Lost in ‘Zombieland’: Quick Film Review

Zombies at the carnival.

Yes! Today is THE day. The day when zombies roam the world; picking off people one-by-one. Okay…well maybe not exactly BUT it is the day when the much anticipated movie ‘Zombieland’ hits theaters and isn’t that just as good?…Better?…Best?

My usual routine during Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is to hop on the bus between my two classes and do one of two things: Do homework for my second class or…sleep. Don’t worry. This time I did some homework. Anyways, as I sat in the empty food court surrounded by abandoned chairs and messy tables, watching older folks get their daily cardio (I know, right?) I watched as people began to slowly pour into the theater between the Subway and the Johnny Rockets burger joint. I wanted nothing more than to ditch class and buy my ticket to see ‘Zombieland’ right then and there. Alas, I did have to be at school and decided to put my wants aside and get back on the bus. As soon as History class was over with I dashed out the door and to the mall with my wallet in hand.

I’ve been waiting for this movie to be released ever since Abigail Breslin was confirmed for the role of ‘Little Rock.’ Back then, I wasn’t completely aware of the Zombieland story line but knew it was (obviously) set in a post apocalyptic U.S. and that was about it. There wasn’t much more information out then until more and more gossip began to flood the message board and blogs so it was a pleasant surprise when the poster and trailer for the film appeared on the internet. All this was just feeding my curiosity as to how the movie was going to be when it was all good and done. well, today I found out…

The film opened with a close up of a small American flag waving in the breeze and a blurry shot of an off center white house in the background. As the angle straightens out, we see that the flag is a hood ornament on an overturned secret service car in the middle of a street littered in bodies, blood, and several more wrecked cars. It’s here where we’re introduced to Jesse Eisenberg’s character “Columbus” as he narrates his experience and giving us a little bit of back story. This is also when we come to realize that the desolate street is being filmed by him even when a zombie sprints out from around a totaled car and lunges after him. Its then that we zoom out and look down on a slowly rotating world burning and cracking in the heat, revealing the ‘Zombieland’ logo. What follows are several slow motion shots of people chased and attacked by the reanimated citizens of a dying world.

Right off the bat, the laughs start off as Columbus recalls his ‘Zombieland Rules of Surviving a Zombie Outbreak’ (Check out some of the rules at ShootForTheHead) and cut scenes of a woman having her ankle nawd on, a zombie attacking a man in a bathroom stall, and a heavy set jogger running across a football field while a blood drenched corpse chases after him on the field. Of course, what would attacking zombies be with out the buckets of blood spewing out of every open sore. Literally, every scene involving a member of the undead had endless amounts of red vomit flying out of their tightly clenched teeth. Even the zombie kids spew out discolored liquid directly into the air. As I was watching the film I wondered how many gallons of fake blood were used to create the bloody scenes. Of course, some of it was computer generated but it was done so well that you overlook it and completely enjoy whats going on in front of you. The movie is a really smooth ride through the twisted world overrun by the cannibalistic men and women sprinting towards defenseless members of the community. It mixes horror and comedy perfectly with subtle character awkwardness and random surprises by unseen zombies that make you  jump happily in your seat.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Perhaps the funniest scene was when they meet Bill Murray at his house in Beverly Hills after searching for a comfortable place to sleep. How do they find themselves at the Murray estate? After a long cross country drive inside a yellow hummer with the number ‘3’ painted onto it’s doors, Columbus, Tallahassee, Little Rock, and Wichita find themselves driving down the chaotic and dead Los Angeles street overrun by zombies feeding on anything that used to have a pulse. Wanting a good nights rest, they decided to take a Star Map and find themselves at a gate with the initials ‘M.B.” Thats right. Bill Murray. But is he a zombie? Will they bring themselves to shoot and kill the beloved comic? You’ll have to watch the movie. That’s not a spoiler I want to give away but this particular section in the movie had everyone in the theater dying of laughter.

The movie doesn’t lose track of what it is or add unnecessary plots and twists to the storyline that take longer for it to really move along. It moves at a nice pace, allowing you to retain full attention on whats going on with the characters and the plot. It doesn’t try to be anything its not. It is a horror comedy with a bit of sweetness thrown into the mix. ‘Zombieland’ will definitely keep you engaged and eager to see how the characters will survive the murderous plague. It’s a ride worth getting on and finishing and will leave you with a smile across your face. See how long you can survive in Zland and get your ass to a theater to see this feel good movie. NOW!