Crude, tacky, offensive, and funny asHell. ZOMBIELAND
Written: Oct 02 '09 (Updated Oct 07 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Hilarious movie, brilliant performances by Harrelson, Eisenberg and Murray.
Cons: You see movies like this despite the flaws; they are intregal.
The Bottom Line: It's time to Nut up or Shut up! Shaun's little American cousin is Wicked good, mixing gore and gags in a hilarious mix.
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| talyseon's Full Review: Zombieland |
Zombieland (2009) Directed by Rueben Fleisher
The Rules of Surviving Zombieland.
1.) Cardio. Zombies do lots of running. So should you.
2.) Double Tap. Just because the zombie is down is no reason not to shoot it in the head.
3.) Beware of Bathrooms. Zombies smell when you are at your most vulnerable.
4.) Always buckle up.
Zombieland explores a theory that I have always had; that the nervous overly cautious types would actually be the real survivors in the event of a disaster.
(Jesse Eisenberg) is our hero. He is a nervous, socially awkward fellow who avoided people before they started becoming zombies. He survives because he has rules he lives by. See above. The first is cardio. Zombies live an active lifestyle. If you want to outrun them, it behooves you to do the same. The second is the double tap. If you shoot the zombie, and it falls down, take the time to shoot it in the head again. This eliminates those annoying last minute grabs and bites. You get the idea. His strict adherence to these rules and 27 others makes him one of the last humans in Zombieland.
Feeling a vague sense that he ought to try to reconnect with his parents, he is making his way to Columbus, Ohio, when he encounters another...person. The first thing this person establishes is they will not use names, to avoid attachment. Our hero is going to Columbus, and that makes him Columbus. He is going to Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). Tallahassee is a sort of prodigy of mayhem, and this serves him well against the walking dead. Tallahassee also has an obsession; twinkies. He is always on the hunt for twinkies. Those little spongy tubes of creamy goodness take him back to a happier time.
But now, they are two men, traveling together throw the ruins of their old lives, and trying to stay just two steps ahead of the hordes of the undead. Tallahassee is a virtuoso zombie killer, whether it is with banjo, sporting gear, or my favorite, gardening tools.
Of course, the most dangerous thing in Zombieland is not Zombies, but the female of the species. Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are sisters, and they have a problem. And they are willing to share...the problem part.
This movie is not for kids. The zombies are vivid, ubiquitous, and disturbing. They do not spare the gore. Spilled intestines and vomited blood, they are zombies done right. They splat when you shoot them, or run over them, or drop them five stories.
But beyond that, this movie is filled with low humor, dirty jokes, and base physical comedy, designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It is crass, tacky, and delightfully unrefined. I almost peed myself.
I mean this is funny. It doesn't even make a pretense of being serious. The rules pop up on screen where apropos. Tallahassee, well imagine giving Woody Harrelson carte blanche to beat the stuffings out of the stunt men, and a banjo. He is hilarious, in a psychopathic sort of way. And those personality traits serve him well portraying Tallahassee. And it is so very funny. And Columbus, as the everyman in us, is coping with the end of the world and teenage angst. Great stuff.
Lastly, I should mention a cameo. I don't know who they got to play Bill Murray, but he nailed it. A wicked performance, tongue firmly in cheek, he spoofed himself brilliantly.
There are many elements of this movie that don't make a lick of sense, and who cares? They set up a great schtick, and you will laugh until your sides hurt. If you want to force some sort of logic and reason on a movie about Woody Harrelson as a whack job Zombie killing machine, well, take some Prozac until the OCD goes away. You don't go to a movie called Zombieland expecting depth. You can go in with a reasonable expectation of laughing your butt off. It ain't Shaun of the Dead, but it will do.
Oh, and sit through the credits; there is a tidbit at the end.
"You are like a giant cockblocking robot scientifically designed in a lab!" Columbus
Like Zombies, this review is Lean-N-Mean. It weighs in at 733 words. If you want to make it fit the 666 rule, gnaw off the bits you don't like.
The Dead Shall Walk the Earth!
Romero: Father of Zombies.
Night of the Living Dead
Diary of the Dead
Land of the Dead
Another kind of "Zombie" Movie:
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
England's first true Zombie Movie:
Shaun of the Dead
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Sneak Preview at My Local Theater
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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talyseon
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