ZOMBIELAND (2009) Movie Review

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I got a chance to see Zombieland a few days before it hit theaters today, October 2, and let me start by saying that I absolutely loved it.

Now I am not a fan of horror movies, and zombie movies are not my thing either, but Zombieland is not really what I would call a horror film. The zombie part has more of a Shaun of the Dead flavor to it, which I actually enjoy. Within the first ten minutes I was pretty much sold on the film and could tell I was going to have a great time. So I thought I would break the movie down and tell you about what which parts I enjoyed the most. But before that let’s start with:

What is Zombieland all about?

Zombieland takes place in a world that is overrun by zombies, except that these zombies are not undead, but infected people that now like to eat flesh.. how nice. We meet Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) a kind of a wuss character, who has been able to survive so far by sticking with his set of rules. He meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) a pretty badass zombie-killer, with whom he ends up traveling. Along the way, they also meet sisters Witchita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who are trying to get to Pacific Playland.

Now that you know what the movie is all about, let’s find out what makes it good.

Columbus’ Rules

The best part of the film and what made it so much fun to watch was learning about Columbus’ rules and then applying them throughout the movie. Some of these rules include “Cardio,” which turns out is really important if you’re going to outrun zombies, so you better hit the gym! “Double Tap” which means that you shouldn’t be stingy with your bullets and that once you’ve shot a zombie once, you should shoot him a second time (in the head preferably) to make sure he is dead. Turns out you should also “stay away from bathrooms” because zombies can feel when you are at your weakest. There are of course a few more rules that you will discover throughout the film but this gives you a taste.

But rules themselves are not the only great thing, it’s also how they are used throughout the movie. Every time the characters are in a situation in which they use or don’t use the rules, you get a visual reminder of the rule written on the screen, which was my favorite thing in the movie. So for example as Columbus is outrunning zombies, you’ll see the word “Cardio” blinking in the corner, it’s pretty hilarious. Plus it made the rules that much more relevant and the whole thing a whole lot funnier.

Columbus

Even though the character of Columbus is set up to be this kind of geek/wuss guy, I found him very endearing and loved the fact that he was able to out-survive almost everyone.

Tallahassee

Tallahassee is a really great character in the film, and come on it’s Woody Harrelson too! He is quite the opposite from Columbus, which makes a pretty interesting dynamic.

Twinkies

Throughout the whole movie, Tallahassee is trying to get his hands on a twinkie so that he can have one before they all go bad. And let’s just say that he is very passionate about finding his twinkie.

I personally have never had a twinkie in my life (I know shocker, it just never looked really good to me), but seeing him so obsessed with them almost makes me want to try one now so I can find out what the fuss is all about.

A Great Cameo

While I don’t want to spoil it for you (because I had no idea when going into the movie myself), there is a pretty great cameo in the film, which creates some great comedic moments, but doesn’t turn out exactly the way you expect. So I’ll just leave it at that…

It’s funny!

And finally, Zombieland is just a funny and entertaining movie to check out during the weekend. No, it doesn’t have any profound message, but who cares. I had a great time watching it, it was one of my favorite movies that I have seen lately, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.
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Title: Zombieland
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray, Emma Stone, Amber Heard, Woody Harrelson
Synopsis: Columbia Pictures’ horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss – but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-totin’, zombie-slayin’ badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.
Release Date: October 2, 2009
Watch the trailer here