A scream of laughter

Rating: 8/10 (3 October 2009)

What a great way to start a career for Ruben Fleischer, (and I'm not being sarcastic). Following in the gory footsteps of George Romero and Robert Rodriguez, Fleischer brings the story to life for eighty minutes of virtually flawless fun. I guess it could have been a bit longer, but I am fine with it.
When the story begins, the world is already a hellhole. A virus has turned the world into a Zombie feeding ground. Our hero and narrator is young Columbus, who takes on the world solo, and stays alive because he follows his thirty one principles, which include: wear your seat belt, check the back seat, and don't be a hero. One day he teams up with Tallahassee; a twinkie-loving, trigger happy cowboy The two of them later team up with Witchita and Little Rock; a couple of sister bandits, cute but dangerous. They all agree to head for Pacific Playland California, where there are supposedly no zombies. Along the way they get to know each other like a family.
It ain't scary for a moment, but it ain't dull for a moment either. There are jokes here there and everywhere. Only six members of the cast are not zombies, (well maybe seven). four are our heroes, one is a nerdy gas station clerk, and one is (I'm not supposed to say, but you may find out sooner or later).
As a horror comedy, this film is one step above many of its predecessors (the most recent of which is Shawn of the Dead), because it offers likable characters, possibly the most memorable since Tremors, twenty years ago. Although they are not perfectly rounded, we spend just enough time with them to know who they are, what they want and so on and so forth. Now that I think about it, if this movie does well enough (and especially considering the ending) There might be a sequel in store, but that is another movie. Go out and enjoy this one for what it is.