By Nicholas Slepnikoff
Zombies have taken over the world. What do you do? Grab a twelve gauge and fight them off? Or, run too slow and become a buffet for a bevy of bellicose binge eaters?
In "Zombieland," your rules for survival are clearly defined. Your name is also gone. To prevent any attachments, characters in this movie are named after the cities in which they were found.
In the beginning, we meet Columbus, played by "Adventureland's" Jesse Eisenberg, who has managed to fight off the zombie hordes and through his experiences write a rulebook on how to survive. Showcasing the rules' importance, our first encounter with Eisenberg really sets the detached and sarcastic tone of the movie.
A shy video game player with an even quieter family, we follow Columbus through his trials in this new cannibal filled landscape. The opening sequence of the film presents the numerous rules in a dry demeanor, which adds to the laughs.
Rule one, cardio, cuts to an obese man being eaten, with little more from Columbus than "poor fat bastard." Through random occurrences and toting a roller suitcase, our jumpy, fear-filled leader meets Tallahassee, a gun nut and self-proclaimed zombie killer extraordinaire, played by Woody Harrelson.
Harrelson, who has the chance to debut his banjo skills, is a man with nothing to live for except the simple delight of Twinkies. Reminding of the time before zombies, this search for the last Twinkie makes for funny lines and interesting supermarket situations.
The chemistry between these two actors, whose characters are polar opposites, makes for funny one liners including Babe's "that'll do pig" and commentary on Hostess Sno-Balls. Eventually, these two meet up with Little Rock and Wichita, sisters played by "Signs"' Abigail Breslin and "Superbad"'s Emma Stone. After some clashes, the four join up in a cross-country trip to Pacific Playland, an amusement park in Los Angeles.
Although a zombie movie may be commonplace to movie goers these days, "Zombieland" breaks with the normal and expected stereotypes of most zombie films. Instead of a "Dawn of the Dead" film, with commentary on humanity's pitfalls, "Zombieland" takes the serious and, with the aid of Eisenberg's quirky sense of humor, makes everything a joke.
However, unlike most zombie movies, which fail to keep the viewer interested, or, for that matter, even entertained with grotesque violence and carnage that accompany the flesh hungry fiends, "Zombieland" makes every death ironic and funny. Using the zombie stereotypes that most movies overdo, "Zombieland" plays on these now clichéd stereotypes presenting them in funny situations. With a cameo appearance from Bill Murray, the movie gets to be even more ridiculous as the quartet reach Los Angeles.
Boasting great acting, this movie never stops entertaining the audience. Although there are lulls in the comedy, the humorously awkward spans and funny situations continue to persist throughout it. As Eisenberg's second big movie since his breakout Hollywood debut in "Adventureland," he manages to bring his quirky comedy and awkwardness into the film in a way that the audience soon identifies with and enjoys.
Harrelson also did an amazing job bringing the seemingly flat and meat headed Tallahassee to life, creating a character that thrives on zombie violence and actively seeks out the next unfortunate undead. Breslin has also really come into her own as an actor, presenting the audience with passing descriptions of Hannah Montana and a lovable na've twelve year old faced with armageddon.
Stone, who plays a judicious and manipulative character as well as Columbus's love interest, also manages to offer a witty and bitingly sardonic view of survival that clashes with the normal "think as a group" mentality.
If you're looking for an entertaining hour and a half one night, "Zombieland," through good acting and a comedic sarcastic tone, not only presents the audience with believable characters and an awesome soundtrack, but also provides the audience with laughs that will continue, even after the credits roll.
