Did you ever watch a zombie film and think "I would be embarrassed to be killed by that." "Stupid, slow moving zombies would never get me!" Not to be big headed but I always fancied my chances against a zombie. Now a vampire is a different matter but a zombie for god’s sake! Everyone's favourite geek Jesse Eisenberg has no problems with the shambling idiots. His problem tends to be other people. As he travels across America towards his hometown of Columbus he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). They don't go by their real names in Zombieland see!
Columbus survives Zombieland by following an ever increasing list of rules. Simple, common sense rules that seem to mock the zombie genre in a very knowing way such as 'always check the back seat' and 'double tap'. My favourite rule has to be 'limber up’; Columbus holding his gun above his head performing stretches on the side of the road is brilliant! Everything seems to be running along as smoothly as you could expect in a post-apocalyptic wasteland as Columbus lives obsessively by his rules. That is until he meets the crazy Tallahassee and scheming girls.
This is filmed like a really slick music video. The opening shot of an American flag limply flapping in front of the Whitehouse, on fire and upside down is bold and striking, like most of this film. The survival rules get written large across the screen whenever they are quoted. Perhaps best of all we have Zombie kill of the week! I won't go into any more detail on that in case I spoil it. It all adds up to a fast paced film that never gets dull. Like a music video it is very stylised and very punchy. Despite being yet another Zombie film this feels very fresh, not because of any great storyline but because of how light it feels. Perhaps not laugh out loud funny; it certainly left me with a big smile on my face.
Case in point is Woody Harrelson. His character is big, nasty and desperate to find a Twinkie. He will do anything to find the last sugary treat in the world! They have an expiry date you know! I loved the wackiness of the characters. How anyone could stay sane in a world like that is beyond me and it seems the writer felt the same way. Also this has an amazing cameo from none other than Bill Murray. OK I don't want to give away anything more about this film; it's enough to say that this has breathed life into what was becoming a very stale genre since 28 Days Later blitzed its way onto the screen.
8/10
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