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New Movie Review: Zombieland By Kim Sabshin  |
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Whether you like George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead film or play Left for Dead into the wee hours of the night, it’s clear that moviegoers, gamers, and thrill seekers alike can’t get enough of zombies. If you’re looking for a new horde of undead this Halloween season, look no further than Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland. While few people are likely to find this movie scary, it is funny, gory, and overall highly entertaining.
Like many zombie movies, the plot focuses on the survivors of a zombie apocalypse. The first person that audiences meet is a nerdy college student known only as “Columbus” (Jesse Eisenberg). Although he is afraid of seemingly everything, quick reflexes and a unique set of survival “rules” have helped him to outlive everyone else around him.
Since he is at school in Texas, he plans to travel back to his hometown in Ohio to see if his parents are still alive. However, he meets “Tallahassee” (Woody Harrelson), a gun-toting zombie killer with a weakness for Twinkies. After the unlikely pair makes a pit stop to look for the desserts, they find a pair of sisters, “Wichita” (Emma Stone) and “Little Rock” (Abigail Breslin). From there, the four join forces to survive and pick up the pieces.
Based on the trailers, I thought that this movie was going to be a typical “zombie apocalypse” film with some humor thrown in. However, it exceeded my expectations: although the concept is not new, Fleischer turned it into a movie that felt fresh, consistently made me laugh, and hit the mark in spite of some reliance on running gags.
Of these, the most obvious is Columbus’ list of “rules” that have helped him survive. As Columbus mentions each one, his words appear onscreen with a flashback to a scenario where he used that rule. This had the potential to get old quickly, but I thought that all of the rules and accompanying captions were hilarious and a highlight of the movie. Giving any of these away here would be pointless since words can’t do them justice.
As for the zombies themselves, they are typically what one would expect to see in a movie like this: they gurgle and spit blood, eat flesh, and generally ensure that the action is as bloody as possible. The movie is extremely gory, but most of it is so over the top that it couldn’t possibly be realistic – which is obviously what Fleischer intended.
The acting itself is decent, but most of it tends to fall onto the backburner. Eisenberg and Harrelson are believable as foils: Eisenberg is the nerdy young kid, while Harrelson is the older, weather-beaten survivor with a knack for shooting his gun at anything that moves. The female leads are underused: I enjoyed Breslin’s acting in Little Miss Sunshine and would have liked to see more of her. However, this isn’t enough to detract from the movie.
Speaking of actors, there is also a seemingly arbitrary cameo from a well-known actor and comedian, whose initials are given before he appears on screen. I won’t reveal the initials or the actor’s identity here, but be prepared to be surprised, amused, or both. Fleischer makes it fairly obvious what will happen, but the end result is still funny.
Overall, Zombieland should provide an entertaining night out if you haven’t seen it yet. This is one of those movies where you’ll find yourself laughing at everything from the slightest bloodshed to the merciless execution of dozens of zombies, whether or not it’s truly appropriate to laugh or not. If you’re looking to get into the Halloween spirit or are just a fan of zombie movies in general, you won’t want to miss this film.
Rating: 4.25/5
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