Columbus Crew

Rating: 7/10 (21 October 2019)

I rewatched "Zombieland" on Saturday in preparation for the sequel this weekend. I was surprised to discover that although I still feel positively about the film, it's both slighter and shorter than I remembered and I didn't love it as much as I thought I did.
Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg) seems an unlikely survivor of the Zombie apocalypse, but several months in he's still alive and living by his list of rules. He runs into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who seems destined for this new environment, and then sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). Together they traverse the US, headed for Los Angeles, and for an amusement park, legend has it, is Zombie free
Not sure quiet why, over the last decade, "Zombieland" has gone from a movie I loved to one I just liked. Maybe it's the proliferation of that sort of irreverent, gore spattered fun that has made it feel less unique and distinctive than it once did. Some, but not all, of it feels a little more tedious than it once did. I was surprised about how short the film was, coming in at less than 90 minutes as that wasn't part of my recollection of the film. I think you can see how the film is a pilot script filled out to get close to running time. You can also see that legacy in the plot of the film, it's pretty ... inconsequential, I suppose. It's more a collection of things that happen, rather than a real story that builds to anything.
This is all, again, not to say that I suddenly now don't like the film. The CG effects are starting to show their age a little, or perhaps are starting to betray the budget of the film a bit, but the practical effects are really good. It is consistently funny, particularly with regards the dialogue and interaction. I love the characters and how the cast play them. I like Eisenberg's narration, I enjoy spending time with these people.
It's just that I didn't quite enjoy the film as much as I thought I did.