Featured, Local, Movie Reviews

Zombieland

Posted: October 1, 2009 at 11:59 pm   /   by   /   comments (3)

zombieland-jesse-eisenberg-woody-harrelson-movie-posterIn a world that is overrun with zombies, an unlikely duo joins forces to make the best out of their situation in this incredibly fresh buddy comedy. At every turn, you cant help but to see cars destroyed, buildings abandoned, and worse yet – zombies that want nothing more to exterminate the entire human population. Welcome to “Zombieland.”

The movie is cleverly narrated by Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg – who explains why the world is now overrun by zombies. Out of necessity for survival, he has developed his own list of rules that has allowed him to become one of the last human beings on earth. We find that this list is referenced throughout the entire movie, which is done in a way that is more and more entertaining as the story goes on. We learn early on about this unlikely hero and how a skinny, quiet guy (who could stay at home for weeks on end without any human interaction before the zombie outbreak) came to survive in the beginning.

As the story progresses, Columbus heads home to find out if the little family that he barely even knows is still alive. On the way, we are introduced to the closest thing that he can call a friend – a fellow survivor that has a certain affinity for killing zombies. We find that Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson and denoted by the destination city of his character, holds a particular distaste for zombies and shows no mercy when it comes to killing them in whatever way possible. His seriousness and commitment to destroying zombies is one of the most entertaining parts of the film. The buddy dynamic between these two main characters is what makes the movie so enjoyable. The unlikely friends decide to team up and work together to get to where they are both going. And so starts the beginning of a beautiful zombie-killing friendship.

Both Columbus and Tallahassee are longing for something throughout the movie. Columbus has never really been the social type, and would love nothing more than to meet a girl that he could settle down with and bring home to meet his parents. He has in his mind the perfect way that his relationship would play out, and now is finding it even harder to meet the girl of his dreams while most of the entire population has been wiped out by zombies. Tallahassee on the other hand, is craving something else in his life. He knows that somewhere in the world, eventually will exist the last Twinkie on earth – and he wants to be the one to eat it. Along their journey, the two of them get into some hilarious situations looking for their objects of desire.

Jesse Eisenberg was cast perfectly in the role of our a-stereotypical hero. Most zombie movies portray a hero who is a typical bad-ass type, muscle bound and ready to pound some zombies into smithereens. Columbus on the other hand uses his intelligence, and his incredibly amusing list of survival rules to stay alive. His unlikeliness to survive a zombie outbreak, due to his small size and stature, is what makes the movie so entertaining. He plays a zombie-killer that has never been seen before, and it is done very well in this film. Woody Harrelson is perfect in the role of Tallahassee, who is an incredibly fun character. He is what levels out the dry sense of humor and quiet personality of Columbus, and is sure to entertain with his over-the-top, good ol’ boy zombie-destroying antics. The two run into fellow survivors Whichita (Emma Stone, “Superbad”) and her younger sister Little Rock (newcomer Abigail Breslin) after a run-in with some zombies at a grocery store. The two of them do a good job in their roles opposite the guys, although I thought that the interactions between Breslin’s character and both Columbus and Tallahassee proved to be more entertaining. This was mainly due to her young age, and the fact that this 12-year-old girl is out there killing zombies with the big boys. Overall, the entire cast is a whole lot of fun, and each brings something different to the film that makes it great.

The humor is dead on through the entirety of the film (pun intended). It is hard to find a moment where the audience is not entertained by the hilarious tactics that the characters ensue, as they try to survive in world overran by zombies. The movie is unlike any other zombie move that has been made before – even in the comedy genre. The execution of non-stop humor and the wittiness of the script is what makes the movie a perfection. Overall, the movie is nothing but fun and entertainment – and one of the best times you will have at the theater all year.

