MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Comedy/ Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray, Amber Heard/ Runtime: 88 minutes
I think it is safe to say that maybe just maybe zombies really do get a bad rap every now and then. I mean all these poor critters want to do is have a good meal and yet we kill them for it. I mean those dead and livin’ want an intestine, and those are livin’ yet dying want Twinkies and Root Beer. I mean does it really matter? I say that because it doesn’t matter if your bill of fare is either an intestine or a Twinkie since sooner or later your arteries will clog, and you’ll be just like that poor zombie trying to put enough flesh on the table for their undead family. At the same time, whilst I do applaud zombies for making sure their families are eating healthy, I must protest them eating it raw and just off the bone. I mean it’s clear to me that at some point in their transition to being the undead, these individuals have clearly forgotten how to do some pretty darn exquisite French cooking to the point that maybe what zombies need is a cookbook from Julia Childs. I mean imagine the possible dishes that the undead could come up if given some spices to say nothing of that old favorite butter. I mean after all, as both Julia and Paula Deen have said, one cannot have too much in regards to butter. All jokes aside, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a horror film that took zombies as seriously as I just did? Thankfully, in the long gone year of 2009, film helmer Ruben Fleischer and a talented cast of thespians set out to do just that. The result was a film called Zombieland and we have been blessed for having it in the world around us every day since. Indeed it might feature zombies, but make no mistake: this is just as much if not more so about how everyday people would try to survive should such a situation occur even IF it does so with a delightful degree of self-awareness and a winning sense of humor in the process.
The plot is as follows: Well this world we live in was not always this chaotic and even good ol’ America was at one time quite tranquil as well…..at least according to that ol’ 80s action hero Alex Murphy. Yet now, something has gone terribly wrong and something is now seeing people turn into the undead and those who are still human are being horrifically attacked by the creatures and left to bleed out as if they were Clarence Boddicker after he got a middle finger shiv through his jugular. Or not. More likely not because this film and the 1987 RoboCop have absolutely nothing tying them together in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Thus, let’s try this again: Zombieland takes us to a world overrun by the living dead and introduces us to a guy by the name of Columbus, or at least that is what he refers to himself as, and he is somehow a survivor of this apocalyptic situation. Though I guess part of that might be explainable due to the fact that our hero has no talent in getting the ladies to notice him, but hey! At least his character in World of Warcraft is at level 67. Suffice it to say though that what our helpless young lad does possess quite a significant degree of brains which have helped him come up with a list of rules to survival in the new state of the world around him. As a result, we see that he is not one to forget peeking into the stalls in any bathroom he walks into or also making sure that he puts an extra bullet in an undead skull just to ensure that they really are as dead as disco apparently is in this universe. Things soon take a turn for our young hero when on his way home to discover if his family is wanting to eat him alive figuratively or literally, he crosses paths with a guy calling himself Tallahassee. A guy it is worth pointing out that enjoys traveling on his own, is very good at butchering the undead, and who also has quite the odd fondness for Twinkies. Upon realizing that they are the only living people who they have both crossed paths with in quite a while, we soon see our two guys become a dynamic duo only to shortly thereafter be conned in embarrassing fashion by a pair of girls calling themselves Wichita and Little Rock respectively. As a result, we see that the girls decide to take charge and as a result, our dynamic guy duo’s plan to go east is completely thrown to the wayside and traded in for an odyssey to an amusement park in California that not only do the girls feel might be severely lacking in the undead population, but might also be a place that incredibly all 4 might be able to call home.
