Kick-ass action, lots of laughs, and plenty of disgusting and oozing zombies populate this fun popcorn flick starring Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson. I wasn’t sure what to think when I first saw the trailer before District 9, I was more than likely going to wait for the DVD. But I’m glad I saw this in theatres because it’s a lot of fun to watch with a big audience.
I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining and hilarious the film was throughout. While there is plenty of gore and zombie-related violence to go around, it’s also a road picture, buddy-comedy, romantic-comedy, and an action flick. Hell, it’s just fun to watch.
There are plenty of jump-scares, gross-out moments, and more to satisfy horror fans, and Harrelson and Eisnenberg complement each other well. And has anyone ever noticed how Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera could be brothers? Weird.
Rounding out the non-zombie cast are the sexy and sultry-voiced Emma Stone, and Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin as two con-artists who find themselves two of only four people left uninfected.
[SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this review reveals elements of the film that some may wish to keep as a surprise.]
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are three awesome sequences in the film that are definitely worth seeing on the big screen:
1. Woody Harrelson wails on a zombie with a banjo.
2. Upon their arrival in Los Angeles, the foursome hides out in Bill Murray’s house. And who do you think shows up in zombie make-up so he “blends in”? That’s right, the man himself, Bill Murray, makes an extended cameo appearance that is the best sequence in the film. I also recommend you stay through the credits for a Bill Murray bonus! Watch for plenty of Ghostbusters and Caddyshack references.
3. The final showdown at the amusement park. Lots of action, lots of zombies, and lots of fun.
I also would like to mention that the music in this movie is also awesome. Definitely makes the movie even more fun.
Now, there are two irritants about the film that I want to mention. In no way should these deter you from seeing the film, but I want to forewarn you.
There’s a lot…okay way too much voice-over in this film. I seems like whenever there is pause in the action or a moment where a character pauses in their dialogue, Eisenberg’s character just has to chime in. It gets old very fast and makes you wonder if the filmmakers were concerned that if they didn’t narrate the movie they would lose the audience.
Eisenberg’s character has a set of rules he follows in order to survive in Zombieland. While his rules are amusing, their overuse and repetition as text on the screen does become distracting at times.
Both of these elements, in my view, detract from the film and dumb it down for the audience. If they had left out these two elements, the film would have been even better than it already is.
I highly recommend Zombieland. While it won’t win any Oscars, it will give you and your friends an entertaining time at the movies.
In theatres October 02, 2009!
There’s also a RED BAND trailer, but here’s the version safe for most audiences:
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