Zombieland is an A

A Second Take from Zac:
Ruben Fleischer’s feature debut is an extremely fun zombie comedy that is definitely more comedy than any of the many other genres on display here, which isn’t a bad thing since it is frequently hilarious.
The zombie apocalypse is well under way in the United States and the living dead vastly outnumber the living. We follow the path of Columbus, as in his destination is Columbus, Ohio, in which he hopes to find his family still intact. Columbus lives by a set of rules to keep from becoming the living dead, many of which we will get a lesson in over the course of the film. Columbus is a former college student who has now hit the road and he ends up running into and pairing up with a man known as Tallahassee, a bit reckless but a hell of a zombie killer, the two form an unlikely team that is both effective and beneficial to their survival. The pair eventually runs into another couple on the run, this time a pair of sisters, Wichita and Little Rock are their call signs with Wichita being the older and Little Rock a 12 year old on the run. The foursome eventually team up, though not very smoothly and they decide to watch each others backs with the hope of finding a little peace if not what they are looking for.
The film as I mentioned in the opening is quite the genre mash up. One part horror, one part indie romantic comedy, one part action film, and three part comedy the film has a little bit for everyone. The film is first and foremost a comedy, and those looking for the horror/action stuff will find it is rather contained to beginning and the end of the picture with the middle devoted to getting to know these characters and building compassion for them along the way. And the film does that really well by making everyone likeable and fun to be around which also helps elevate the horror and the action of the picture when it is around as we really care about these characters and are hoping none of them bite the dust.
Those looking for a scared though, don’t come in expecting a creep fest. There are a couple of tense and out at you moments, but for the most part it is the graphic gore in the early goings that will get the faint of heart. Though, Fleischer does a nice job of using some of the gore to good comic effect, but after he sets the table through the first couple of scenes there isn’t a lot to worry about over the rest of the picture. This is all too just let you know that it is a comedy genre film not a gross out horror fest, in fact it is more keen to an indie comedy in its structure in pacing than anything else.
The writing in the film is very sharp and the execution of the rules is done incredibly well. The film opens with a run down of the rules, then quickly a scene of Columbus executing them. But the rules pop up over and over again and it is a lot of fun to watch our heroes execute them, and even funnier when they sneak the rules written out subtly in the background.
The cast, though sparse, is fantastic from top to bottom. Jesse Eisenberg is great as always and gets his biggest main stream role yet which he knocks out of the park. Columbus is neurotic, sticks to his rules, and has never really taken risks in his life and Eisenberg does a great job at capturing that but still instilling the snooty confidence the character has. He also makes a potentially unappealing and relatable character likeable and you will find yourself quickly getting behind him in the picture. Woody Harrelson on the other hand has to do very little to win us over. The character is written and created so well, you can’t help but not get behind Tallahassee. Harrelson dives head first into the character and makes him even bigger and better then he is written on the page, providing endless one liners and one of the better characters I have seen in a movie in a while. Emma Stone is sexy, funny, and has a bit of an edge to her that works perfectly for Wichita. The character has some trust issues and Stone nails it, but gives the character depth as she slowly lets down her guard and softens up to her new companions that we first only see with her sister Little Rock. Little Rock is played by the always great Abigail Breslin and it is fun to see her take on a film that is entirely unexpected. She doesn’t have a whole lot to do, but she shines when she does, and throws in a couple of good lines throughout the picture. Amber Heard has another solid turn in a brief appearance in Columbus’ flashback and gets to play both sides of the ball if you catch my drift. The cameo you might have heard of by now is also as good as you hear it is, but I won’t spoil here.
In the end, Zombieland is a grand ole time at the theater and one of the most fun films of the year. It is well crafted and rarely drops a joke, though I wish it had a bit more of the zombie fighting throughout the picture. Again, that’s not to say I was disappointed, I just think Fleischer and company did an excellent job with the action/zombie fighting stuff I wish there was more of it. Other than that, not a whole lot to complain about, maybe a bit better pacing in the middle of the picture but I think that feeling is more attributed to the fact that the zombie stuff dies down a bit and we focus on the characters, which is great just caught me off guard. Check it out if you are a comedy fan, even if you are a bit off put by the horror stuff I promise it won’t diminish your experience.
Zombieland is an A-