Zombieland (film review)

Zombieland takes us to an alternate America which has been overrun by a viral infection, turning most US citizens into zombies. The film places us in the shoes of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a Texas college student who is trying to make his way home to Columbus, Ohio to try and find his parents. He explains early on that while he's never been close to his parents- or anyone for that matter- he would feel good just being able to see their faces again. To see any face again, that's not dripping blood from its mouth. He also explains various rules he has created to increase his survival, which we are reminded of throughout the film by smartly-placed blocks of text which appear when a rule is followed.

Throughout his journey he encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). These are not the characters' real names, but indications of where they are originally from. This decision is made based on the idea that they should not get too close to each other, as it would be much harder to deal with if one of them were then to be bitten or killed by the zombies.

At it's heart, this film is a comedy, much like Superbad in that it deals with an awkward virgin college who just wants to get laid. This differs this from other "horror comedy" films like Shaun of the Dead, whose jokes were more about taking familiar themes from zombie films and putting a comedic twist on them. Here, the zombies are just an inconvenience, standing between Columbus, and, well, anybody else.

This is not to say that the zombies or the violence is pushed to the back however. Zombieland is full of creative ways to kill the zombie attackers. It even becomes a competition of one upping as Columbus and Tallahassee strive to outdo each other to earn the "Zombie Kill of the Week." This film has blood and gore galore and never starts to feel repetitive or uninspired in the ways of killing the zombies. Zombieland drops Zombies like Inglourious Basterds drops Nazis: Hard.

The character development in the film is done through flashbacks and dialogue throughout the film. By the end you really have a sense of who the main characters are, and what drives them.

Jesse Eisenberg does a great job as the awkward, quirky, paranoid main character. Woody Harrelson's character also brings a lot to the table: from his care-free badass persona to repressed emotions which are revealed in pieces throughout the film, Harrelson never stops entertaining.

Emma Stone as a queen of deception does very well acting like someone who is just acting most of the time, which give her moments of honesty an even more raw and realistic feeling. I would also like to point out that, throughout most of the film, she very much resembles Alison Mosshart from the Kills and The Dead Weather, especially in their recent video for "Treat Me Like Your Mother." Finally, Abigail Breslin has come a long way from Little Miss Sunshine. All four of the film's stars pulls of convincing roles, making it a truly enjoyable experience to watch their relationships with one another grow from start to finish.

Zombieland is a coming-of-age tale of friendship, in a world where there is absolutely nothing else one could hope for. The mood is light, but the sentiment is sincere. Mixing comedy with over the top violence, this is a film which can be enjoyed by fans of Freaks and Geeks to fans of Saw, and anywhere in between. Plus there's a really funny, unexpected cameo in there as well which many people will get a kick out of.

Zombieland is rated R for horror violence/gore and language. Playing now in theaters everywhere. Check it out!