The first time I saw trailers for ZOMBIELAND I thought, "All right. I get it. Zombies are funny. Zombies are popular. Zombies are the new pirate. All you zombie lovers will now ruin zombies the way those pirate lovers ruined pirates."
And, I decided I didn't really want to see it.
But, I went anyway.
And guess what?
ZOMBIELAND is great.
It's not just a tongue-in-cheek send up of the zombie genre, though there's plenty of that going on. There's also heart, real affinity for characters, plenty of surrealism, and a strong unique voice. Usually if a zombie movie has an underlying message, it has to do with society. Here, the message has to do more with individuals, as the main character, known as Columbus (Jesse Eiseinberg) learns that in order to live life, you have to leave your dorm room, put down your video games, and deal with people. And zombies.
Jesse Eisenberg is quickly rocketing to the top of my list of favorite working actors, and he finds the right comedic note here to play one of the only survivors of the zombie holocaust that has overtaken the USA (and maybe the world). He survived for two reasons: he's nerdy, so he knows all about zombies, and he's afraid of everything, so he's constantly in survival mode and never lets his guard down. He also has a list of rules he narrates to the audience about how to survive a zombie apocalypse -- a nod to the popularity of real life survival guides that also serves to deflate the "know-it-all" tone of most survivalist propaganda.
Columbus meets up with a drifter known only as Tallahassee, who, despite his gruff devil-may-care exterior, has -- you guessed it -- a heart of gold. As played by Woody Harrelson, he's always on the edge of total insanity, but with enough of a sparkle in his eye that you know he's in on his own joke.
The unlikely pair forms a group of four with a two sister team of survivors, played by the always appealing Emma Stone (SUPERBAD) and Abigail Breslin (the girl from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE who you'll keep going, "I can't believe that's the girl from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE!" about).
Anyway, their journey across the zombie wasteland never goes exactly where you expect it to. At a roadside attraction where you expect a zombie ambush, you end up with destruction of a totally different kind. During a pit stop in Los Angeles, the quartet crashes a celebrity mansion that belongs to possibly the least likely zombie apocalypse survivor in Hollywood, who spends his time undercover as a fake zombie so he can get the golf course all to himself. This is a surprise cameo by one of the funniest of actors alive, playing himself. But, I won't spoil the surprise.
The movie climaxes at an amusement park, turf Jesse Eisenberg is familiar with from ADVENTURELAND, complete with sinister zombie clowns. The great thing: the film doesn't overstay its welcome. It knows once its premise has been exhausted and the characters have reached their logical closing points, it's time to roll the credits. And, that's refreshing. The movie does know how to slow down when it is appropriate and hang out with the characters when they need to hang out, but it's not long, and it never feels long. It also never feels rushed. It's that kind of movie.
The movie is primarily a comedy, but it has plenty of action and even a couple of legitimate scares. And, amid the mayhem, it sneaks in some real warmth and genuine chemistry between the characters.
It also has a kick-ass soundtrack.
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