Now it should be noted that I find it quite fitting that this slice of cinematic pie’s ultimate destination it’s going to is a fun park seeing as this is one film that is perhaps the very dictionary definition of fun through and through. Yes those of you who love horror and/or zombie flicks might already be able to tell you that this is for them, but if you are on the potential fence then you should know that this film actually has an ingredient that will appeal to nearly everyone. A fact that I can back up by saying that contained within all the zombie carnage and colorful language, there is also a romance, a buddy film, an odyssey, and a wonderful amount of comedy that is just as delightful as what was present in something like Shaun of the Dead even though that film was meant to be more of a parody than this. Rather, this film operates with, whilst also poking fun at, a lot of the typical things found in a zombie movie. Yet the point of this film is not to make fun of what has come before, but instead to give it a rebirth of sorts and to provide this time-honored subgenre with a “present day angle” that is its own thing and aspirations, but still keeps the 101 of zombiology in the back of its mind. It should also be noted that Zombieland when it comes to certain aspects is more similar to the 2004 Dawn of the Dead or 28 Days Later rather than Dawn of the Dead from 1978 though this might be due more to the modern day setting and the undead being faster and deadlier rather than slow and meandering undead. Not only that, but due to striving more for a delightful action/comedy mix whilst also omitting the vast majority of social commentary that a lot of zombie films usually put in things, Zombieland is way more of a “possible take on what could happen in our world” type of film with a pretty decent size funny bone that is an engaging odyssey even as the movie feels both novel and approachable at every moment. Dust in the wind by and large it would seem are the iconic yet quite potent era of Romero and in its place is movies like Zombieland which gushes novelty, but what also makes it so amazingly good in how it is simplistic done whilst also not letting it get itself dragged down by any ingredient that is either not important to the overall viewing or isn’t distinct in any way to the legacy of this truly iconic sub-genre in the world of horror cinema.
Now alongside an amazingly brilliant script that operates as a film made for lovers of zombie films by someone who loves zombie films as much as they do, this slice of cinematic pie is also aided by both amazing work in the visual department as well as a much-appreciated degree of realisticness to help sell this slice of cinematic pie to audiences and also to put the capstone on one of the finer films this sub-genre has seen in a while. This slice of cinematic pie is also the wonderful recipient of terrific production work that helps give this movie a quite realistic zombie world vibe to it. Indeed cars are smoldering heaps, assorted body parts are scattered all over the place, and a lot of misc. debris/junk are scattered all over thus aiding in the realism. This slice of cinematic pie also lives up to its distinct sub-genre of film by giving us zombies that might seem run of the mill, but are also incredibly well-done especially in regards to their make-up effects. Thus this slice of cinematic pie, by and large, really does seem to get the most out of nearly every aspect it is operating with. Be that as it may be, there is one ingredient that is better than everything else in this film and that would be the fact that this film is brilliantly brought to life by a quartet of incredible performances. Indeed not only are the characters themselves novel and their personalities distinct, but the performers also give them a degree of realism to say nothing of a brilliant sense of comedic timing that works beautifully. I mean this film is able to work on the level that it does because the 4 main characters all work off each other brilliantly and make one of the more entertaining teams I’ve seen in a while. I mean if there is anything to really complain about in regards to this film it would be that not only does it get sapped of just a tiny degree of momentum once it gets past the surprising and hilarious cameo who pops up in this, but also that the film is sadly not as long as a great movie like this could be. Other than that though, there really isn’t that much to quibble over when looking at a film that has become nothing short of an iconic modern day entry in the land of the undead.
All in all I am pleased to say that the slice of cinematic pie that is 2009’s Zombieland is easily the kind of film that a lover of horror-comedy like myself can put on any number of times and smile each and every time. Indeed here is a slice of cinematic pie that’s managed to figure out what a film in this genre could pull off, and as such is able to keep going like the Energizer Bunny whilst also being a unique and distinct take that keeps this intriguing and riveting from now until (perhaps) actual zombies decide to start wreaking havoc and then….ehh you know what? Movies will still be amazing so don’t worry about it. Suffice it to say then that Zombieland is very much like the 2009 Star Trek of the horror comedy genre. Indeed it’s popping, lively, true to a previously established foundation whilst also taking a few distinct creative licenses and also bringing in some novel concepts that makes this slice of cinematic pie all the more engaging, riveting, and just plain fun. Suffice it to say then that, thanks to wonderful work from both a game cast and a gifted crew headed by unique film helmer Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland really truly is a solid addition to the lore of zombie movies in the world of movie magic and definitely worth watching time and time again. On a scale of 1-5 I give Zombieland “09” a solid 4 out of 5.
