Very Pleasant Surprise...

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2009)

Just came from a sneak preview held in Baltimore and left the theater feeling very satisfied. You don't normally find a late September movie as good as "Zombieland" was. After dropping you in the action right from the start, the movie keeps coming with constant laughs and good action. There were not a lot of scares in the movie, other than the few obvious scenes where you could see one coming, but horror is not what the director was going for in this film. Laughs, however, come often and from many different directions. Jessie Eisenberg's nerdy, insecure 'Columbus' character and Woody Harrelson's redneck zombie-killing 'Tallahassee' play very well off each other and provide plenty of memorable moments. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are also solid throughout. There is also one unforgettable cameo that had most of the audience rolling in the aisles. The film has a simple, easy to follow storyline that does not provoke a lot of questions. Indeed, if you go to this movie expecting a lot of plot twists and surprises, you're going to be severely disappointed. There is however, good action, good laughs, and plenty of zombie related gore. At about 90 minutes long, it does not drag on and gets to the predictable but satisfying ending, going out in style. There will no doubt be a lot of comparisons to "Shaun of the Dead", which is nothing to be ashamed of, but this is truly a one of a kind movie experience that holds its own with any not only any zombie movie in recent memory, but with any comedy so far this year. As long as you don't go into this movie expecting too much, you'll get your money's worth. Well done.