"Hell, no! I knew a guy once who was a lot worse at that than me."
The world has changed... a virus, from a tainted hamburger, has turned the majority of the population into flesh eating zombies. The people not affected by the virus, have to defend themselves and be prepared for a zombie attack at all times. Twenty-something, college kid Columbus (Eisenberg) survives due to a list of rules he follows.
The first rule of Zombieland: Cardio. When the zombie outbreak first hit, the first to go, for obvious reasons... were the fatties.
He is trying to get back to Columbus, OH to see if his parents are still alive... He believes he is one of the only people left, and then he meets Tallahassee (Harrelson). Tallahassee is a one man zombie killing machine, "When Tallahassee goes Hulk on a zombie, he sets the standard for "not to be f***** with"." He is a loner... seeking the elusive Twinkie, but agrees to give Columbus a ride.
They cross paths with sisters Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), who con them out of a vehicle. They are going to an amusement park, which is supposed to be the only place left still zombie-free. With potential zombie attacks around every corner, they team up to survive.
I'm not a fan of zombie movies... just never had the desire to see any of them. And then Shaun of the Dead came along... and suddenly it was cool to watch zombie movies, or at least British comedies about zombies. Knowing that this was not 1) a British comedy, 2) starring Simon Pegg, 3) written/directed by Edgar Wright, I had my doubts. Could "Zombieland" be any good as a zombie comedy, or would it be painful to watch. The trailers looked good, but trailers can be deceiving. Thankfully, the "powers that be" behind "Zombieland" got it right.
They created a new and believable world. The zombies are gross and pose a legit threat... The writers took a risk with such a small cast (only 6 characters have names, everyone else is a zombie), but the characters work so well that adding anyone else would seem like overkill. Jesse Eisenberg embodies the nerdy Columbus and serves as an interesting and funny narrator. Woody Harrelson, who is having a great year on film, gets to cause some serious violence while throwing out one-liners, and even exhibiting moments of vulnerability. Emma Stone is the bewitching beauty who always has a plan, and Abigail Breslin is "wise-beyond-her-years," while wielding a shotgun and trying to be an adult. All four work in their parts, and work well together. There is also a funny cameo, but I won't spoil it for you.
Lot of blood... but I suppose that should be expected in a zombie film. I still prefer Shaun of the Dead, but it's hard to beat Simon Pegg, but definitely a funny and memorable film.
Zombieland (2009) 88 minutes
Rating: R for horror violence/gore and language.
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee
Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus
Emma Stone as Wichita
Abigail Breslin as Little Rock
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