Monday 30 April 2012

Zombieland (Movie Review)


I absolutely love zombie movies. I've seen everything from the good (Dawn of the Dead, 2004), to the bad (Day of the Dead, 2008), to the downright horrific (The Evil Dead, 1981). So you can understand my curiosity and immediate need to experience Zombieland when it opened to high praises and rave reviews in 2009.

In a post-apocalyptic United States plagued by a virus outbreak, a young man (Jesse Eisenberg) journeys east in search of both parents. The main obstacle to his goal, aside from the complete breakdown of society, is the ever-present danger of being eaten alive by the infected. To help him better survive this zombie apocalypse, he comes up with a list of rules. This includes things as trivial as avoiding bathrooms and travelling light. It is this list though, coupled with his reclusive nature, that has kept him alive thus far. But he soon finds out that some rules are made to be broken.

His journey brings him in contact with an interesting cast of characters: Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a hard-as-nails zombie killing machine with a soft spot for Twinkies, and the sweet but conniving sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). Together, they embark on a road trip to what might be the only safe haven left in the country, an amusement park.

I went into Zombieland fully prepared to hate its guts. This was not only due to the fact that it was infringing on the territory of one of the funniest movies I've ever seen (Shaun of the Dead), but because it had successfully dethroned my favorite zombie movie (Dawn of the Dead, 2004) as the highest grossing zombie movie of all time. I soon realized however that I was just being silly.

Zombieland excels for a number of reasons. It is funny, action-packed and its characters show a surprising level of depth. What it lacks though is true scares. It quickly becomes apparent that while the movie might be graphic and violent, it is closer to an action-comedy than a horror-comedy.

All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Zombieland and would highly recommend it to anyone, like me, with a love of all things undead.

24 comments:

  1. Of course you posted on Zombieland. One of my all time favorite movies. I seriously just love the "rules".

    I've so enjoyed reading your blog during this challenge. I'm glad you participated so I could find it. Can't wait to see what you've got coming up in the future (non A-Z related)!!

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    1. Thanks. I really look forward to reading your posts too. :)

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  2. I loved Zombieland. And it's almost funnier knowing that Chris Pine's Carriers is almost exactly the same movie, but without the jokes.

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    1. I haven't seen Carriers, but now that you've brought it to my attention, I'll be sure to check it out as soon as possible. :)

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  3. You have great taste in movies. I've really enjoyed reading your blog. Congrats to you for finishing the challenge!

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    1. Thanks. I've really enjoyed reading your blog too. You're the first hardcore gamer I've run across on the blogosphere. So I'm definitely looking forward to your post-challenge blog posts. :D

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  4. What I'm surprised about is that we didn't review the same film on any day! Not even on the obscure letters such as QXZ.

    Looking forward to reading some of your "normal" posts now.

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    1. Now that you mention it, that IS somewhat odd. I almost did Valhalla Rising for the letter V, but then I would have just ended up tearing the movie apart (something I avoided doing throughout the challenge). :))

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    2. Interesting... althought ripping movies apart is all part of the fun! I nearly did X-Men for X, but I wanted to watch something I'd never heard of before.

      I've a post which will be going up in the next few hours with an update to the blogroll. I've mentioned you, so hopefully it'll help you get a bit more publicity!

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    3. Gee. Thanks. I feel deeply honored.

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  5. I love every single person on the cover of that movie. I'll have to check it out.

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

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    1. Yep. I can't even imagine a better ensemble for this movie. :)

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  6. Gosh, i so so so love zombieland. I'm kinda following the "rules" now. lol

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  7. I love this review so much that i can't help commenting once more, i loved the look on Woody Harrelson's face when he was about to slaughter zombies at the amusement park.... A very great film

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