The last decade has been filled with zombie movies, with most taking the route of the "zombie comedy," at least in the second half of the 2000's. The first half featured more serious zombie movies, with "28 Days Later"and "Dawn of the Dead." Lately we've had "Shawn of the Dead" and what is currently playing in Ronan, "Zombieland." If you can stomach the first 10 minutes of "Zombieland," which I did, you will really like this movie.
The first 10 minutes, as I mentioned, are pretty graphic and nasty. The narrator, and eventual main character "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) narrates scenes of people being eaten by zombies on a post-apocalyptic earth. The zombies are scary and nasty looking: they are super strong, kind of dumb and continually drool and vomit up blood. They have the look of zombies of the 2000's. As Columbus narrates, he describes a set of rules he follows that has helped him survive the zombie infection for so long. The rules are a running theme in the whole film.
The story is about Columbus's personal life, and he describes how he's never been close to anyone. The first girl he ever "brushed the hair over her ear?" Yeah, she turned into a zombie and tried to eat him. So Columbus is a loner.
After his car breaks down, Columbus travels the road, walking along until a Cadillac with a snowplow on the front pulls up. The driver is "Tallahassee," (Woody Harrelson) who recommends they use the name of where they are headed rather than real names so they don't get too close. Remember, this is cutthroat, post-apocalyptic America. Columbus means to head for the city in Ohio to find his parents.
Along the way they eventually team up with two sisters, 'Wichita' and 'Little Rock.' They all eventually decide to head for Los Angeles, where rumors of zombie-free areas still exist. The story is about their journey, but also each one's personal story, especially that of Columbus and Tallahassee. And don't forget the funniest part of the movie, a cameo with someone Tallahassee regards as "the top of the A-list." I won't give away who it is, but it's a great few scenes.
The story is a little weak at times, but the dialogue and action scenes more than make up for it. Harrelson is great, as are most of the cast. The music is excellent and like I said, the action is awesome. Harrelson's character likes to kick zombie ass, and he certainly does. Except for a few gross-out zombie scenes, this is a solid, fun movie.
"Zombieland" is rated R for language, graphic scenes of zombies, adult situations, etc.
7 stars out of 10
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