Much like scoring a Twinkie in real life.

Rating: 7/10 (24 February 2010)

7.5
I'm not a big fan of zombies. I went into Zombieland in want of and expecting a good movie. I heard it was a good movie. I was disappointed. But that doesn't make it a bad movie. In fact, I'd say that it is an "above mediocre" film. There's a good premise, a good cast, and a newcomer director that didn't get to show off much with this script. The script lacks. There are some funny, witty and good lines. But there's a lot of fluff. There's a lot of filler. And filler isn't really all that good. In fact, watching Zombieland is much like eating a Twinkie.
It has good characters, and a great cast. However, there isn't much room for them to move around, or you know, be characters. You never really feel like there's a connection between them. And I don't think this is because of the actors' performances, I think it's because of the script. The world as well, feels dead. And I don't mean the zombie type of dead, I mean the "where are we, and where are we going" type of dead. The only place in the film that is interesting is... well... a certain character's mansion. The film is very short, and I think with a bit more development, showing more time on the road, more locations for them to encounter zombies and escape, would make for a better overall film. Instead of the, "here we are, here are the characters, here are a few jokes, and we're done", setup that we get. It felt as if the movie was afraid to do more.
If you're going to make a zombie movie, and all it's really about is survival, and you choose to not elaborate on the origin of the plague, you have to have a lot of style. A lot of character. And this movie has that, at first. For example, Tallahassee's Twinkie infatuation. What seems to be like a good thread in the story, one that invites all kinds of possible situations and jokes, one that can promote suspense and emotion in the audience, while being a funny concept at the same time, fails to deliver. There isn't much mention of the Twinkie infatuation. It takes a back seat to... to... well... nothing. Nothing as nearly as interesting happens in the movie, with the exception of the aforementioned mansion scene. In the end the conclusion to the Twinkie thread isn't even all that satisfying. It's much like trying to score a Twinkie in real life, trust me.
Zombieland has a good start. It introduces an interesting universe for zombies in America, introduces good characters (casted well, to boot), starts good threads, but then falls asleep. If you like zombies, and/or you're looking for a fun and simple movie to watch, go no further. However, if you're looking for a good film that happens to be about zombies, do not expect much. This movie is nothing special, but it doesn't have to be, and it's not bad either. However, it's a bit disappointing because it seemed like it was going to be a really good film about zombies.