The October Zombie-Thon 2009 - Day 31: Zombieland

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.31.2009

What's that? You think I could have picked a better movie to wrap up Zombie-Thon? Do you wanna know how hard I can punch?

ZOMBIELAND (2009)




Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
Country: USA


As soon as I saw Zombieland (opening night, duh), I knew it was the perfect film for the all-important Halloween slot of Zombie-Thon. And yet, this puts me in an odd position. I mean, most of my fellow 411 writers (heck, most people in general) have already had their say on the film. In the span of just a few weeks I've become the "late to the party" guy. And, let's face it, this may be a pretty pointless review altogether. I pride myself on the idea of Zombie-Thon perhaps informing horror fans of some unknown gems they might not have otherwise checked out. But if you've somehow gone until now without seeing Zombieland, you might not be the target audience for this column anyway.

But, you know what? I don't care. I don't care that this isn't the most topical review anymore. I don't care that I'm only heaping praise on a movie that most have already seen and enjoyed. I don't care that Zombieland doesn't need my help.

All I care about is the fact that Zombieland is one hell of an awesome movie, and it totally deserves to close out this year's Zombie-Thon. This is a movie that I was excited to see from the very first time I heard about it, but I had no idea it would end up being as great as it was. This, my friends, is a zombie-comedy that can proudly stand up there with Return of the Living Dead, Braindead and Shaun of the Dead as one of the funniest films the genre has ever offered. In fact, it's probably the best zombie movie to be released since Shaun of the Dead. And considering that list includes two George Romero movies, well, that's saying something.

The film's story picks up after the zombie apocalypse has already ravaged the earth, leaving few survivors to try to pick up the pieces. One of those survivors is Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a nerdy, neurotic kid who doesn't seem like a likely candidate to tough out a world-ending disaster, but who has managed to beat the odds by sticking fast to a self-created list of survival rules (cleverly shown on screen whenever he adheres to them, in one of the movies best ongoing gags). While trying to get back to his hometown to see if his parents are still alive, Columbus meets up with fellow survivor Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), an ass-kicking redneck with a mad craving for Twinkies. To say these two seem are an unlikely pairing would be an understatement, and they know it, too. But mismatched company is better than no company, so the two agree to stick together for a while at least.

Their group grows (but not, at first, by choice) when they encounter sisters Wichita (Emma Stone…who doesn't look as much like Mila Kunis as that poster up there would have you believe) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have been getting by through scamming and robbing whoever else they come across. At first Columbus and Tallahassee unwittingly end up as hostages of the duo, but eventually the four strike an uneasy alliance, and all agree to stay together as far as California, where Wichita is taking Little Rock in response to rumors that an amusement park out there is one of the few safe havens from the zombies.

At its most basic level, Zombieland is essentially "road movie" meets "zombie movie." Except that description ignores how hilarious it is, as well. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have crafted a script filled to the brim with uproarious one-liners delivered by likable, well-fleshed-out characters. Make no mistake about it, this is a comedy (and a very good one) first and foremost. In fact, for a movie called Zombieland, it's technically not much of a zombie movie. That's not a complaint, mind you. It's actually one of the more fascinating elements – the story kicks off at a point where the characters have already gotten over the initial shock of experiencing the rising dead. It's no longer all that important to them.

That's not to say the movie downplays the zombie menace (like, say, a Johnny Sunshine). The characters are fully aware of the danger they pose…but at the same time they've moved beyond the point of spending every single moment thinking about it. The zombies are effectively just a nuisance to them. This was one of my favorite things about the movie. The characters don't spend time giving speeches on why this happened, or wondering about the scientific or religious ramifications of it. It just doesn't matter to them on that kind of level; not anymore. I wish more zombie movies would take that approach.

Besides the characters' casual attitudes, another unique thing about Zombieland is its generally optimistic tone – not often seen in zombie movies, even of the comic persuasion (even Shaun of the Dead became kind of a bummer near the end). There are some sad back-stories here, in order to give the characters some depth, but overall the movie plays up the goofy fun of the whole situation. It's nice to see the characters indulge in the kind of things you've always imagined doing if you were one of the last human survivors…like destroy a store just for kicks or go stay at the mansion of one of your favorite stars (which, of course, here leads to one of the greatest cameos in comedy history…but I will say no more, just in case you are one of the few who somehow haven't that spoiled for you yet).

All in all, Zombieland is just about everything you could want from a movie called Zombieland. It's got a hilarious script and a terrific cast (even if Eisenberg often feels like he's just channeling Michael Cera). It's infinitely quotable. It's got what may be the best opening credits sequence in zombie-movie history (only Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake rivals it). When it does get gory, it does so in glorious fashion. And, best of all, it's open-ended. It was originally conceived as a pilot for a TV show, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the film's climax, which obviously sets the stage for future adventures in Zombieland. And to that, I can only say – bring it on. Please.

FINAL SCORE: 4 out of 4 Bubs (Essential Viewing)



Well, that's it, folks. It's been a fun month, and I'm glad you could join me for it. This is more than likely the final Zombie-Thon (at least in this form), and I thank everyone who has ever read it and/or sent me feedback - and an extra special thanks to all of those who have read all four years. I leave you now with this, the best advice you will ever get: "shoot 'em in the head."