It's a little hard to believe the zombie horror comedy Zombieland is ten years old now. Essentially America's answer to Shaun of the Dead tracks four misfits as they traverse their way across an America that has long fallen to the Zombie Apocalypse. With a much heavier emphasis on comedy over horror, Zombieland quickly became a favorite comedy of mine, even now ten years later.
Anxiety ridden and overly cautious Columbus (played by Jesse Eisenberg) is probably not someone most would have pegged as surviving the zombie apocalypse but he has due to a long list of carefully established rules, such as making sure to double tap all zombies to ensure they really are dead and always wear your seatbelt. He soon meets the far more free spirited and tough Tallahassee (played by Woody Harrelson) who has taken to the new reality quite well, proving quite adept at offing zombies. He takes pleasure in using assorted weapons, such as a banjo or a pair of hedge clippers. He also is a man on a very specific mission: He has a craving for Twinkies that will not be denied. This leads to a detour when they stop at a grocery store only to encounter sisters Wichita and Little Rock (played by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin). Initially, the two sisters hijack Tallahassee and Columbus' guns and ride, but when they re-encounter them down the road, the four decide to team up after Columbus points out they collectively have bigger problems, like being stuck in a world filled with murderous ghouls that would love nothing more than to make any one of them their next meal. With no better options, the four of them agree to keep traveling west, each looking for a home. Preferably one that is zombie free.
The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The novelty of this film is the film is a much lighter look at the Zombie Apocalypse than most films. The film is narrated by Columbus, who gives us a darkly witty and humorous look at how the world fell to hordes of zombies. Much of the humor of the film comes from our four main characters and their interactions with one another. There are also frequently re-occurring jokes, usually tied to Columbus' many rules for Zombieland. These rules frequently appear on screen to great comedic effect, usually when another character does or does not adhere to one of the rules (such as when Tallahassee pulls a muscle smashing up a mini-van to let off some steam (breaking the Limber Up rule). Another interesting touch is that we never find out the characters names and they are only referred to by the city they are trying to get to. The film juxtaposes the frequent humor with a good amount of zombie violence, much of it inflicted on the zombies by our four main characters as they make their way through the United States of Zombieland. Much of it is over the top and played for laughs, so it works.
Jesse Eisenberg is great in the lead role of Columbus, giving his character a certain neurotic charm that also provides a good amount of humor to the film. He really establishes his character as being overly cautious and excels at anticipating and planning while also being and efficient combat pragmatist. Emma Stone makes a good foil for him as Wichita, who prior to the zombie apocalypse worked cons with her younger sister and now, things have not changed so much. She's tough, smart and clever as she frequently outsmarts both Columbus and Tallahassee. Woody Harrelson is clearly having a ball playing Tallahassee, a bonafide badass who finally found his calling in offing zombies. He also finds pleasure in the small things in life, such as automatic weapons, destroying things and the aforementioned love of Twinkies. Abigail Breslin is the perfect companion to Emma Stone's Wichita and the two play off one another wonderfully. You totally buy them as sisters and she is every bit as cunning as her older sister, which Breslin plays wonderfully. I also loved her bonding with Tallahassee as the film went on. One of the biggest laughs for me is her explaining the show "Hannah Montana" to him while they're driving late at night and Tallahassee is genuinely interested.
Zombieland is easily one of my favorite horror comedies. It moves at a brisk pace, is frequently very funny and, perhaps unexpectedly, shows the upside of the zombie apocalypse. The film keeps it's focus on it's four intrepid, misfit heroes as they deal with a world gone mad and try to make the best of it, forming a surrogate family of sorts in the process.
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