A Zombie Flick by Zombie Fans for Zombie Fans

Rating: 8/10 (2 October 2009)

As a regular Michael Bay apologetic, I feel I have a solid appreciation for entertainment for the sake of entertainment. A movie doesn't have to have groundbreaking social context or an overreaching message, nor does it have to have an original or complicated storyline. It just needs to be fun. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland.
Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is one of few survivors of the big ol' virus outbreak that, believe it or not, has turned the world into a post-apocalyptic hellhole. He survives by following a set list of rules he keeps with him at all time, and which pop up on-screen as a reminder whenever a rule is used. Columbus is on his way to, well, Columbus and on the way meets up with grizzly bad@ss and Twinkie enthusiast Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), who follows no rules and treats the apocalypse like a zombie-infested playground. These two heroes eventually meet up with sisters/con artists Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), with whom they discover the secrets to being happy in Zombieland. While wreaking bloody havoc.
What we have here is a fun flick made by zombie fans for zombie fans. The plot is mostly predictable and full of holes, but it doesn't matter because it's having fun while helping us have fun. For every silly moment there's at least twenty hearty laughs to be had, whether it be from the crazy editing, the gratuitous gore effects, the witty banter, pop culture references, or just a fun celebrity cameo, it's all good. I don't think I went five minutes without laughing, while everyone around me got a good few more in. The witty banter part is important above all else, as it's what carries the movie in between zombie gutting, thanks to the energetic and perfectly timed performances by its leads.
Jesse Eisenberg is a guy to watch. I didn't get to see Adventureland, but he peaked my interest in the trailers. Now upon seeing him here, I pray to the almighty David Bowie in the sky that he doesn't end up like Michael Ceral who started out with a similar routine and, well, still uses the same routine. This dude has perfect comedic timing, bringing fresh helpings of nervousness and sarcasm to the table. His narration brought a lot to the proceedings, adding laughs on top of the laughs, and his overall charm and nerdy understanding of zombies helped me really feel for him. He's like some sort of bizarre mutant laugh salad. With really crunchy croutons.
Speaking of fresh acting, welcome back Woody Harrelson to the Legion of Bad@ssery! The man sweats victory here, while allowing us some dramatic characterization to help add some emotion to the predominantly fun, happy-go-lucky film. He's not a complex character, but he has more than enough depth for a movie about blowing off rotting corpse heads. In the end he, as well as the rest of the cast, are just like each other in the most basic yet important aspects, and are ironically brought together by the zombie apocalypse. It's really all very touching, and I dare you not to feel just a little saddened when the film gets into Tallahassee's backstory. I triple dog dare you.
Now mind you, the film does have actual faults. As said, the plot holes are rampant and the plot is very, very predictable. Most of the bigger jokes (aside from the cameo, which was sadly already spoiled for me) can be seen coming from miles away, as can major dramatic moments. We know who's going to get with who, we know what friendships will be made, we know what challenges will inevitably show up for certain characters. However, and this is a big however, did I care? Heck no. Thanks to both the humor and fun editing, I was too entertained to give a rat's ass about any of that.
In fact, Zombieland is a fine example of a very, very funny movie made even better by brilliant editing. The rules that literally pop whenever they're practiced are given a life of their own, and are inserted with a comic timing that rivals Eisenburg's. The "Cardio" and "Double Tap" jokes definitely got the most laughs from the theater and myself, but there wasn't a single ill-timed rule, including the "Don't be a hero" rule that is given just to be broken for dramatic purpose later on in the story. They're a fine touch, along with the overcranking (read: slo-mo) that is shown in the trailer and prevalent throughout the film itself. Bouncing zombie stripper titties, three legged race father-and-son zombies, and general gore are made even more humorous and gruesome at nearly one hundred frames a second.
As long as I'm on the subject of editing, the main titles were some of the best I've seen in years. The whole montage is made up of slow motion zombie attacks that usually interact with the credits, pushing them aside or shattering them, punctuated by Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", which is surprisingly even better than it sounds. The whole thing was a laugh riot, and was disappointing to see end. Luckily, the rest of the soundtrack consists of Van Halen, Sea Wolf, Lou Reed and a bunch of other legends, so the atmosphere given by the opening titles never really leaves.
It's not a perfect film by any means, but zombie fans will love it and the general public (who, from my experience, tend to be made up of zombie fans) should too. It's lighthearted entertainment with one or two little mini-messages to warm our hearts while brains are being splattered across the screen.
Full Review at SufferForYourArt.com