A young college student from Columbus, Ohio has survived the first two months of a disease outbreak that turns normal humans into flesh-crazed zombies. Just when he fears that he may be the only normal human left, he encounters a lone traveler heading to Tallahassee, Florida. The pair set off east together, only to have their vehicle and weapons hijacked on a grocery store Twinkie-hunt by a pair of teenage girls hoping to make it to a California theme park that they suspect to be zombie free. After a showdown, the group finally decides to trust each other. Along the way, they realize that there's no point living in "Zombieland" if you can't have a little fun along the way.
Let's face it, there are a lot of zombie films out there, and that's understandable. After all, what better way to keep a horror movie going for an hour and a half than to make every living being on the face of the Earth a potential threat? About five years ago, a trio of Englishmen decided to do something new: they made zombies funny. Whereas everyone else had viewed the walking dead as something that has to be run away from, the makers of Shaun of the Dead decided to explore the endless fun that could be had in a world that's full of mindless zombies. Not only can the survivors have free reign of"¦well, everything, but they can also spend their days coming up with new and clever ways to eliminate the ghouls that wish to make a meal of their brains.
Zombieland really is all about having fun. Whereas previous zombie comedies got a little heavy-handed near the end, Zombieland opts instead to establish it's party-hard attitude early in the film and carry it over throughout. Jesse Eisenberg stars as "Columbus," a nerdy college student who follows a strict set of survival rules in order to avoid the undead horde. Meanwhile, Woody Harrelson's "Tallahassee" takes an entirely different approach to zombie encounters: he kills every single one that he can, and he does it in the goriest way possible. Rounding out the cast are leading lady Emma Stone as "Wichita" and young Abigail Breslin as her con-artist sister "Little Rock." I'm guessing that right about now you're starting to wonder what's up with the names, aren't you? All of the characters use pseudonyms so that they don't get too attached to one another.
This sort of twisted humor is what gives Zombieland so much of its grotesque charm. Within the first four minutes, viewers are introduced to a few common-sense rules about zombie survival. For example, the fat ones will be the first to die. I know, it sounds harsh, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. As a zombie super-fan, I recognize that some horror aficionados may take issue with some aspects of the film. It's true that the zombies aren't really the walking dead; rather, they're the 28 Days Later breed of mindless, infected humans - they're fast, and fast zombies are more fun. It's also worth noting that there don't seem to be that many zombies in the first place. Presumably very few humans have been simply bitten (as opposed to completely consumed) by the infected fiends. Accordingly, the number of on-screen ghouls can sometimes feel daunting, but never completely overwhelming.
Finally, I can't talk about Zombieland without hyping up the incredible celebrity cameo in the film. Please do yourself a favor and avoid looking it up, it works best as a total surprise. The four protagonists venture to Hollywood to find a mansion to stay in for the night; ultimately choosing the home of one of the funniest actors of all time - and it leads to one of the most nerd-gasmic movie moments in a long while. Everyone in the theater just died laughing, and you will too.
