Zombieland (B or 3/4 stars)
The world is hit with an epidemic infection that turns people in zombies in 'Zombieland', a horror/comedy flick directed by 1st-timer Ruben Fleischer. "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) is our main protagonist; a nerd with a ton of phobias: clowns, bathrooms, back seats of cars, etc. But his latest fear is being attacked/eaten by zombies. Having survived their post-apocalyptic onslaught, he informs us (the audience) about his trusty zombie survival list (about 31 rules deep). Each time he gives us a rule, we see an example of it in action on the screen (I loved that). Columbus tells us (as a sort of narrator) that we should always be wary of bathroom stalls (zombies can access them easily); that you should be in good shape - to run away from said zombies; that you should buckle your seatbelt when fleeing zombies in a car; that you should strike zombies (via weaponry) not once, but twice - to ensure that they're definitely dead; and finally, don't try to be a hero ... just survive (these rules are great fun; though, the running joke of them wears a bit thin by the end).
Columbus decides to head home to Columbus to see if his family is alive. Along the highway, he meets "Tallahassee" (Woody Harrelson); yes, he's headed for - wait for it - Tallahassee, Florida. Tallahassee is a gun-touting, whiskey-swigging, redneck zombie killer who is obsessed with both finding & eating twinkies. On their trek eastward, this duo meets 2 vulnerable sisters, "Wichita" & "Little Rock" (Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin). And though these girls aren't what they initially seems to be, this foursome eventually join forces. Little Rock acts as a sort of surrogate daughter for Tallahassee; while Columbus hopes that Wichita can be the 'kind of girl who'll let him stroke her hair behind her ears' (needless to say, he's awkward around girls). As the last 4 surviving humans on the planet (most likely), they must learn to make nice & rely on each other to outwit & outgun the ravenous zombies.
This subgenre of horror/comedy is a tricky one for me. I am not a fan of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead (though, I kinda dug Evil Dead 2). And Shaun of the Dead, though admittedly original, wasn't exactly my taste, either. So, I went into 'Zombieland' with some trepidation. But I think this film offers the best balance (to my estimation) of smarts, scares, gore, & comedy. Furthermore, it's very difficult to make genuinely scary movies, anyway. Very few creep me out. So the fact that 'Zombieland' made me squirm in my seat AND made me laugh (intermittently) is a big plus.
Another reason why the film is a mild success (for me) is the characters. Yes, the presence (or threat) of zombies is always there. But I actually got to enjoy these guys as they faced new perils along their cross-country road trip. Heading for Little Rock's "promised land" (a California theme park), this foursome learn to deal with each other's conflicting personalities, bond, & figure out ways to defeat their foes. The movie is about them, not the zombies. And I think that was a very wise decision. Jesse Eisenberg impressed me as a neurotic dork in Adventureland, & he's done it again, here. Emma Stone is one hot chick. And I liked her chemistry with Eisenberg. Abigail Breslin is fine. Nothing great, nothing bad. And Woody Harrelson is absolutely hysterical as our badass, Tallahassee. 'Zombieland' is not a character study; make no mistake. Yet, we learn enough about each character that I actually cared about both them & the relationships they form. A solid effort is made for us to feel-for these characters (even when they're spouting goofy, genre-specific one-liners).
I had a good time watching 'Zombieland'. I laughed, I cringed. The opening credits (in all their slow-motion glory), the 1st half hour, & the last 5 min. are AWESOME. All that said, the film's rating goes down a notch due to its meandering middle-section. The narrative wanders around. Some of the dialogue falls flat. The zombies disappear for a bit. The foursome ransack a Native American souvenir shop (I personally hate watching "fun" destruction for no good reason, but that's just me). They lounge around in a gorgeous mansion for way too long (though, who they meet inside is a funny & welcomed surprise). And events leading up to the theme park climax felt both contrived & a bit nutty. Haha, that said, Woody Harrelson's attraction ride shooting spree had me laughing my butt off. Overall, 'Zombieland' is a well paced, bloody fun movie that's out to entertain. The visceral images of bloody carnage should please the gore-hounds. The script doesn't take things seriously. And it is definitely better than most movies of its kind.
Columbus decides to head home to Columbus to see if his family is alive. Along the highway, he meets "Tallahassee" (Woody Harrelson); yes, he's headed for - wait for it - Tallahassee, Florida. Tallahassee is a gun-touting, whiskey-swigging, redneck zombie killer who is obsessed with both finding & eating twinkies. On their trek eastward, this duo meets 2 vulnerable sisters, "Wichita" & "Little Rock" (Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin). And though these girls aren't what they initially seems to be, this foursome eventually join forces. Little Rock acts as a sort of surrogate daughter for Tallahassee; while Columbus hopes that Wichita can be the 'kind of girl who'll let him stroke her hair behind her ears' (needless to say, he's awkward around girls). As the last 4 surviving humans on the planet (most likely), they must learn to make nice & rely on each other to outwit & outgun the ravenous zombies.
This subgenre of horror/comedy is a tricky one for me. I am not a fan of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead (though, I kinda dug Evil Dead 2). And Shaun of the Dead, though admittedly original, wasn't exactly my taste, either. So, I went into 'Zombieland' with some trepidation. But I think this film offers the best balance (to my estimation) of smarts, scares, gore, & comedy. Furthermore, it's very difficult to make genuinely scary movies, anyway. Very few creep me out. So the fact that 'Zombieland' made me squirm in my seat AND made me laugh (intermittently) is a big plus.
Another reason why the film is a mild success (for me) is the characters. Yes, the presence (or threat) of zombies is always there. But I actually got to enjoy these guys as they faced new perils along their cross-country road trip. Heading for Little Rock's "promised land" (a California theme park), this foursome learn to deal with each other's conflicting personalities, bond, & figure out ways to defeat their foes. The movie is about them, not the zombies. And I think that was a very wise decision. Jesse Eisenberg impressed me as a neurotic dork in Adventureland, & he's done it again, here. Emma Stone is one hot chick. And I liked her chemistry with Eisenberg. Abigail Breslin is fine. Nothing great, nothing bad. And Woody Harrelson is absolutely hysterical as our badass, Tallahassee. 'Zombieland' is not a character study; make no mistake. Yet, we learn enough about each character that I actually cared about both them & the relationships they form. A solid effort is made for us to feel-for these characters (even when they're spouting goofy, genre-specific one-liners).
I had a good time watching 'Zombieland'. I laughed, I cringed. The opening credits (in all their slow-motion glory), the 1st half hour, & the last 5 min. are AWESOME. All that said, the film's rating goes down a notch due to its meandering middle-section. The narrative wanders around. Some of the dialogue falls flat. The zombies disappear for a bit. The foursome ransack a Native American souvenir shop (I personally hate watching "fun" destruction for no good reason, but that's just me). They lounge around in a gorgeous mansion for way too long (though, who they meet inside is a funny & welcomed surprise). And events leading up to the theme park climax felt both contrived & a bit nutty. Haha, that said, Woody Harrelson's attraction ride shooting spree had me laughing my butt off. Overall, 'Zombieland' is a well paced, bloody fun movie that's out to entertain. The visceral images of bloody carnage should please the gore-hounds. The script doesn't take things seriously. And it is definitely better than most movies of its kind.