Finally got out to see a new flick for the first time in a LONG time. The movie of choice this weekend was the premier of Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. Staying with the theme of Zombieland, I’m going to write this review in the form of Columbus’s rules. If you haven’t seen the flick yet, then this should help you decide whether or not you should.
Zombieland Rule # 8 – DON’T EXPECT A HORROR FLICK
Zombieland is a hilarious half parody of a lot of zombie flicks from over the years. It’s not anything like you’re typical zombie storyline where they explain the origin of the disease and a rag tag group of heroes saves the world. This flick is really about how people grow up and become something more in an independent society.
Zombieland Rule # 7 – APPRECIATE THE EFFECTS
Unlike a lot of huge big budget disaster flicks that blow their entire loads on explosions and gore scenes, Zombieland gets it all done on the cheap; and you can tell. Directed by Reuben Fleischer and written by the team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick it is quite obvious that Zombieland was not made to win any awards for special effects. What it does do is bring a lot of the old school style back into the fold. Blood is drippy, slimy grossness to the point where it is more comedy than gore. Heads explode, bones break and zombies literally splat, but if anything the situations will make you laugh.
Zombieland Rule # 6 – SMALL CASTS RULE
Without a huge ensemble cast of characters to have worry about, Zombieland brings you right into the story from the very beginning and keeps you in the world of 4 central characters throughout. Woody Harrelson plays Tallahassee, Jesse Eisenberg plays Columbus, Emma Stone plays Wichita and Abigail Breslin plays Little Rock. If you’re confused about the names, then you’re going to have to check out the flick. With one small but AWESOME cameo by a legendary comedian, this cast is more or less complete. Having a small cast like this was great for the viewer because it centralizes the story around nothing more than what you should be paying attention to.Woody did a great job as the roudy zombie hunter with an emotional past. Emma Stone plays the clever older sister and mother figure to the younger Abigail Breslin and Jesse Eisenberg again does his best Micheal Cera impression and goes awkward. When you string them all together, it works out wonderfully.
Zombieland Rule #5 – DON’T BE OFFENDED IF THINGS GO DISNEY
For all of the blood and gore and comedy strung throughout Zombieland, the heart of the story is really in the development of a family. With four homeless, family-less characters banding together after a few road blocks, this flick’s resolution is less about killing zombies and more about developing relationships. But this is not a a bad thing. Over and over again we see zombie flicks use the relationships of humans as a secondary storyline, but with Zombieland the development of a family environment is the central plot and also a breath of fresh air.
Zombieland Rule #4 – HOLD YOUR PEE TILL THE END
Okay maybe that was a bit gross, but with a run time of only 80 minutes, Zombieland is the perfect flick to see with a big group of friends. It’s long enough to develop a good story, but short enough that you won’t be squirming around in your seat waiting for the credits.
Zombieland Rule #3 – CHECK OUT THE TITLES
Zombieland is narrated by Columbus in a way that viewers can appreciate. This isn’t your regular “So there I was…” narration and Jesse Eisenberg pulls off the tone perfectly. The story is narrated through a series of Zombieland Rules and with them comes some amazing title work throughout the film. In a similar fashion to the television show Fringe, Zombieland uses animated titles within the frame of the shot. They work really well in terms of telling the story and showing a refreshing image on screen.
Zombieland Rule #2 – STOCK UP ON HOSTESS PRODUCTS BEFORE
When you walk out of Zombieland you’re probably going to want to munch on some kind of Hostess snack product. I have a feeling some funding may have come from the creators of the Twinkie because product placement is used quite well in this flick. Some advice would be to prepare your snacking habits before you go into the flick so you can munch away when the credits roll.
Zombieland Rule #1 – ENJOY ZOMBIELAND IN ANY STATE OF MIND
Very rarely does a flick come around that is equally as funny while in a bunch of different states of mind. Zombieland is one of these flicks where it can be enjoyed on multiple maturity levels for multiple reasons. Combining this with all of the other points made above and I’m going to give Zombieland a solid 8 out of 10 on the Bloated Penguin scale. The only slight thing holding this back from a nine is the outcome of the surprise cameo. When you watch Zombieland you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
October 10th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
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