Zombieland: Enjoy the Little Things

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2010)

Everyone loves zombies, and writer's Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick realized this early. If you look at this years upcoming releases, you're going to notice that zombie flicks almost double vampire slasher flicks because of how the new generation has learned to write for them=. People like Simon Pegg and his "Shaun of the Dead", giving a bloody and satirical look on a 40-year-old industry opened windows and doors. "Zombieland" takes a page or two from Pegg's script and put it to good use, bringing a deliciously quick, gory, and comical look at the end of the world.
Narrated by the lamest of heroes this side of "Archie", Columbus (jesse Eisenberg) dictates what has happened to the world, now considered "Zombieland." He explains how he has survived this desolate world, while trying to make it to his home in Ohio. Upon the way, he meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), blood thirst maniac that "is in the business of ass-kicking." After meeting up with two con artists, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigale Brinson), the four take a turn to a part in the East where it's said to be zombie free; an amusement park entitled Pacific Playland.
On the one hand, the film follows every single premise that zombies flick has had since Romero put them down. Truthfully, there's little in the way of sidestepping gory deaths of characters or the undead, counting down who will die first, having the world completely overrun you get the point. But where most try and make up for the same formula with cheap scares and pointless drama, "Zombieland" goes with its comedic acting and situations. The plot itself is loose enough to be right on the cusp of being pointless, with Columbus wanting his home, Tallahassee wanting his Twinkie, and the sisters getting to their painfully bad idea of Pacific Playland.
Speaking of cast, Harrelson and Eisenberg create an interesting blend of neurotic and irritating that make you just giggle. With Eisenberg's character, everything is planned out: nothing is left to chance. Living by his own set of meticulous rules (Rule #3: Double-tap), he is one of the few people that you can look at and see that OCD really can work out somehow. Then Harrelson, in all of his gun-toting, bloodletting, and simplistic one-liners make the perfect bridge. They prey off each other's weaknesses so well for their jokes that it's like they were meant to be together, especially when it truly looks like Harrelson is getting annoyed while Eisenberg is looking for the upcoming punch.
Yet a horror movie wouldn't be complete without a love interest. Wichita creates an interesting romance in the story, being the culmination of everything that Columbus could never have: sexy, preppy, overall "high-tier." Yet what makes this work is the gradual growth of Columbus. His adapting to the environment, and his quirky attitude makes it almost like a lost puppy finding a master that will give it scratch behind it's ears.
What really takes the cake for this movie is not its simplistic shooting style (in zombie, you can only do so much), or its complete disregard for suspense, but it's work on creation In most zombie movies, you see the absence of creation, the overall end of life and groups of society. Yet what the main character was really after was something that he could consider a family. Once you compare most of the older movies with the main characters trying to find a place to be safe even after their group has died out continually, this just focuses on being together. It's a rather nice change of pace than what's always been handed.
Overall, unless your man or woman enjoys visceral damage and violence, it doesn't work as a date movie. However, it does fit perfectly with a nice side humor movie that will get you through long enough and content enough till that episode of "Big Bang Theory" finishes downloading.