Zombies never learn

Rating: 8/10 (8 October 2009)

Zombieland is exactly what it sounds like. Zombies are everywhere and they are hungry. In his feature film debut, director Ruben Fleischer presents an Americanized version of Shaun of the Dead, only this is more about the zombie killing. It stars of Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus. He plays one of the few remaining non-zombie humans left. He is methodical in his survival tactics and rarely takes chances. When he decides to head out of Texas and towards his hometown in Ohio, he encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a Twinkie loving, zombie killing fanatic. The two team up and head on out of Texas.
Along the way they run into more zombies and more non-zombies, including Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin). These presumably innocent little girls will stop at nothing to survive. They give Columbus and Tallahassee more than they bargained for.
The theme of the film, like almost every zombie/post apocalyptic story, is survival. The characters don't give their real names, only their home towns for fear that they might become too attached to another person. Loneliness is part of the life when trying to survive a zombie epidemic, but having someone to talk to doesn't hurt, just as long as you're okay with killing them should they become infected. I though Shaun of the Dead dealt with this more than Zombieland did.
Dealing with a zombie infestation means that you will more than likely have to kill someone. There is plenty of that here. The blood and gore is more on the comic side of the spectrum. It's over the top, very red, and not discreet whatsoever. It's cartoonish at times and never really grosses you out, unless that kind of stuff really bothers you, but I think for the most part the humor and the story will overlook it.
For a movie about zombies this is a pretty smart film. There is a lot of physical humor, i.e. killing zombies, but it is wrapped up with funny dialogue and outlandish situations. Harrelson in particular is right on target here. Even Eisenberg does a good job. He is a more emotional Michael Cera, which is a good thing. There is a cameo by one of my favorite comedians, but I won't say who for fear of taking away from the surprise. Needless to say, I was in hysterics.
I was surprised how invested I became with the characters. I knew this was a completely ridiculous plot and that zombies aren't real (at least this kind) so I expected just to go along for the ride. The characters are very well drawn out, each with a distinctive personality and back story. It made the film a little more enjoyable.