Oh yes....just a great bloody ride!

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2009)

I have 3 words for this movie: BEST CAMEO EVER! This movie was very very well done with just the right mix of gore, plot and humor. To build a zombie movie strictly on a foundation of drama and horror is to invite disaster. Sure there have been movies to do that well, The original Night of the Living Dead, for example, 28 Days, and even I am Legend. But more times than not if taken too seriously, a zombie movie without an element of humor just tends to be grim and joyless and just not much fun to watch. Zombieland was just a great film that was infinitely enjoyable on multiple levels!
One of the things I found most interesting was the lack of back story given in the setup. The country is overrun by zombies with very few survivors, yet the electric, gas and water still work. We are given a brief history of the outbreak and aftermath but besides that, very little further information. I suppose it is just a given with the movie makers that the major utilities are on autopilot and will simply continue to run until any vital machinery gives out. It is not a bad supposition, and makes for a more colorful and visually exciting world, but it does strain credibility somewhat. Aside from that minor detail, everything else was as nearly perfect as it can be for a film such as this. The casting was brilliant! Woody Harrelson was simply perfect as the efficient and effective zombie killer. Jesse Eisenberg was a great in his role as his nebbish traveling companion...though at times his mannerisms were reminiscent of other actors whose stock in trade are similar. By that I mean that you could have dropped Michael Cera or Topher Grace (as Eric Foreman) into the role as "Columbus" and it would have been a seamless replacement. This isn't a bad thing, but rather a bit predictable.
OK, to sum up: Fantastic movie that was just fun to watch. One of the first movies that I didn't adjourn to the parking lot to have a smoke at some point...and that is high praise. Usually you can see a dull spot or lull in the story from a mile away and can therefore pick a spot to have a smoke without missing anything vital. With this movie, I didn't find anywhere that I felt I could take that quick smoke break. I knew that the pacing of the film was such that as soon as a slow point did appear, it was going to be here and gone just THAT quickly. Again...not to spoil is for anyone, but, BEST CAMEO EVER! and that is all I shall say. When you see the movie, you will know of whom I speak.