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Nick Wagner |
Date: 2009-09-18

Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge zombie fan. Whether they're Romero's slow-moving shamblers or the fast-moving runners from Return of the Living Dead / 28 Days Later, I will give any zombie movie a try. Enter Zombieland, which when I heard about it, I instantly thought of that direct-to-DVD drivel you see on the rental store shelf that can barely pass as a B-movie. After watching the trailer however, I was genuinely intrigued. Luckily, my friend managed to get her hands on a few preview passes and what I saw was one of the most fun and enjoyable movies I've seen in years.

I'll say it now: This movie is NOT scary. If you go in expecting scares and frights, you're in the wrong place. While there's the occasional "boo" scare, Zombieland is a horror-comedy in the vein of Evil Dead II, The Return of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, etc. As a matter of fact, the director was inspired by Shaun of the Dead to make Zombieland. The horror-comedy mixture is is a very hard thing to pull off, but this movie does it pretty well, leaning more towards the comedy.

The cast is great, with Woody Harrelson being the stand out. He is such a great tough guy and delivers some truly great one-liners that it brings back memories of his Natural Born Killers days. Jesse Eisenberg is the "goofy dorky guy" that keeps popping up in movies these days. He does a good job, but is nearly indistinguishable from someone like Michael Cera, who plays the exact same role every time. I liked this guy better because frankly I'm sick of seeing Michael Cera these days. Emma Stone (aka Jules from Superbad) plays a good tough girl and looks exactly like she did in Superbad, which isn't a bad thing. Abigail Breslin is fine, but she felt slightly out of place. There's also a bigger-than-a-cameo role by one of the funniest actors of all-time, but I don't want to spoil it here. Trust me, it's hysterical.

That's about it for the cast, except for the zombies themselves, which are very well done. They're gross, gooey, and vicious and the make-up and special effects look fantastic, especially now in the age of CGI crap. The movie does not skimp on the gore, so be prepared for a healthy serving of blood, guts, and zombie bites. The post-apocalyptic scenery looks amazing and really pulls you into the film. Zombie fans, you will not be disappointed.

The comedy is executed quite well. While whether something is funny depends purely on personal taste (pun intended), I think this movie balances gross-out humor, sight gags, witty banter, black comedy and plain-old "Number 2" jokes perfectly. One of the funniest bits is when Woody Harrelson's character rides a roller coaster while simultaneously wielding a shotgun and shoots zombies that follow him around the track. It was clever and a blast to watch. Think of your favorite comedy; Zombieland is probably not as funny as that, but it will definitely make you laugh. It's not the funniest movie ever, but it does an admirable job.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else to say. I have minor nitpicks, but most of them are standard horror clichés that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the film itself. Do yourself a favor and check this one out, it's a great horror-comedy.

