Zombieland is Frightfully Good; A Movie Review

Ready for a shock? Zombieland is the best movie I've seen in quite awhile. Yeah, surprised me too.

With mediocre apocalyptic zombie movies spreading through Hollywood like a plague of...zombies, I wasn't really expecting too much from this one. I'm not much of a horror fan, but I was told it was a horror/comedy. What they didn't tell me is it's a horror/comedy/drama/love story/action movie. For a movie about zombies, this one has some serious depth while being tremendously funny. The very first scene involving the zombie-infestation shown in slow motion clips had me laughing, while trying not to be grossed out, and once I met the characters, I was immersed in a great film.

Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) plays "Columbus," a neurotic, phobic, anti-social loner who has survived the zombie holocaust thus far by following a strict set of rules. Rule #1, cardio. The movie establishes quickly that the pleasantly plump were the first prey to the zombie plague. Rule #2 Double-tap. Don't spare ammo; make sure that sucker's really out of commission.

Columbus meets up with Woody Harrelson's character "Tallahassee" the anti-hero to Columbus's careful nature. Harrelson has a line "My mother always told me 'someday you'll be good at something.' Who would have guessed it would be killing zombies?" And he is good at it. Not since Bruce Campbell has an actor so personified the epic zombie slayer.

Emma Stone (Superbad, The Rocker) plays a street-smart girl, "Wichita" looking out for her little sister who is played by Oscar nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). The two make a great sister team and join up with the two mismatched zombie survivalists to make a journey across the zombie-strewn county, referred to by Columbus as "Zombieland."

While epic zombie slaying, including a standoff worthy of King Leonidas, is terribly fun to watch. The real gems in this movie are the relationships that develop between the non-brain-eating characters. Friendship, love, romance all are put into a different light when you're number one priority is not being eaten-alive.

While I was becoming emotionally attached to these fictional characters, in between tears and laughter, I was cheering. The zombie-killing was awesome! The movie isn't really scary; it's a bit gory, in a way that's so over-the-top it doesn't make you cringe...often. But, more often than not, I was wishing a zombie or two, or two hundred, would pop out so Harrelson could go to town on them. After watching this movie, I hope Dead Rising III is set in an amusement park.

Well, if you don't mind a little bit of fake blood/vomit then you should check this one out. Fine, a lot of fake blood/vomit. I loved the characters, especially a surprise character that shows up half-way through. I liked the action. I even liked the zombies. I swear I saw a Tom Cruise zombie in the Hollywood scene, and if that's not enough to pay back the price of admission. I don't know what is.