Nerd Mentality

MOVIE REVIEW: Zombieland

Posted October 9th 2009 by Frankie Aguilar.

The Twilight phenomenon has infiltrated almost every media avenue imaginable. The book sales are through the roof, every second of information about the movie franchise is sought after like a modern day holy grail, and there's even talk of a Twilight MMORPG. This vampire fixation has taken hold of everyone, and pop culture is being inundated with Twilight knock offs. Not too long ago, zombies were the undead flavor of the week. The Resident Evil franchise, and the films of George Romero, brought about a new era of slow moving, brain munching horror. Zombieland, much like the fantastic Shaun of the Dead, seeks to take the canvas of zombie movies, and paint a comedy.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Columbus, a college student trying to survive on his own in a zombie infested North America he lovingly deems "zombieland". Columbus serves as narrator, and begins the movie by outlining a list of rules his lives by to survive. From the outset, Eisenberg's dry comedy and delivery set the tone for this movie. His neurosis and attention to detail make his survival techniques a never ending series of punch lines. He meets up with Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson, who is trekking down a decrepit highway. Columbus may be the main character in this movie but Tallahassee is the star. Harrelson's portrayal of a good ole boy whose one true talent is killing zombies, is a driving force in this film and his over the top nature plays well against Eisenberg's wit and calculated personality.

The two other characters in Zombieland, are Wichita and Little Rock played by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin respectively. They play a pair of scheming mistrusting sisters, who introduce themselves to Columbus and Tallahassee by stealing their weapons and car. Columbus quickly becomes infatuated with the sultry Wichita and even though the girls continually screw the guys over, his feelings for her grow. Breslin is fantastic in this movie, and continues to grow as an actress. She comes across as a 12- year-old girl who has been forced to grow up too fast, but hasn't lost her youthfulness. Her back and forth with Harrelson's character shows the duality of the two pairs relationships. While Wichita and Columbus talk about loneliness, and no longer having a home, Little Rock tries her best to explain to Tallahassee how Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus are different.

For being a zombie movies, Zombieland has a lot of heart. Yes, there's gore, plenty of it, and guns are a blazing, but underneath the goofy action sequences are characters in search of something. All the characters' names are the places they intend to go. Columbus is en route there to see if his family is still alive, and Tallahassee is looking for a new start after the undead took the only thing important to him. That being said this movie is first and foremost a comedy. Along with looking for a new start, Tallahassee will go to any ridiculous length for one thing: Twinkies. The attention to comedy also makes it way into the cast with a cameo from Bill Murray. Columbus's rules to live by make a reoccurring appearance on screen at humorous times, and allow the movie to keep the action moving. It might be dry humor, but if you enjoy that kind of comedy, then this movie is dry hilarious.

This film is shot wonderfully. Every scene is infused with comedic timing and framing. The use of slow motion makes people running from ghouls in wedding dresses even funnier than it already is. Having the shot focus on Columbus's entire body while he rises to his tip toes while shooting the undead makes for a laugh every time. The car riding sequence in which Little Rock attempts to explain Hannah Montana to Tallahassee is really cool because it shows the different interactions between the characters by having the four of them switching seats over and over. And the climax of this film, which takes place in an amusement park, uses a plethora a zombie film cliché techniques that makes for a hilarious finale for the characters.

Zombieland is a hilarious, gory romp. The characters are relatable and bring a variety of personalities for movie goers to live through vicariously. Whether you feel like you'd be a bad ass zombie killer or a sissy survivor, someone in this movie will represent you. Woody Harrelson really returns to form and and the other three characters show their progression as actors. The relationship between Columbus and Wichita paired with the scary undead factor makes this a great date movie idea. The small cast also makes the story line tight, and the underlying themes illuminated. The zombie, being a genuinely ridiculous enemy to begin with, lend itself well to comedy, and Zombieland proves it.

Tags: Zombies. Twinkies, Zombieland

Posted in: Reviews, Entertainment

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