Zombie movies are a staple of the American film industry. For years there has been a fascination with the undead which has continually reappeared from 1968’s “Night of the Living Dead” to more recent films like “28 Days Later” or “I Am Legend.” Many zombie movies also have an attachment to humor, most recently and notably capitalized by the 2004 Simon Pegg comedy, “Shawn of the Dead.”
The surprisingly hilarious “Zombieland” takes full advantage of being both a zombie flick and a comedy and succeeds in carefully balancing between both sides.
Of course, there is no lack of blood, gore and violence as is only appropriate for zombie films, but “Zombieland” is more than just another zombie gore-fest; it successfully blends a character-driven plot into the setting of a post-apocalyptic zombie nation. (Thankfully, the techno song “Zombie Nation” is nowhere to be found in the movie.)
“Zombieland” focuses the elements of a small, talented cast of non-zombies, clever and non-overbearing humor and increasingly creative ways of killing zombies to drive the action of the film, but what drives the movie are the four primary characters. Despite the fact they remain nameless through most of the movie, these well-written roles propel this zombie flick, a traditionally aimless genre.
While Jesse Eisenburg (“Adventureland”) holds his own as the nebbish and squirmy protagonist Columbus, the other three primary cast members give him a run for his money throughout the film’s entirety.
The brilliantly cast Woody Harrelson gives his most memorable performance since playing washed-up bowler Roy Munson in 1996’s cult-comedy “Kingpin.” As the gritty Twinkie-loving loner Tallahassee, Harrelson gives both humor and depth to the archetypal badass zombie-killer. Painstaking details, like his affinity for painting the number “3” on whichever abandoned car he discovers in post-zombie-apoloclyptic America, creates something more than the usual one-dimensional “tough guy” character.
The movie’s best scene, which might arguably be one of the most refreshing and hilarious cameos in recent movie history, features one of Harrelson’s former castmates.
The sisters Wichita and Little Rock, played by Emma Stone (“Superbad”) and Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), both have the chemistry and comedic chops to hold their own with seasoned actor Harrelson throughout the movie.
Instead of just killing zombies, much of the movie focuses on the psychology of being part of only a handful of humans still alive in a world full of ravenous man-eating zombies. Instead of doting on how their families are now flesh-eating, undead freaks, the film gives glimpses of the characters coping with their drastically tense situation.
Part of this is accomplished by the casual acceptance of zombies and what they have to do to escape them. Columbus’s witty but simple explanation of his rules for Zombieland survival, and short asides noting things like the “zombie kill of the week” maintain the casual humor in the face of epic human tragedy.
In fact, much of the humor comes from the casual dismissal of the chore of dealing with zombies. Director Ruben Fleischer doesn’t settle on any one setting for very long and seems to work hard to maintain a constant air of post-apocalypse through the entire movie without settling on any one moment for long, allowing viewers to see increasingly ridiculous amounts of wreckage and carnage like crashed planes on highways and Charlie Chaplin-dressed zombies.
The balance of zombie-killing action, deeply human and interesting characters and good pacing allows “Zombieland” to bring a new twist to the sometimes dry and unoriginal genre of zombie movies. Like “Shawn of the Dead,” “Zombieland” humorously captures the juxtaposition of zombies and the highs and lows of life in more original and refreshingly humorous ways and brings to life to an otherwise lifeless and predictable genre.
3 out of 4 stars