Zombieland

Review: Zombieland

Dir. Ruben Fleischer, USA, 2009, cert. 15, 87 mins

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Stone

Some movies are criminally missold. Zombieland is such a movie. It’s not really a zombie film at all - it’s a surreal road comedy in which a lot of people’s heads come off.

Ever since Romero invented the zombie genre, imitators have been trying to put their own spin on what’s usually the same basic setup; in doing so they forget that Romero’s early zombie flicks weren’t just about zombies - they had their rotten hands deep in the intestines of society. Night of the Living Dead spoke about racism; Dawn of the Dead about consumerism. Zombieland is the first zombie film I’ve seen in a while that isn’t just about zombies. It’s about a few things. It’s about America. It’s about fear. But mostly, it’s about other people.

From the hilarious opening sequence of a wheezing fat man failing to outrun the ravenous zombie that’s chasing him across a football pitch, it’s clear that Zombieland’s tongue is poking straight through its decomposed cheek. For obvious reasons, a voiceover explains, the fatties are the first to go. This voice belongs to Columbus (Eisenberg), a smart-ass student who’s afraid of... pretty much everybody. He’s a walking picture of modern alienation. Zombieland is Scream for the zombie genre. It’s a movie for everyone who’s ever watched Day of the Dead and yelled ‘check the back seat!’ or ‘make sure it’s dead!’ at the screen. Columbus knows all the rules, and that’s why he’s still alive.

On his way across America to find his folks, Columbus bumps into Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee. Whereas the misanthropic Columbus shuns society, Tallahassee, a surly zombie-killing machine, is positively hooked on all things Americana. His only real goal is to get hold of a twinky, the tacky snack-cake that has sustained American children for generations. He loves Willie Nelson. He worships celebrities. He drives monstrous SUVs - the kind that rappers drive, but splattered with blood. Oh wait... Anyway, the guys also hook up with two wandering con-artist sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin), and the bonding commences. And with a razor-sharp script, it’s very entertaining.

Zombieland is violent, but it’s more Wile-E-Coyote than 28 Days Later. Zombies are smashed, crushed and otherwise maimed with gleeful aplomb. One gets a grand piano on the head, for God’s sake. Eisenberg raises plenty of smiles, but Harrelson owns the film completely. Strolling into a supermarket, he strums on a banjo; ‘you got a purty mouth!’, he drawls, embedding the instrument in a corpse’s skull. Tallahassee is fluent in movie trivia, and Zombieland is chock full of neat little references. When the guys arrive in LA and need somewhere to bunker down, they of course head straight for the celebrities’ houses; fortified mansions set apart from the rampaging zombie hordes (somewhere in there is a subtext about movie fans that I’m not entirely comfortable with). This leads to the funniest celebrity-playing-himself cameo I’ve seen in a long time, though it’s hardly surprising given who we’re talking about. I can’t spoil this. It’s too good.

Above all, Zombieland is damn funny, and has a heart as big as your fist. Comparisons to Shaun of the Dead are inevitable, and not undeserved. But whereas Shaun was a movie about taking charge of your life, Zombieland - both the film and the land - is a joy that’s best when shared. Columbus might have his rulebook, but what really saves his ass is his kooky surrogate family. America may be little more than a memory, but there’s plenty worth living for in Zombieland.

8/10

-James