Best Use of Zombies Since SHAUN OF THE DEAD

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2012)

It's getting to a point where zombies just aren't frightening anymore. Most "scary" zombies movies are cheesy schlock tossed directly onto DVD or low-budget independent films because zombies are easy enough to pull off with a basic understanding of makeup effects and enough friends/extras to fill out a crowd. Edgar Wright did the world a favor in 2004 when he reminded us that zombies could still be useful movie fodder in a comedy sense with SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Five years later, ZOMBIELAND revives the winning zombie/humor combo in one of the best horror/comedies ever. The movie was expanded from a television pilot from screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and exists in a world where Mad Cow disease has mutated into an epidemic that turned the world's population into mindless, violent, flesh-hungry zombies. Jesse Eisenberg is a college student making his way through the desolate destruction from Texas to Columbus, OH in hopes of finding his family alive. He crosses paths with bada** zombie killer Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and the two band together on their journey eastward. On their trip, their duped by a couple of sisters who jack their wheels and redirect them towards Pacific Playland in California where rumors have spread of a zombie-free zone. ZOMBIELAND has everything you could with for in a zombie movie: it's hilarious, features some great zombie kills, boasts a couple of the latest Hollywood hotties (Emma Stone and Amber Heard), and the best cameo appearance in a movie I've ever seen.
Sorry, George Romero. Zombies are funny now. As much as I'd love to see another genuinely scary zombie flick, I'm pretty sure the social commentary aspect of zombie culture has run out and now they're best used as gore-filled punch-lines with old ladies dropping pianos on their heads. I could be wrong; there's plenty of zombie movies out there I've haven't seen yet but this is the best use for them in my opinion. I really wish the pilot for the TV show had been picked up. If the writers had been able to keep up the sharp writing, the show would've been a guaranteed hit. I know I would've watched it religiously. The whole idea of the "Zombie Kill of the Week" would've been awesome. I love the characters in this movie because they feel real. A lot of zombie movies feature survivors that are deadly serious that are always on edge, but the characters in ZOMBIELAND each have their own quirky personalities. They've been dealing with the zombie menace long enough that they're past the constant state of fear and panic and find fun in their situation. Each of them copes in their own way: Columbus with his set of rules (a great recurring gag), Tallahassee with his zombie killing creativity, and Wichita and Little Rock's quest for the rumored safety and childhood memory of Pacific Playland. Their humor, tantrums, and occasional painful memories feel legitimate. Let's be honest: if you found yourself in Hollywood, CA after zombies have slaughtered the population, wouldn't you go nuts in a celebrity mansion?
I'm an idiot because I didn't see this movie until over a year after it came out. By the time I saw it, the big cameo in the second act had already been spoiled. I knew who it was, but I didn't know the details or context behind their appearance. If you haven't seen this movie and have somehow avoided spoilers, try and check it out with a clean slate. It makes the whole bit that much funnier. With the exception of the celebrity surprise, Woody Harrelson is the best part of the movie. If they ever get around to doing a ZOMBIELAND television series (or at least a sequelplease do a sequel), I hope Woody's there. Tallahassee is the best character in the group with his zombie kills, Twinkie obsession, and a back-story that comes out of left field in the second half of the movie that gave his character a whole new depth. Jesse Eisenberg makes the great "straight-man" in comedies but he's not too different from characters his played in other movies, but he has an awesome chemistry with Harrelson and he's charismatic enough for the audience to believe he'd have a chance with a girl like Emma Stone. Stone and Abigail Breslin deserve credit for their work here, but there characters really don't amount to much more than plot devices to move the story along (a love interest for Columbus, a reason for the trip to Pacific Playland). Overall, ZOMBIELAND is one of my favorite movies from 2009 and a total must-see.