Parody that loses itself

Rating: 5/10 (12 April 2020)

Apparently, for fans of the zombie genre, it's fun to ponder the potential zombie apocalypse scenario. I, for one, find this concept impossible to take seriously, so it's no wonder I was looking forward to a zombie comedy.
Unfortunately, "Zombieland" eventually devolves into the very thing it is trying to parody. The first twenty minutes are pretty funny and there are some great moments here and there, but so much of it is just completely irritating. The characters, outside of Woody Harrelson's, are terrible. Stupid and unrealistic things happen, but it isn't presented in a way which convinces me that the film is deliberately being stupid. Even if it is, self-awareness in and of itself doesn't make a movie good.
"Zombieland" also thinks of itself as way wittier than it is. In the first two minutes, an opening narration gives us 4 "Rules for survival", and I'm already rolling my eyes anticipating all of the predictable ways in which this will be reincorporated. We don't need to be told "RULE NUMBER 2!!!" every single time a character kills a zombie again to make sure it's dead; you told us a million times already. There are a select couple of scenes that I won't even bother describing, but you watch them and are already just waiting for it to be reincorporated.
People compare this to "Shaun of the Dead" because they're both zombie comedies. Personally, I find this comparison somewhat insulting. "Shaun of the Dead" had a memorable personality in terms of direction and editing, as well as tons of clever humor that rewards viewers upon paying close attention on a second watch. It is incredibly tightly scripted, unlike this film. Most importantly, it is a good zombie film on its own, while also being a parody.
If all you're looking for is something that defines convention, then definitely check this one out. As for me, I found it to be neither subversive nor solid on its own to fully enjoy.