Fantastic Fest 2009: ‘Zombieland’ Review

Tallahassee: “Time to nut up or shut up!”

Hands down, ZOMBIELAND is the best 81 minutes of pure, unadulterated violent, bloody laugh-your-ass-off fun that $9 (on average) can buy you this year. If you’re a fan of horror-comedy, then ZOMBIELAND is a must-see movie. Furthermore, you’ve really got to try seeing it at your local movie theatre to fully enjoy this rowdy romp. This is one of those films that is meant to be seen in a theatre, crowded with other genre-loving fans, whereas your own laughter is exponentially heightened by the laughter of everyone else around you.

ZOMBIELAND begins with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) narrating the brief history and current state of the land once known as America, now overrun with flesh-eating zombies. For the few surviving humans, life is hard, but survival is possible with a little preparation, common sense and of course, cardio. Columbus ends up meeting Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) by chance during his long journey home to Ohio. Despite their obvious differences in personality and intended geographical destinations, the two pair up and travel together, resulting in cleverly executed zombie executions and plenty of laughs.

Columbus learns a lot about zombie-killing from Tallahassee and Tallahassee in turn reluctantly learns a little from Columbus, but it’s their encounters with Wichita (Emma Stone) and her 12 year-old sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) that will teach them both the most. While Tallahassee sees this as being the most fun of his life, Wichita and Little Rock are more focused on surviving at any and all costs, making Columbus’ immediate infatuation with Wichita that much more complicated.

Many have been calling ZOMBIELAND America’s answer to SHAUN OF THE DEAD. To this, I say neigh, neigh! Yes, it has it’s similarities (in a good way) but it’s not quite as good as SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Of course, it’s also not the same kind of movie. Sure, they both deal with average people struggling to survive in a world suddenly struck by a zombie plague, but there are major key differences. For example, SHAUN OF THE DEAD honors the traditional definition of what makes a zombie, whereas ZOMBIELAND employs the more modern hyper-raging zombie concept.

Ignoring all the raging zombie haters for a moment, this direction works well for ZOMBIELAND. The slow, clumsy zombies wouldn’t mesh with Fleischer’s fast-paced, action-driven style. The raging flesh-eaters of ZOMBIELAND are mindless killing machines driven by an instinctual drive for food. This fact is illustrated wonderfully in the film. One of my favorite scenes depicting this point is early on when Columbus finds himself stricken with one of his inconveniently common IBS attacks while being chased by two hungry, growling corpses. His relatively clear-headed response to this danger is a direct result of his long and specific list of survival rules and very funny, even though it takes a moment (by design) for the audience to figure out what he’s doing.

Ruben Fleischer (GUMBALL 3000: 6 DAYS IN MAY) directed this zombie-killing masterpiece and he did so with great flair and enthusiasm. ZOMBIELAND is not a long movie, but it’s length is perfect, as is the comedic timing and writing. Woody Harrelson is hilarious, giving one of his funniest performances since playing Roy Munson in KINGPIN. He’s a redneck with only one thing in life he’s good at… killing zombies. At the same time, he reveals a bit of sadness in his heart (which, although this sounds mean, is also hilarious) for a loved one lost.

Jesse Eisenberg (ADVENTURELAND) is also surprisingly good, taking his same type of comedic character up a notch with a more polished approach. His sarcasm is spot on and his chemistry with Harrelson is unexpectedly brilliant. The two actors play off of each other very well, being extreme opposites and creating a sort of Abbot and Costello type of relationship. Tallahassee and Columbus “dislike” each other, but they also seem to click, complimenting each other in ways they’re not willing to acknowledge.

Emma Stone (SUPERBAD, THE ROCKER) is both cute and cunning. She’s not the most demanding presence as an actress, but she’s got the icy, hard-to-get survivor role pegged fairly well in ZOMBIELAND. She has Columbus wrapped around her little finger and easily out-smarts Tallahassee at the drop of a hat, but she also has a soft side to her that Columbus eventually is able to apply just enough pressure to cause Wichita to let down her guard.

ZOMBIELAND is a high-energy experience, integrating on-screen graphical text (a la FRINGE) to accompany Columbus’ list of rules and their application during the small group’s journey. The cinematography and editing also exhibit this same caffeine-induced, hyperactive style. The soundtrack is eclectic, kick-ass and funny, including the brilliant use of Metallica’s “For Whom the Bells Toll” during the opening title sequence, which is simply and easily one of the coolest and best of the year. Finally, without giving anything away, Bill Murray’s performance in the film is abso-freaking-lutely awesome and certainly my favorite part of the film

Overall, fans of this type of movie should not be disappointed. However, a few quick precautions… those who fear clowns, beware! Those who think this movie’s all fun and no gore, beware! Those who absolutely despise and loathe the anti-traditional fast-moving zombies with unhealthy levels of Hulk-smashing anger, beware! Otherwise, prepare yourself for one helluva undead-head crushing, car door-bashing, baseball bat-wielding, all-out creative zombie-killing party!