Jesse Eisenberg

Woody Harrelson

Emma Stone

Abigail Breslin

Amber Heard

Bill Murray

Derek Graf

Elle Alexander

Melanie Booth

Chris Burns

Blaise Corrigan

Sydnie Dawson

Justin Price

Christina Klein

Amir Kovacs

Shaun Lynch

Lynn McArthur

Michelle Sebek

Victory Van Tuyl

Mike White

Cesar Aguirre

Daniel Burnley

Ernest Dancy

Jon Gould

Travis Grant

Robert Hatch

Jeh Howell

Amir R. Khan

Suzanne LaChasse

Kurt McNew

Stephen Prouty

Ming Qiu

Rhett Reese

April Rich

Cody Rowlett

Joan Schuermeyer

Brian Stretch

Sonya Thompson

Clay Walker

Steve Warren

Travis Young

Sarah Mays

Rachel Kick

Susan Antonelli

Barnaby Smith

Anita Cannella

Rich Crescenti

Michael Dressel

Kim Drummond

Mary H. Ellis

Vincent Guisetti

Jeff Gross

Scott G.G. Haller

Larry Hopkins

Pamela Kahn

Amy Kane

Tateum Kohut

Mark Larry

Herwig Maurer

Sean McCormack

Greg Orloff

Drew Ponder

Eryne Prine

Jacob Riehle

Will Riley

Kyle Rochlin

R. Kevin Clarke

Stéphan Kosinski

Kurt McKeever

Jesse Morrow

Doug Spilatro

Mark Keever

Ky Hoang Nguyen

Ruben Fleischer

Paul Wernick

Gavin Polone

Ezra Swerdlow

Ryan Kavanaugh

Luci Romberg

Samantha MacIvor

G. A. Aguilar

Tim Trella

Peter Epstein

Nicole Callender

Lisa Hoyle

David Sardy

Meegan E. Godfrey

Melissa Yonkey

Jeffrey Lee Gibson

Matt Brockman

Scott Burik

John Copeman

Chris Daniels

Douglas Crosby

Mark Fichera

Aja Frary

Dale Frye

Lex D. Geddings

Damita Jane Howard

Bobby Jordan

Keone Kim

Martin Klebba

Drew Leary

Haley Nott

Victor Paguia

Dave Pope

Stephen A. Pope

Steven Ritzi

J.C. Robaina

D.J. Surgent

Trampas Thompson

Joe Nin Williams

Kim A. Winther

Heather Wusterbarth

Regina Robb

Dwight Benjamin-Creel

Gail Hunter

Neal Norton

David Galbraith

Josh Hancher

Paul Varrieur

Clyde E. Bryan

Mike Torino

Bob Campi

Joulles Wright

Askia Won-Ling Jacob

Susan Ransom

Carol Raskin

Stephen Crowley

Steve Zigler

Mike Robertson

Scott Brinson

Eddie Evans

Caroline Vexler

Michael Bonvillain

Zombieland Collection

Comedy

Horror

Zombieland

Pariah

Columbia Pictures

Relativity Media

United States of America

English

washington dc, usa

sibling relationship

circus

post-apocalyptic future

blood splatter

gore

parody

road trip

zombie

survival horror

amusement park

twinkie

body count

zombification

disposing of a dead body

loner

aftercreditsstinger

zombie apocalypse

fear of clowns

absurd

actor playing themself

dramatic

enthusiastic

foreboding

frightened

sarcastic

Andres Gomez

Fun, not that fun to have a higher mark than a 5/10.

Manuel São Bento

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog :)

I haven't seen Zombieland in quite a few years, but with its sequel being released this week, now it's the perfect moment to go back to the hilarious world of zombies. It still holds up incredibly well. In a time where zombie films and TV shows were starting to come up (The Walking Dead premiered one year later), this post-apocalyptic zombie comedy flick still remains as one of the best zombie movies of the century. Their use quickly became something cliche, and neither funny or scary. Nowadays, people are used to seeing the living dead on the screen all the time, so why does a 2009's film like this still work?

Well, first of all, the outstanding cast is halfway through success. In 2009, only Woody Harrelson was already a renowned adult actor. Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg didn't star in anything truly remarkable yet, so much that Abigail Breslin was more recognizable than them. Even with only 13-years-old, she already had an Oscar nomination in a supporting role (Little Miss Sunshine). However, everyone delivers fantastic performances, which carry the simplistic yet entertaining story to such a success that it became a zombie classic.

