Zombieland

The name Zombieland conjures up a vision of a zombie-themed amusement park -- and that's exactly what this film is. Visually stylish and the most laughs I've had at the movies in a long time. A really solid script and nice underlying story really helps make this so much more than just a bunch of awesome zombie kills. That being said, this film feels as if you're playing a really badass zombie killing video game.

Thanks to 'Natural Born Killers', Woody Harrelson has just the right cult status and persona for this type of film, which is intended to pay homage to the great zombie 'B' movies of yesteryear, but really is a great zombie 'A' movie with today's style & sensibility. Jesse Eisenberg (who has a certain Michael Cera shyness/eccentricity to his delivery, but doesn't seem nearly as pathetic as Cera's characters often come off) carries the film well. And of course, everyone is talking about the film's 'secret' cameo, and rightly so. It is absolutely the best and most fun part of an already awesomely fun film -- and it kept me laughing almost non-stop throughout that 10-15 minute section of the movie.

This is a zombie-comedy that deserves to take it's place amongst the best of the genre, 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Army of Darkness'. In fact, what I wouldn't give to see a triple feature of these films at a drive-in theater on Halloween... the perfect place and time for a zombie feeding.

(Synopsis) The entire world is hit with an apocalyptic infection that turns people into zombies once they have been bitten by an infected zombie. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a young geek who has a lot of phobias about almost everything from clowns, to bathrooms, to checking the back seat of cars. Being alone and scared of the outside world has kept him alive. His new fear is being eaten by zombies. To survive, Columbus has begun making a long list of rules to survive. Each time he gives you one of his rules, you see an example of his rule in action. He decides to go home to Columbus to see if his parents are still alive. Along the highway, he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) a redneck zombie killer who loves Twinkies. They team up and head for Tallahassee. On the way they meet and join forces with two girls, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin). They may be the last surviving people on earth, and they must rely on each other to survive.

(My Comment) Zombieland is a horror comedy at its best. You usually don't see a zombie movie as a comedy, but you will like this one. Actually this isn't really a comedy; it is more a funny horror movie, because there is bloodshed in a comic situation. There is plenty of blood splattering, plenty of killing and gore, and even some nudity of a stripper zombie. The film delivers you four heroes that you can root for when the zombies come after them. You will begin to love the scenes with the rules of survival that Jesse Eisenberg explains to the audience in a background voice such as wearing your seat-belt, or the double-tap rule after you shoot a zombie make sure he is dead by shooting him in the head again. Trust me; this is not a wasted shot. Woody Harrelson's performance is terrific, as a redneck zombie killer who misses his puppy Buck, and must find a Twinkie at any cost. There is one unforgettable cameo appearance that will take place at someone's Beverly Hills mansion. I won't say his name, but it is hilarious. There is one thing that I must say about this zombie movie that is not normally in zombie movies, and that is the fact that once these zombies are infected they can run very fast. As a matter of fact that is rule number 1, be sure that you can outrun the zombies, because the overweight and slow people were caught first by the zombies. There are some pretty funny scenes, and you will laugh from beginning to end. (Columbia Pictures, Run Time 1:20, Rated R)(7/10)

This film was a fun ride all the way through. It's lack of scariness(non existent) and *GASP!* gore is more than made up for with the constant flow of hilarity and likable characters. This is by far the optimist's zombie film, as the way things play out are definitely different than any one thats come before it(definitely not a Romero flick, though I think his Land of the Dead actually is second place in this regard). It has a sleek, very modern sense of style-just watch for how each rule makes it's appearance/reappearance and a good message on the importance of others in the worst of times. I recommend this to anybody who has a remote interest in comedies, zombie/end of the world flicks, or just having a good time at the theater, and look forward to seeing it again when it comes out.

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.

I just was exiting the theater after seeing '9', which is also worth a look, when my friend and I were offered tickets to a preview screening of Zombieland, which began almost immediately. I had seen previews for this picture, but I'd say this exceeded my expectations, which isn't to say masterpiece, but it was certainly entertaining, and at about 90 minutes, didn't really overstay it's welcome.

As you might expect for this genre, it's quite gory, so don't go expecting a light 'R' rating. But if you can handle some bloodshed, no, make that a substantial amount of bloodshed - but perhaps I should add in a comic environment - there's some pretty funny stuff here. Woody Harreleson and Jesse Eisenberg make an amusing odd couple and Emma Stone was fine for this material, although she and Abigale Breslin had slightly less to do.

I'm certainly no expert on the horror genre or the zombie sub-genre, but I can say that this wasn't as scary as Shaun of the Dead, in fact not very scary at all, I may have jumped back just a tiny bit a few times; however I may have laughed more. However I'm sure it does make a difference that I saw 'Shaun' alone on DVD, while 'Zombieland' I watched in a theater full of people laughing, clapping and cheering.

Let's face it, you know what's going to happen in this flick, but I'm happy to say, plot conventions and all, this delivers enough laughs so if you know what you're getting into I doubt you'll regret laying down the price of admission for this sucker. Should you see it, see it opening night - if I haven't made it clear enough already, this is the kind of movie where the more enthusiastic people in the theater, the more fun it will be. And to end on a very positive note, 'Zombieland' does feature what just might go down in history as the best celebrity cameo of all time.