Zombieland Movie Review
Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson Star in Ruben Fleischer Comedy
Oct 1, 2009 Dominic von Riedemann
Ever watched a movie where you thought, "This flick couldn't get any better!" . . . and then it does?
Zombieland is that film. Relativity Media/Columbia Pictures' answer to the 2004 horror/comedy Shaun of the Dead, it dumps the British humour and setting, and ramps up the action. A hilarious comedy with bite (sorry), it features a brilliantly unhinged performance from Woody Harrelson.
Ruben Fleischer Directs Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jessie Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin in Relativity Media/Pariah Pictures/Columbia Pictures' Zombieland
A socially awkward university freshman (Jesse Eisenberg) finds himself having to survive in a world overrun by zombies. Living his life by various self-imposed rules (maintain your cardiovascular fitness, double-tap your zombie kills, don't get caught in a bathroom, always check the back seat), he's slowly making his way to Columbus, Ohio, where he hopes his parents are still alive.
He meets up with a Twinkie-craving redneck who calls himself Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and a pair of con artist sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin). Together, they must find their way across the U.S. and avoid hordes of flesh-eating monsters.
Kudos to director Ruben Fleischer and screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, who have put together a sharp, taut tale filled with endlessly quotable one-liners (the "Zombie Kill of the Week" sequence is brilliant). Zombieland generates chills and chuckles right from the first scenes, where Eisenberg's rules are graphically illustrated, to the climax featuring a shootout at an abandoned amusement park.
The performances are uniformly good. Eisenberg has added heart to Michael Cera's awkward-but-cute schtick and manages to shoulder the role of POV narrator and conscience, making his character likable in spite (or perhaps, because) of his many neuroses.
Emma Stone is solid as the tough con artist who finds herself potentially softening around Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin demonstrates that, along with Dakota Fanning, she's one of the best actresses of her generation.
Look for a freaking hilarious cameo from a certain well-known actor. The studio asked that we not reveal any names, but this actor steals every scene she (or perhaps, he) appears.
But Woody Harrelson owns this film. Playing a character somewhere between Brad Pitt from Inglourious Basterds and his Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers, Harrelson ricochets between hilarity, pathos and balls-to-the-wall action with equal aplomb. Gotta love his climactic shootout scene, where he takes on a horde of zombies armed with his wits and a whole mess of artillery. It has 'classic' written all over it.
The Final Analysis
Some horror fans may demand more scares and gore from Zombieland, but comedy and action fans will be watching this movie with silly grins on their faces.
Zombieland gets a 10/10.
Fun Fact: The next time you're attacked by a zombie, try distracting it by throwing a cabbage. They kinda look like brains, don't they?
image from Zombieland poster
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