Review: Zombieland (2009)

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Woody Harrelson (Cheers, The People vs Larry Flint), Emma Stone (Superbad, The House Bunny), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Definitely Maybe), Amber Heard (Never Back Down)

The Deal: The zombie apocalypse has occurred, and a cowardly shut-in called Columbus (Eisenberg) with a long list of survival rules must team up with Tallahassee (Harrelson), a man desperatly searching for a Twinkie with little emotional regard to others, in order to survive. The two eventually cross paths with Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), a couple of girls with a set of unorthodox methods to surviving. Though reluctant to stay together, the group ultimately continues across the country killing as many zombies as possible, but as their different goals become known, the group considers going separate ways.

Thoughts: If you've seen Shaun of the Dead (and enjoyed it), then you'd best be served seeing this as well. The two essentially make up the zombie-comedy genre, and it's absolutely hysterical. Zombieland is chock full of zombies and ridiculously gory ways of killing them and staying alive. When you're surrounded by a horde of zombies, and all that's going through your mind is finding a Twinkie, you know you're messed up, and this is what makes Zombieland so funny. Each character is well developed and has their own quirky attributes that when merged with a zombie attack are just plain funny. The premise is pretty straight forward, and it sticks to its guns, allowing for the film to fully make use of its potential. Lots of zombies + lots of weapons + lots of killing + lots of humor = great entertainment. That's what this film is in a nutshell.

Zombie films can be incredibly cheesy, largely in part due to the acting, but that's not the case here. The actors all have the comedic chops to make the humor work while still maintaining a level of seriousness necessary for a zombie apocalypse. Harrelson and Eisenberg are a riot together, as the two are complete polar opposites about pretty much everything. With Stone and Breslin added to the mix, the group is an odd collection of personalities, and it works so well. As good as they were, the funniest bit comes from the secret guest star (*SPOILER*). Somehow, Bill Murray has survived by disguising himself as a zombie, and before his part is done, he has some amazing scenes with Harrelson, who's character is Murray's biggest fan. Not a soul was left quite during Murray's 5-10 minutes on screen, and it was by far the funniest part of the film, which actually says a lot.

Verdict: An incredibly funny and entertaining zom-com that's bolstered by a great guest appearance. It's just as good as Shaun of the Dead, and I suggest you see it, especially since it's Halloween season. ☆☆☆☆