Tuesday, January 11, 2011

ZOMBIELAND : ZOMBIES WITH FUNNY BONES

Yes, there is such a thing as funny zombies. At least in the movie ZOMBIELAND. While George Romero may have made his fortune with the flesh eating living dead, this new take on the genre adds a much needed dose of originality and humor.

The movie is narrated by Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg), a young man with his own set of rules for survival. Rule number one is cardio. As he puts it, the fatties were the first to go due to their inability to outrun the zombies. With each moment of the film, Columbus passes along bits of wisdom concerning how to survive. Some involve his personal experiences; others are short vignettes demonstrating how to survive.

While traveling down the road in hopes of finding his detached family alive in Columbus, OH (the names of the characters relate to where they are from, a way of detaching yourself from those around you), Columbus meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). The pair may not be fast friends, but it’s a ride so they move on, heading east with the hope that there are more survivors there.

As they travel you get a glimpse of the difference between the two. Columbus is sort of a nebbish, prone to sitting back and not taking things head on. Tallahassee, on the other hand, runs full throttle taking on zombies with ease and pleasure. When the pair check out a grocery store in hopes of finding the elusive Twinkies that Tallahassee craves, they meet up with two young girls, Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), also survivors.

Unfortunately the girls are also con artists who take Tallahassee’s car and leave the dynamic duo to fend for themselves. Finding another car, the pair head out only to cross paths with the girls once more. The exception this time is that they band together to get somewhere figuring they have a better chance this way.

The girls are headed towards an amusement park in Los Angeles and with little coaxing the guys join them. Landing in Hollywood, Tallahassee has an idea: find a "Homes of the Starts Map" and spend the night in one of the mansion belonging to some mega star. Who they select and what happens makes for one of the funniest parts of the movie with an exceptional cameo appearance by…well you’ll see.

While at the Hollywood home much is revealed about the characters. Tallahassee shows an emotional side unseen before and with good reason. Columbus and Wichita begin to develop young love, only to stop just short when Tallahassee interrupts.

The next morning the girls set out for the park and the guys plan discuss where to go next. Ignoring one of his rules about not being a hero, Columbus begins to think that maybe the girls could use their help. This of course turns out to be true when the bright lights of the amusement park attract hundreds of zombies all intent on a buffet of teen girls.

Arriving just in the nick of time, Columbus and Tallahassee come to the rescue with the girls trapped at the top of one of the rides. But with so many zombies on the scene, just how can each of the four survive?

The movie takes the usual zombie genre route with no explanation of just how the whole thing began. Zombies are intent on eating the living. And like the newer zombie films, these zombies move at a frenetic pace rather than the lumbering flesh eaters from the old films.

What makes it different is the humor that is added. Rather than be non-stop serious the whole time, jokes pass between the characters. The search for Twinkies has hilarious results. And the aspect of young love blooming from the ruins of the world adds a nice touch of hope for the future.

There is already talk of a sequel and I for one can’t wait. Even watching this the second time I found myself laughing aloud at the various jokes though I knew what was coming. And the horror aspects of it were as solid as any blood filled flick in theaters these days. And for gore fans, yes this is a wet film with zombie blood gushing everywhere.

If you’re looking for something a little different that adds a twist to a well used genre, then this is your cup of tea. It might not be the best things for the kids to watch, especially younger ones, but teens will undoubtedly laugh and you might have a chuckle or two as well. Welcome to Zombieland.

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