Overrated, overrated, overrated!

Rating: 5/10 (10 October 2009)

I can't believe all of the acclaim that this movie is receiving! The movie is aesthetically shallow, lacks an original plot and characters, and ,although being advertised as a comedy, fails to deliver much laugh-out-loud humour. Zombieland is generic in all accounts, a tool of Hollywood for attracting teenage male viewers to the cinema with zombies and gore, and female viewers with a mediocre romance.
Like the movie as a whole, Zombieland's cinematography is shoddy at best. It tries to parody the intense camera work prevalent in Romero's work, but with a too-polished look and an overuse of slow motion (probably meant to be funny). It's like watching dawn of the dead if the cinematographer were the same guy that did the 40 year-old virgin. Zombieland, which in many ways tries to be America's answer to Shaun of the Dead fails to deliver visually. Whereas the latter juxtaposed hilarious action with a grim, washed-out physical atmosphere for comedic effect, Zombieland's camera work is too clean, to shiny, it simply lacks flavor, like the whole of the movie.
I have come to the conclusion that Zombieland is not a comedy, but a romance containing a few comedic scenes. As many have already said, the main funny parts are advertised in the trailer. The scene where Columbus's neighbor turns into a zombie as she and him are sitting on a couch together is an exception to this, as it is actually funny. Overall, concerning genre Zombieland is a romantic family values movie. Awkward, nerdy boy (Columbus) meets rebellious misandrist (Wichita), and after much mistrust, stupidity and "heroics" rebellious misandrist decides to stop being a bitch to awkward boy, and stay with him, illustrating the genesis of one of films most touching sadist/masochist relationships (sarcasm).
The film is advertised as a comedy, but turns out to be a family-values romance on the plane of Disney + ZOMBIES. The most generic monster + an extremely generic plot apparently equals profit. Not surprising in an age where directors like Michael Bay have a career, but I digress.
There are two good things about this film: one is twinkie loving, gun toting Talahassee, the most finely illustrated, if not the only finely illustrated character in the whole movie, the other is Bill Murray. At first glance Talahassee is a tough-as-nails barbarian with deep reservations about getting involved with people, for fear of losing them to the zombies. As the movie progresses we learn that he is on a quest for that sweet snack which he most adores, a twinkie. He finally finds his twinkie at the end of the movie, reinforcing the theme of completion. We also learn that the reason Talahassee fears connecting with people because of the loss of his son. He resolves this loss by becoming a father-figure to Wichita's sister, who lacks parents. Talahassee is a dynamic and consistently funny character and works wonderfully as a foil to reserved Columbus. Too bad he was in this movie. Bill Murray needs no explanation, he's Bill Murray.
Zombieland is a masterpiece of Hollywood economics. It is a combination of multiple genres, targeting at least two large demographics: males between the ages of 10 and 30, and females between the ages of 10 and 30. The presence of zombies, gore and (failed) badassery are supposed to attract the males. The strong, albeit bitchy, female character and the romantic plot are intended for the female demographic. The attempt at comedy is mostly a failure, but is intended to target the general comedy-loving populace. The film was, arguably, cheap to produce, with only a handful of speaking characters, a few sets (most of the film takes place in outdoor locations), one Bill Murray and zombie effects. The return is of course huge, partly because of false advertising. There is nothing special about this movie. Combine your average Superbad rip-off movie with Dawn of the Dead and there you go: copy, add, paste, the new Hollywood method for making money.
Don't waste 10 dollars on Zombieland, wait till you can rent it. In the meantime, if you want to see Zombies and laugh, gather some of your buddies and watch Zombi 3.
On a scale of A to Z I give this movie an M