Reviewed by Kate Rodger
Zombies. Let’s face it, they can be pretty funny. And Zombieland certainly mines the undead for plenty of silly laughs.
This film was surprisingly entertaining, surprising in that I am not well known for my appreciation of zombies. Shaun of the Dead gave me the courage to venture forth into Zombieland, and I am grateful to Shaun for that, as I really enjoyed it!
Here we are in a world where zombies have taken over, and the few remaining humans are left cruising this crazy post-apocalyptic zombie world trying to stay alive, or if you’re Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men), trying to find the world’s last Twinkie.
We are first introduced to Zombieland by our guide and narrator Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland). He is Columbus, a weedy, geeky control freak who survives Zombieland by following a strict set of rules.
These opening minutes set the tone, and these rules make sense pretty quickly. Flesh-eating zombies are out to get us, and there are plenty of ways to both avoid and despatch them.
One man with a gift for despatching zombies is Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a redneck zombie killing machine. The geek and the redneck team up, and the unlikely pair hit the road.
All good zombie movies need a lurve story, so along come sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who are not to be trusted, and who are both pretty handy at killing zombies themselves.
I’m sure you’re getting the idea that there’s nothing particularly cerebral about this movie. What we have here is a silly piece of zombie frippery, perfect with a bucket of popcorn at the end of a long stressful week.
The highlight? Well I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so don’t go googling the Zombieland cameo if you like nice surprises! Needless to say, it’s worth the ticket price alone.
This is not a film the whole family can enjoy. It’s rated R16 for the zombie gore and violence and for good reason. But it’s pretty harmless, and certainly funny.
Three and a half stars.
Zombieland
:: Director: Ruben Fleischer
:: Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
:: Running Time: 89 mins
:: Rating: R16 - Violence & Offensive Language
:: Release Date: December 3, 2009
:: Trailer: Click here