Jason T. Fetters |
Date: 2009-10-03

Right from the start Zombieland is in your face. The opening sequence alone is just great and recalls Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide. Also, it doesn't try to copy Romero's Dawn of the Dead or any of the other countless zombie movies.
It's a very direct film that doesn't waste time with needless character buildup, that would only slow the pacing. Characterization is achieved in between humor and action sequences and that approach works well.
Zombieland starts by introducing the overly cautious and neurotic, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) who reminds me of Woody Allen back in Allen classic comedy films of the 70's.
Columbus is the quiet geeky guy who probably spent his high school years over thinking every detail and was quite possibly bullied by jocks. Now in a zombie infested world, he is forced to become more manly and athletic when taking on the undead.
Then there's Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is the gung ho bad ass. I think every zombie movie needs a Tallahassee type because they are so much fun to watch. Harrelson really steals the show in Zombieland. I don't think I've seen him this good since Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. He looks like he could have fun in any situation in life pre or post zombie infected. I like the scene where Tallahassee is standing next to a bright yellow Hummer and just randomly firing a machine gun.
Next up are the manipulating sisters, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) and Wichita (Emma Stone) who are both cute and annoying. I was annoyed with their characters at first and as their characters developed they became a little more tolerable. You also need sisters like this in a post zombie world because they will keep you on your toes. They are fun in their own ways and have both survived tough times together. Their strong bond makes them believable and you accept them for who they are.
With all the wonder characters and backgrounds aside, this is really about killing zombies. Who doesn't want to roam America's highways shooting zombies?
It's the ultimate road movie, as the four travel together and fight hundreds of zombies along the way.
As much fun as that is, the ending sequence at the amusement park, cranks up the fun a lot higher. The combination of rides, amusement park games, and shooting zombies is very entertaining.
Director Ruben Fleischer does a tremendous job directing action in the last half of Zombieland.
That's what these movies are all about to me. The cheap thrills of just going for it and taking out all that pent up aggressive shooting, stabbing, running over, hammering, and beating the undead any way you can.
Overall Zombieland is a lot of fun and a good way to kick off this Halloween season. I hope more horror movies come out this good in Halloween.
Some of my favorite Zombie movies are Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Zombi 2, Undead, Shaun of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, Cemetery Man, Tokyo Zombie, Braindead, and The Dead Pit.
Zombieland deserves its place in the upper echelon of the Zombie movie canon.

Markus P. Reyes |
Date: 2010-02-04

After MONTHS of anticipation, Zombieland is FINALLY in my possesion. What can I say? I LOVED this movie! I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it (shame on you for missing it in theaters!), but I must say, what an impressive work for a first time director! As a horror fan, Zombieland had everything I wanted in a Zombie movie and then some.

And people, remember this is really not a horror movie at all. Sure there's plenty of blood and guts and a healthy dose of jumps and surprises. But rest assured, this movie is a comedic coming of age story set in a stark Zombie Apocalypse backdrop. It's got laughs and plenty of 'em. It's got brains. It's got guts... spilled all over the place.

The Blu-ray version is amazing. Sure, it could have done a little more to pack in more fan-boy masturbation material, but hey, let's not forget that it's the MOVIE you're buying. All of the special features are typical of any Blu-ray disc. Sound quality is superb! If you have a good 5.1 surround sound system, crank that sucker up to 11!

So go get yourself some twinkies, pop this bad boy in your PS3 or Blu-ray player and ROCK out to the best Zombie slaying action since Zack Synder's version of Dawn of the Dead!

John E. Plomin |
Date: 2009-09-23

I am a long time fan of Zombie movies. From the original Night of the Living Dead, and Dawn of the Dead to 28 Days Later and Zombie Honeymoon. I was very excited to see this and not only did it live up to all my expectations but it FAR surpassed them!!!

The story is standard fare for a zombie movie. Several survivors meet up as the movie goes on and band together to survive and bond. The thing that makes this movie fun and unique is the WAY it is all pulled off and put together. There are easily TWO break out characters in the movie. Both by two top name actors. The first was Woody Harrelson's character of Tallahassee, The "bad-ass tough guy". Not only does he kick so much ass in the movie but he is fun and funny and loving. The big surprise you find out about him near the end of the movie , which i won't spoil here, makes you love him. The second one... SPOILER SPOILER Is the short lived character played by Bill Murray....as himself!!! Not only was it EXCITING to see him in it. But every little scene he is in... is stand up and memorable.... even when he's a dead corpse!

If you love or like or even slightly enjoy horror or zombie movies... i FULLY recommend you see this movie! it has all the scare and gore you could want and also lots of great characters and laughs.

Leed Johnson |
Date: 2009-12-07

As zombie movies go, this one is a lot of fun. If your concerned about gratuitous violence, well it's a zombie movie. The violence factor is high, but the gore factor is low. If you like dark humor with a lot of violence, this movie is for you. Eisenberg and Harrelson play off each other very well and there's some subtle humor that some may find even more entertaining then the obvious stuff. I had anticipated cameo appearances and was only slightly disappointed when there was only one, but a good one. Zombie fans, eat up! Pun definitely intended.