Not Quite "Shaun of the Dead", But the Next Best Thing

Rating: 8/10 (6 December 2009)

After the zombie apocalypse (allegedly brought on by a mutation in mad cow disease), few humans are left to wander the earth, a place now called "Zombieland". Four of them are skilled zombie hunters who go by the names Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock. These are their first adventures as a unit, with all the tragedy and romance that comes with it. And the most important objective: find the last remaining Hostess Twinkie.
Rookie director Ruben Fleischer has done a fine job with "Zombieland", blending comedy and more than our fair share of gore. If you don't like blood, you're watching the wrong movie. Plenty of blood spewing and dripping from every orifice, even by the time the opening credits roll. Gorehounds with a funny bone are going to lick this one up like a dripping ice cream cone.
The cast is pretty much perfectly chosen: Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg bring together the sort of team of gritty yet lovable leftovers that could survive in a world full of zombies. There's really nothing to complain about them, aside from Eisenberg's delivery of Columbus' annoying voiceovers. Those got old fast.
I have to give credit to Amber Heard, who played the smaller role of "406". I really found her to be a burden in "The Stepfather", and in desperate need of clothes and lunch. But, mysteriously, in "Zombieland" her acting seemed better and she was fairly attractive -- while being fully clothed. I would like to see more of this Amber Heard, especially in the horror genre.
I heard that the humor peters out in the second half, and I absolutely agree with this analysis. Not to say the second half was bad, but the jokes got a bit repetitive and I lost interest in the list of rules that Columbus keeps. I found the ongoing search for Twinkies funny and I'm glad that remained steady throughout the film. I'm unsure how I feel about the film's romantic factors: too much or too little? I have to give them credit for not getting smutty, though I wouldn't mind more skin from Emma Stone.
After draft writing my own review for this film, I read the other Killer Review from my Canadian colleague Greg Roberts. I had expected a vastly different outlook, but it appears we're on the same page here. Greg says, "The story is weak and routine... Harrelson's character gets the best one liners but the Eisenberg voice over narrative is too annoying and reminded me of Adventureland (hmmmmm)... I enjoyed the fun the characters seemed to be having during the shooting and there is a cameo that could have been done better, but is still a hoot all the same... It will make you laugh and keep you entertained. It just won't make any top 10 lists when it is done." Greg is dead on with the cameo. I thought it was a clever idea, but didn't really impress me the way I hoped it would.
The creators expressed some concerns about piracy and the sequel. Allegedly the film was downloaded at a record pace, which made the sequel less likely. Believe it or not, Internet piracy does affect the entertainment industry. Luckily, even with all the illegal copies, enough people went to the theater and a sequel seems inevitable. But it's a lesson worth learning: you do need to support films you like. If you are going to pirate (and I'm not saying you should), get chick flicks.
This film is: Recommended. I can see it gaining a growing status in years to come.