Zombieland 2009

First and foremost, there's a definite genre for this film. I just have no idea what it is. It's not really your typical zombie movie, it's not a dark comedy, not really a drama. More like a mix between all of these. I mean, if you took the zombie's out of the movie and only implied they existed, it'd still be an awesome movie. So let's just get that out in the open up front, first.

Secondly, Ruben Fleischer won an audience award at the Catalonian Film Festival this year for Zombieland, his Directorial Debut. For his first film, it's got the makings of Fight Club cult classic all over it, cigarette burns in the reel included. Well, except the ending wouldn't garner the "huh?" reaction from like most cult films and you could actually understand almost 99 percent of the movie. It just made perfect sense.

This movie is about living, getting by each day, one day at a time in hopes of finding your twinkie. Think of the way the characters are named. They are all named after a place, when they introduce themselves. Columbus and Tallahassee; not a place they've been or where they are from, but where they are going. Tallahassee, because he's just heading there, Columbus is looking to see if his parents are still alive and they live in Columbus, etc.

So Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) meets Tallahassee  who's played perfectly by Woody Harrelson (if you don't know who he is, climb out from under that rock) and immediately hit it off by hating each other, but at least tolerating one another. Then both of them meet Witchita  (Emma Stone, Superbad and Little Rock) Abigail Breslin (who was the voice of Rosebud in Air Buddies and started her career in the movie Signs) and have a very easy time hating both of them. 

 

The feeling's mutual. Tallahassee has no twinkie, no guns,  no car and Columbus has no girl to push the hair behind her ears. The girls are heading toward Pacific Playland because there are no zombies there. Everyone has a place in their mind that has no zombies; the fact is there's no such place.  In the movie, there is no such place where zombies don't run rampant killing everyone.

Anyway, Bill Murray pulls off a fantastic cameo and overall the sound track is the best since Forrest Gump, in my mind. These are the two most memorable things in the movie.

Unlike most movies I review, I will not ruin this for anyone. You really should see this. There's a little gore in the beginning, and the occasional freakish zombie eating intestines, but it's really not enough to hurt the experience. You have to see this movie if only for the Bill Murray cameo.

Here are the numbers:

Random yet wonderfully played Bill Murray cameo: 10. He's fantastic.

Violence: 8.0. There's a lot of it but it doesn't take away from the film at all.

Ridiculousness: 7.0. The entire premise is ridiculous that we'd be taken over by zombies, but if we were, I'd hope to be on the road with these guys.

Not seeing Emma stone at least partially nude: 5.0. I could live with out it, but it would have given the movie some flair.

Tits and ass: 6.0. There are tits and ass, but usually they are being eaten by zombies.

Creative euphemisms for sex: 6.0. There were some, but definitely not enough.

Waiting for the evil zombie music: 8.0. No evil zombie music, thank god.

Watching a geek become and then live the life of a hero: 8.0. Columbus is awesome. He's my hero, but he didn't grab Witchita's hair and pound her from behind.

Grand total of 7.25. 

 

I love this film. I really do. I believe this will come down to be one of the best cult classics of all time.