Harrelson portraying Tallahassee, the guy who's not scared of anything and likes to "enjoy the little things", is one of his career's coolest roles. Eisenberg is not exactly the type of actor I like since he can only do so much with his acting abilities. He always offers the same type of character: a quirky, twitch-full, idiosyncratic personality, which most of the times doesn't work. Contrary to this tendency, Columbus is a character that logically and hilariously fits this model, hence Eisenberg is the movie's primary source of comedy. From his list of rules to his weird behavior, everything feels natural since the character's background justifies his awkward self.

Stone and Breslin share great moments together, as well as Harrelson and Eisenberg, but the former duo has less exciting sequences. Nevertheless, even though the girls could have received more character development, their relationship gives them a compelling reason for us to care about. Wichita might just look like the cliche hot girl who falls for the good guy, but she would do anything to protect her sister, and her love for Little Rock does give her some gravitas. The cast's chemistry is undeniably astonishing. It's visually palpable that they had tons of fun doing this film, and that elevates every single conversation or action scene.

The short runtime allows for a fast-paced story, packed with fun moments, and a lot of bloody zombie killings. The production design is remarkable. Excellent use of practical effects and real sets, plus a perfect soundtrack. Ruben Fleischer knew precisely what he wanted the movie to be, and he never tried to make it something more. Yes, it still involves a romance of sorts, and some backstories might not be funny or joyful. However, it never feels forced or fabricated. It never overextends its stay because Zombieland is neither a romance or a drama. It's purposefully campy, plays with stereotypes creatively, and it's merely 88 minutes of good fun. We are in 2019, and studios forgot how to make films like this!

Every year, there are dozens of blockbusters that would be extremely entertaining if studios would just let them be what they are meant to, but no. They need to have some relevant story that carries a political tone or a social message. Zombieland has all the attributes of a pure blockbuster: a phenomenal cast, a straightforward narrative packed with thrilling sequences, a short runtime with fast pacing, compelling characters, and thousands of zombies. Put together a funny screenplay filled with chuckle-worthy jokes, and you have yourself one of the best zombie movies of the century. It's one of those films which don't exactly have what people address as "flaws". Zombieland has its cliches and lazy exposition, but it heavily compensates them with 80 minutes or so of spectacular entertainment. It's a zombie cult classic. Nut up or shut up, but watch the goddamn movie!

Rating: A-

The Movie Mob

**Zombieland is a hilarious treat for comedy and zombie fans alike.**

Zombieland is a goofy spin on the hordes of zombie movies that came as a result of The Walking Dead’s popularity. It follows a zany cast of characters with big personalities thrust into a post-apocalyptic landscape. However, rather than living in constant fear and survival, it feels as if the characters consider it all another Tuesday. Their motivations are finding twinkies or love rather than escaping death. This tonal twist leads to a very entertaining, self-aware plot that takes funny jabs at traditional zombie tropes. The cast nails this tone as well, with Harrelson, Eisenberg, and Stone all delivering sarcastic yet genuine and caring performances.

CinemaSerf

Jesse Eisenberg does his best Charlton Heston impersonation as ostensibly the last man left on the planet amongst an army of pathologically fed up zombies. His initial narration gives us a little clue as to how he has survived, unbitten, for this long - and just how dangerous it is to use the toilet - before he encounters "Tallahassee" (Woody Harrelson) on what's left of the freeway. Convinced they are both still human, they join forces and go off in search of "Twinkies" (that's the food variety and not young gay guys!) They find a grocery store where they are quick to rescue "Wichita" (Emma Stone) and her twelve year old sister "Little Rock" (Abigail Breslin) only to quickly discover that it's now them that needs the rescuing. Some cat and mouse antics now ensue between what is now the last four remaining people, before things settle down for an an hour of comically inspired adventures that sees them seek safety - in the Beverly Hills mansion of Bill Murray for a while, before a denouement in funfair that sees a battle royal commence that's only really missing Ennio Morricone. The four characters here all gel well and with Harrelson on a form that reminded me of why he became famous in "Cheers" in the first place, Eisenberg and Stone developing their rapport and the young Breslin looking on with a degree of sagely amusement, this is a fun film. It's well written with plenty of pithy one-liners and plenty of homages to other films and actors who've tackled the zombie theme over the years too. It's nice and short so we've no extended and repetitive combat scenes to bore us, just some short and sweet slaughtering using just about every piece of kit you can imagine (even a food mixer!).

ZOMBIELAND - NOW PLAYING

Zombieland Official Trailer #1

Zombieland( 2009)

Nut up or shut up.

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A review by Andres Gomez

Written by Andres Gomez on Tue Nov 26 2013

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