Zombieland

So here's a movie review for Zombieland I did a few months ago for one of my journalism classes... one of my favorites :)

Nothing screams dark-comedy classic more than a cannibalistic nation filled with pus-skinned, blood yearning, flesh-eating zombies – and a group of four social misfits left to fend for themselves with nothing more than a few guns and a yellow Hummer (and yes, these four are of the breathing, pulsating type). In Zombieland, director Ruben Fleischer epitomizes the American zombie movie with blood and guts galore, adding just enough quirks and wit along the way to produce a few good laughs. Zombieland makes for a unique horror movie experience by combining the fan bases of both the teenage-slasher and black humor genres. This mix provides the two fundamental elements any zombie movie enthusiast would enjoy – fresh humor and pure revulsion.

Zombieland opens with one of the very violent, barbaric zombie attacks which sporadically take place throughout the film, leaving us to either cover our eyes in fright or to fall out of our seats in fits of laughter. The scene takes place in front of the White House – with Jimi Hendrix’s version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” playing in the background – as innocent bystanders get brutally mutilated and eaten by hundreds of crazed zombies. A scene that would normally incite disgust is made humorous through the overabundance of fake, syrupy blood and the witty side remarks made by main character and narrator Columbus (characters are referred to by hometown rather than by actual name), played by the talented Jesse Eisenberg. With chaos and destruction abound, Columbus blatantly states, “Welcome to the United States of Zombieland.”

Columbus, a goofy loner obsessed with World of Warcraft, Code Red Mountain Dew and his deep-seated fear of clowns, concocts a list of 32 rules that he swears by during a zombie attack. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick do a wonderful job of adding comic relief through Eisenburg’s character, making his quirky personality one people can both laugh at and personally relate to. Columbus’ first rule, “Cardio,” is introduced during a scene when an obese teen is run down and slaughtered by a zombie, with Columbus pointing out that “the fat ones were the first to go.” These rules pop up whenever a zombie attack ensues, as if the movie resembles a game show and the rules are blinking bonus hints to help ensure survival.

The plot builds momentum when Columbus crosses paths with Tallahassee, a washed-up, banjo-playing cowboy wannabe played by a riotous Woody Harrelson. Tallahassee’s tough exterior eventually gives way to laughable, childish behavior. He can smash in the head of a zombie without a flinch but gets upset and throws tantrums whenever he is unable to find a Twinkie. Tallahassee’s take on the zombie apocalypse adds an entertaining sense of morbidity to the film. At one point, driving down the street, the two come across a zombie-woman dressed in a nice business suit tearing the flesh off of her victim, and Tallahassee nonchalantly points out, “She’s just enjoying her manwitch.”

Columbus and Tallahassee eventually join ranks with two con-artist sisters, and the rest of the movie follows this odd group as they attempt to trust one another as family while simultaneously having to avoid zombie manslaughter. Abigail Breslin perfectly executes one of her first “grown-up” roles as the younger sister Little Rock (no longer is she the goofy, lovable Olive from Little Miss Sunshine), and her character bonding with Harrelson onscreen is genuinely believable. Tough guy Tallahassee eventually grows a soft spot for Little Rock, treating her as if she’s his own daughter and even teaching her how to correctly aim a gun at a Zombie’s brain in order to guarantee a satisfactory death.

Such eccentric personalities and scenarios set Zombieland apart from other well-known zombie movies. While movies such Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead focus on just how much blood and violence one can fit in to a mere two hour timeframe, Zombieland takes the plot a step further by exploring actual character development and relationships. Instead of people leaving a theater with the profound yet pointless knowledge of which character can better handle a machete, Zombieland allows the audience to feel for its characters and to connect with them on a much deeper level. Such authentic character bonding along with over-the-top gore and wit (picture 2004’s zombie-comedy Shaun of the Dead without all of the blunt British commentary) allows Zombieland to stand out among a large genre of cult-classic films.

The film progresses as the battle between human survival and complete zombie takeover finally comes to a head at a very ironic location – a happy, childhood amusement park in California called Pacific Playground. The hardcore battle scene that follows almost feels like a videogame sequence. Rock music blares in the background as the four humans left on earth ride the rides and take aim at the numerous targets surrounding them, hitting each one with precision and vigor and making for a truly revolting and sidesplitting finale. Music composer David Sardy does a terrific job at fitting gruesome zombie scenes with rather ironic music choices. A slow motion killing spree accompanied by classical music and intense, limb-bashing moments accompanied by heavy rock ballads greatly add to the film’s overall sardonic feel.

It seems that every teen horror movie (even the few great ones) must have a sappy teen romance embedded in the plot somewhere, and this holds true for Zombieland. Emma Stone plays Wichita, the older sister and a true bad girl at heart, who eventually finds a “hero” within Columbus after he comes to her rescue at Pacific Playground. He miraculously sheds his scaredy cat image in a mere five seconds and fights off about 20 blood hungry zombies in order to pull off the ultimate movie rescue of Fall 2009. But who can really blame Fleischer for taking this direction. The only two horny teenagers left in a nation full of man-eating zombies were bound to fall for one another in the end eventually. A slightly corny scenario does not take away from the overall success of the film, given the many instances of pure entertainment, including a brief appearance by Bill Murray playing himself.

The great direction led by Fleischer and the outstanding cast makes Zombieland a great zombie flick, right when many modern horror movie ratings were beginning to falter. Zombieland’s clever combination of terror and humor appeals to a wide range of moviegoers and brings about a storyline truly different from the stereotypical zombie flick. The zombie attacks are extremely gruesome and violent in every way, but the eccentric ways the main characters face and interact with these problems adds a great dose of humor. As Columbus would say, “It’s tough growing up in Zombieland,” but it is not tough to enjoy its blood, guts and outrageousness.