Review: Zombieland

Everybody wants some.

It doesn't take much to figure out what Zombieland is about. More of a good thing, it's a genre romp that follows all the rules (and makes this explicit as possible). And, with heroes Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock leading the way, it's Shaun of the Dead gone all-American. An amusement park for lovers of the genre.

The story follows Columbus, named for his hometown (the loserific Jesse Eisenberg), as he travels across the zombie-torn country in search of survivors and survival. Soon joining the party is Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a brusque cowboy/zombie-killer extraordinaire with nothing left to lose. They repeatedly encounter a pair of sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) with a doublecrossing, every-family-for-themselves mindset. And from there, we're off, into a world of diegetic subtitles, mad Twinkie obsessions, and slow-mo used to its maximum extent.

By fusing such far-flung comic sensibilities as Harrelson and Eisenberg, it's a pretty easy lay and everybody goes home happy. In other words, there are a lot of laughs, and a lot of different kinds at that. Emma Stone feels right at the home in the genre, as does her on-screen sister, Abigail Breslin. All together, they make a pretty good team, hopping around in GM-sponsored vehicles (Hummers and Escalades abound) blasting their shotguns and reminiscing about the times of old. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick know the genre well; they're not trying to send it up as much as just to make another good zombie movie. And just when you think director Ruben Fleischer's turned the gore, something will get SMASHED and the audience will, as Tallahassee puts it, "nut-up or shut up."

But Fleischer saves it all for the end, a truly worthwhile finale that is balls-to-the-wall and full titties and then some. And this comes after a fun cameo which feels a little cut-and-paste yet is oddly-fitting. The best of Zombieland comes in its second half, naturally, and a scene in a Native-American gift shop is especially entertaining.

With all the dystopian/post-apocalyptic/end-of-the-fucking-world crap coming out these days, Zombieland is a refreshing reprieve—being both lighthearted and ultraviolent—with a lil' bit of soul thrown in for good measure. Fleischer took a simple premise, with a standard set of jokes, and really nothing you haven't seen before (or would expect to see) but handles it with enough grace to make it work. Ending at an amusement park, Zombieland is one helluva ride, a "little thing" to be enjoyed just as the rule says.


**1/2 out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger