Yes, this town is big enough for two great zombie comedies. While Wright's Shaun of the Dead is certainly the more innovative and deconstructing of the two (it also got there first), Zombieland takes a slightly different approach to the hybrid sub-genre.
Newcomer, director Ruben Fleischer, takes a childlike glee to zombie killing, and on a meta level, filmmaking. The open credits sequence, a series of slow-motion shots of zombies in pursuit, confirms this eye for the finer things in cinema -- burning zombie corpses, smashing windows and the like. Seriously though, Fleischer, like Wright before him, is doing something that so few talented filmmakers remember to do, especially in genre work: have a damn good time.
In a world full of gutless comedies and brainless horror flicks, Zombieland is the pulsing anomaly -- and even better, the hands-down, funniest movie of the year thus far.
Survival of The Most Neurotic -- Jesse Eisenberg as The Nervy, Nerdy Hero in Zombieland
Smiling wide from the get-go, Zombieland introduces us to a post-zombie virus America through a series of new world rules (the dos and do nots) courtesy of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), the film's unlikely central figure and expert survivor. Always fasten your seat belt, beware of bathrooms, always check the backseat, stay limber -- these are more than just precautions (and, it should be noted, a series of clever running jokes in the film), they are Columbus's keys to self-preservation.
Turns out, all the overly-cautious qualities that made Columbus a shut-in back in the normal world (if college life can be called that) have helped him adapt to life on the run in Zombieland. Coming off of a similar lead spot in Adventureland, Eisenberg is in comfortable territory tearing pages from the Woody Allen School of Acting for Nervous Jewish Guys.
The Wild, Zombie-ridden West and Its Lone Gunman, Woody Harrelson
Columbus's polar opposite is Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), sort of a narrative proxy for the filmmakers in his spirited and inventive approach to zombie killing. And what a joy Harrelson is as the thrill seeking king of zombie killers, a lone gun every bit aware of his one true gift: zombie killing. There's a great give and take between Harrelson and Eisenberg, building off the distaste and admiration they share for one another in their wildly different approach to zombie survival (cavalier versus cautious).
The swinging dick and the nervy kid form an unlikely duo as they head east, both violating their lone wolf instincts for a little bit of company, only to be stopped short after meeting their feminine matches, sister team Witchita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
There's a touch of the Fordian family in the haphazard matching of these two parties -- it's like Stagecoach in a Hummer, and with machine guns and zombies instead of Winchesters and Indians. The relationship aspect -- on a family level with the foursome and on a sexual level between Columbus and Witchita -- is subtly done, thanks to the combined wit and heart of screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.
Where most zombie flicks tend to see humanity through a glass darkly, Zombieland is far more optimistic. At the end of the day, people need other people, especially family, be it nuclear or otherwise. The filmmakers give us plenty of zombie gore and spooks, but it’s the characters more than the premise setting the film apart from its zombie genre predecessors.
Zombieland -- Built for Laughs, But Strong Enough for the Zombie Fans
Beyond Fleischer's assured direction -- because, believe it or not, his film debut is not only tightly directed, but a handsome looking picture to boot – Zombieland brings a lot of charm to the post-apocalyptic scenario. Each character has a little back story attached, but the brief flashbacks are well observed.
Columbus’s heartwarming close encounter with a young woman quickly turns frightening, Tallahassee has more going on than just a never-ending appetite for zombie killing and the two sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, manage to avoid many of the usual genre requirements for their gender.
A Zombie Film That Leaves You a Little Hungry
Like any good western, Zombieland ends with a frontier shoot out. Small gaps in logic aside, the giant amusement park set piece works as a grand, bloody send off. Tallahassee swings from a whirling ride, guns blazing, taking out zombies 10 at a time , laughing as he drains one clip after another– ah, the joy of cinema.
Prestige picks be damned, it’ll be hard to match anything half as enjoyable as Zombieland. It’s a B-movie concept with an A-level execution.
RATING: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
VERDICT: The picture is aware of what it wants to deliver, and goes above and beyond the concept. No need to add any modifiers -- Zombieland is just incredibly good.
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