By Aaron Fenn
From the first five minutes where the protagonist, Columbus,
rattles off a list of the rules to surviving the zombie apocalypse,
look out for the incredibly well used super-slow-motion sequence
involving “seatbelts,” to the final zombie showdown at Pacific
Playland.
“Zombieland” delivers big on thrills, with some of my favorite
gore this year, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Rule #1: Cardio.
Rule #4: Seatbelts.
Rule #22: When in doubt, know your way out.
Rule #32: Enjoy the little things. No, these aren’t mantras to
live by in order to lead a healthier and fruitful live.
These are only four of the 32 rules established to survive the
zombie apocalypse.
The “zombie apocalypse” began with mad cow disease, which leads
to “mad people disease,” which then lead to “mad zombie
disease”.
Get it? Two of the male non-zombie survivors in this alternate
world are Columbus, played by “Adventureland’s” lovesick teen Jesse
Eisenberg, and Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson, who set out
on a road trip to California with two of the female non-zombie
survivors, Wichita, played by “Superbad’s” Emma Stone and Little
Rock, played by “My Sister’s Keeper’s” Abigail Breslin, who claim
the amusement park, Pacific Playland, is the safest place from
zombies within miles.
Oh, and did I forget to mention the other three incredibly smart
and humorous plot devices to keep the film moving along at a brisk
81 minutes? The characters in the film are named after the cities
in which they came from (so their real identities are never known).
Tallahassee’s main motivation in any excursion is to eat a Twinkie,
and Columbus desperately wants to know what it feels like to tuck
some girl’s hair behind her ear.
The director, Ruben Fleischer, hits the tone of this movie
perfectly.
It is a film that does not take itself too seriously, but at the
same time establishes the characters well enough to let the
audience care about them.
Personally, I was rooting for Columbus to finally tuck that lock
of hair behind a girl’s ear, and was praying Tallahassee would find
those oh-so-coveted Twinkies he’d been searching for.
“Zombieland” is the third mainstream horror-comedy to come out
of Hollywood this year. “Drag Me to Hell” which came out in May,
focused more on the horror and less of the comedic aspect of this
particular genre, and “Jennifer’s Body,” felt like it was a poor
attempt of anything.
Now, in the month of October, comes “Zombieland”, and, it’s an
absolute blast. While “Shaun of the Dead,” another zombie comedy
movie is far superior, “Zombieland” is still a bloody good time at
the movies, and I don’t mean that in the British sense of the word.
The cameo that takes place at the forty-five minute mark is one
that is not only hysterical, but also thoroughly well executed.
On an additional side note: Hey Hollywood, if you cranked out a
“Zombieland” II for next October instead of “Saw VII,” you would
make this critic one happy camper. I’m just saying.
Final Rating: Three Stars
Courtesy of slashfilm.com
Zombieland’ is hilarious, gory, and an all-out blast
