Next Stop Zombieland

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2010)

"Zombieland" is an action-comedy that capitalizes on the current vogue for zombies. The story is basically one part "Zombie Survival Guide" and one part "28 Days Later". Not incredibly original but there's still some fun to be had here.
The acting is decent enough with Woody Harrelson making an entertaining team with Michael Cera (oops, I mean Jesse Eisenberg). Emma Stone & Abigail Breslin are merely decent in rounding out the main players while there's a celebrity cameo that will undoubtedly thrill some (hipsters, mostly).
Hipster-approved cleverness is also present in other areas of the script, particularly when it comes to the survival tips. These got old for me very quickly. Also, the main story is fairly aimless and inconsequential, so those looking for something substantial would be advised to look elsewhere.
The first-time direction by Ruben Fleischer is attractive, though, particularly in the credits sequence (niftily supported by Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls"). The zombie effects are good enough though I'm certainly no authority on the subject.
Ultimately, I think that while "Zombieland" is a somewhat enjoyable time waster it's got nothing on "Shaun of the Dead". Nevertheless, the film's warm critical & popular reception shows that there is an audience out there for it.