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There are few things as terrifying as the thought that you’ll wake up one morning to find everyone you know and love has transformed into a slobbering undead cannibal.
You probably wouldn’t expect to find the situation comical in any way whatsoever. The makers of “Zombieland” disagree though, and their film is an excellent argument that even the zombocalypse can be funny.
“Zombieland” follows the story of lone survivor Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), so nicknamed for his intended destination. Columbus has survived thus far by compiling a list of rules for survival, which include such gems as maintaining cardiac fitness and always wearing a seatbelt.
Columbus soon encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a redneck with a disturbing talent for zombie killing, and the two begrudgingly agree that they stand a better chance for survival if they travel together, if only for a little while.
The two soon meet another pair of survivors, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), heading toward an allegedly zombie-free amusement park in California, and the four begin their struggle for survival in the zombie-infested hellscape in earnest.
Horror-comedy can be hard to pull off and usually just happens unintentionally. “Zombieland” makes a solid go of it, blending campy action-horror with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and consistent chuckles across the board.
The film refuses to take itself too seriously, choosing instead to play up the inherent ridiculousness of the situation the characters find themselves in.
Eisenberg and Harrelson are very clearly the stars of the film, pretty much from the moment they meet. Eisenberg’s nervous college student with a tendency to talk too much and irritable bowels contrasts wonderfully with Harrelson’s redneck who loves killing zombies almost as much as he loves Twinkies.
Stone and Breslin are far from overshadowed, playing a very believable duo of con-artist sisters. But for everything it did right, “Zombieland” never quite makes the transition from good movie to truly great movie. There are a few unfortunate elements and conventions of the zombie-survival genre that are hard to escape from, and while “Zombieland” manages to avoid almost all of these, the few that remain keep it from being truly fantastic.
“Zombieland” is easily the funniest zombie movie since “Shaun of the Dead” and stands well on its own as exemplary of the genre.
It falls flat in a few parts, but manages to pick itself back up and run well to the end. Definitely a must-see for zombie movie fans, and certainly worth considering even if you’re not.
