Column:
America's answer to 'Shaun of the Dead'
Published Oct. 9, 2009
Everyone has a Zombie Contingency Plan. The mere mention of a zombie apocalypse at any given party is enough to merit at least two hours of golden conversation, but there has yet to be a film that truly embodies the secret glee the zombie alternate universe provides. "Zombieland" emerges from the sadly mediocre and stale trenches of zombie movies as a wonderfully smart and unabashedly fun film.
In "Zombieland," we meet Columbus, a perfectly relatable and delightfully reserved college student wading through zombie hordes to find his absent family. Columbus tells the audience through his witty inner monologues that he has managed to survive due to his rigid set of practical rules (rule No. 1: cardio) He soon meets up with Tallahassee, Columbus' riotous, Twinkie-loving counterpart. What ensues can only be described as the world's first zombie road trip movie.
Although "Zombieland" does manage to harness the American ideology toward a world full of zombies, it does so in a manner that completely avoids the major tropes of the genre. There is no grizzled ex-Marine leading a weary band of survivors and there is no government-based extermination program. Thanks to the writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, all that is left in "Zombieland" is a set of refreshingly intricate and inherently likable characters.
The cast of "Zombieland" works together with a helping of loveable chemistry. The best scenes of the movie often have little to do with the zombies and everything to do with the interaction between the ragtag survivors.
Woody Harrelson does wonders as the zombie annihilator and resident weirdo. Relative newcomer Emma Stone and indie-film darling Abigail Breslin enter the foray as a pair of endearingly inseparable con-artist sisters. Michael Cera look-alike Jesse Eisenberg rounds out the cast, but don't expect him to be a poor man's Cera for long. Eisenberg shows a good amount of flexibility, range and cojones as the film's protagonist.
Also, be on the lookout for the best cameo in recent film history. Although it might last just a little too long, the surprise factor is through of the roof.
Brazenly funny and unapologetically blood-splattered, "Zombieland" hits a balance increasingly hard to attain, unless you are Sam Raimi. Director Ruben Fleischer has saturated his film in hard rock music and thrown in enough slow-motion zombie slaughtering that it's hard not to love the whole experience. Fleischer hasn't done much of note yet, but he has a bright future ahead of him.
For all of the film's high points, perhaps the most interesting trait is the juxtaposition of "Zombieland" and its brother-in-arms, "Shaun of the Dead." "Shaun of the Dead" lovingly lampooned the zombie genre years ago while exemplifying nearly everything that is British comedy. On the other hand, "Zombieland" displays an exact portrait of the ridiculous boldness of what can be considered true American humor.
The likelihood of a zombie apocalypse ever really happening is next to zero, but that does not mean people will ever stop humorously recounting their intricate plans, now aided by the unique "Zombieland" outlook on the zombie film genre. "Zombieland" is blockbuster season's triumphant last hurrah, so enjoy it while you can.