What would you do if you found yourself surrounded by flesh hungry, greedy and mindless people? No, this isn’t “wing night” in Williams Cafeteria (although it is very similar). This is ‘Zombieland,’ Sony’s latest horror/comedy film.
In this hilarious and strangely realistic film, four ragtag people, whose personalities couldn’t be any different, find themselves thrown together on the universal quest for survival.
The film takes off with bangs and laughs as Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) narrates his main four rules for survival in ‘Zombieland’ while the action on the screen animates why he has such rules.
Columbus is a college student in Austin, TX who is headed home to Columbus, OH to see if his estranged family has survived the apocalypse. Along the way, he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a man that is now only solely motivated by the need to find a Twinkie after suffering a personal tragedy.
Together Columbus and Tallahassee team up and take their quest on the road. It is Tallahassee’s obsession with Twinkies that leads the two to meet Witchita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) in a grocery store, where the two sisters fool Tallahassee and Columbus into thinking that one of them has been bitten by a zombie. They then proceed to rob the men, and take off with their car.
After another con by the girls a little later on in the film, the group decides to stay together and head towards “Pacific Playland” in Los Angeles, where the girls believe there are no zombies.
Throughout their journey, the group becomes a closer-knit unit, forming the family unit that Columbus has always wanted. They learn much about each other along the way, teaching each other different tricks to help them all stay alive. There is even a special guest appearance by actor Bill Murray.
This film was absolutely hilarious, and well worth the $7.50 ticket price. It manages to capture all the great elements of a good comedy, while still having the details of a scary movie that you would watch with friends. From the “zombie kill of the week,” to the dramatic and touching conclusion of the film, you will find yourself absolutely wanting more.
A-
- Dexter R. Mullins