nobody is left untouched by the devastation that has struck the country. Even Harrelson’s macho character has his emotional moments. During one scene, I will admit, I was nearly driven to tears by his bawling, but those tears of sadness turned into tears of laughter when he defused the situation by exclaiming, “I’ve never cried this much since Titanic!”

If anything, the degree to which Harrelson gets into his character and gives Tallahassee a voice and personality is what makes “Zombieland” so great. The man is quirky and humorous, and the facial expressions he makes are priceless. In comparison, Eisenberg and Stone are a bit flat in their delivery, but they serve the purpose of a dorky guy trying to win over a gorgeous woman by overcoming his own insecurities. Breslin wraps up the cast package as a sarcastic pre-teen with a wit of her own, meshing well with Harrelson’s bizarre father-figure role.

What makes the movie even greater is a particular cameo appearance about halfway through the film. For anyone who doesn’t know who the surprise cameo is, I strongly advise that you leave it a mystery until you see it. All I am willing to divulge is that the movie is graced by the comedic genius of one whose initials are “BM”.

Comparisons will be made between this movie and “Shaun of the Dead” – both films feature a pathetic loser trying to win the girl over in the midst of a zombie plague. It is true that the relationships between the survivors are just as much the focus of this film as the zombies are. “Zombieland”, however, is not simply a re-hashing of Edgar Wright’s wonderful cinematic masterpiece. It is a thrill ride all its own – not too serious, not too deep, but full of excitement and humor.

As always, here’s a trailer. It does a fair job of representing the movie. Just replace the “old British gent” voiceover with Eisenberg’s voice and it’s pretty spot-on. Also, check out Harrelson’s get-up – that hat, those boots, that snake-skin jacket. Priceless.

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