Good Fun But More Toothless Than Ruthless

Rating: 5/10 (12 October 2009)

It's the zombie apocalypse. We meet Columbus, our nervous, nerdy, young hero filling up his car. In voice-over, he gives us a quick rundown of his rules of survival and then demonstrates them when he's attacked by two zombies in a car park.
On a deserted highway strewn with the detritus of the old world that once existed, Columbus runs into the crazy but dumb Tallahassee (the characters call themselves after the place they come from so they don't get too close to one another). Played by Woody Harrelson, he clearly is having a great time with his role. Without his charm, the film would really suffer as the younger actors don't bring a lot to the party.
Later on, they meet two double-crossing sisters (the older one played by a deep-voiced, huge-eyed Lindsay Lohan lookalike, the younger one played by Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin). These characters are so selfish, mean-spirited and ultimately stupid that it's hard to feel anything for them. The romance between Columbus and Wichita at the end feels forced and phoney.
The cameo by Bill Murray is a welcome respite. The affection the filmmakers and other actors have for him and his death in it, raise Murray to the level of national treasure. The world, even at its end, seems a much darker place without him.
As everything that happens in the film follows the lead character's rules for survival to the letter, there are no surprises. He seems to know everything in advance. The writers get so caught up in their own cleverness that they don't see the bigger picture of what they're doing. The zombies never really come close to turning the tables on the heroes and that kills any tension there might be (even when they are vastly outnumbered and surrounded, their lives are never really in any danger and they easily find a way out of any situation.) The self-conscious humour and deafening rock soundtrack constantly remind you that nothing bad is going to happen to the heroes.
Never as funny as Shaun of the Dead (Harrelson's running Twinkie gag isn't really that funny to begin with and the payoff is a letdown), never as intense as Dawn of the Dead, it falls between the two stools. So it's a good movie, not a great one. It's fun while it's on but never reaches the heights of George A. Romero's zombie flicks or 28 Days Later for that matter. There is apparently a sequel on the way; hopefully it will be tighter and scarier than the original.