Zombieland (2009) Review

Zombieland (2009) Review

In grade ten, a friend of mine dressed up as the main character Columbus from Zombieland for Halloween at school. He wore a jacket, had a nervous energy, and carried around a notebook with a list of rules. It was a costume I later praised for accuracy, because at the time, I didn’t understand it, because I hadn’t seen Zombieland. My friend said I had to see it, so lent it to me, and I’ve seen it numerous times since, because it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in the past decade. 

The zombie apocalypse we’ve seen a million times in other movies comes to pass, and we’re treated to an epic opening title sequence with zombies chasing people in various scenarios, shot in slow-motion, with Metallica’s “Whom the Bell Tolls” playing. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is on his own, trying to eke out a living amongst the undead, when he encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), who has a particular affinity for killing zombies. The two of them encounter Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and together, they embark on a road trip to find Pacific Playland, which is allegedly zombie-free.  The plot isn’t super original or creative, but that’s because it’s largely a character-driven story, and the situations allow for maximum hilarity. 

This will no doubt sound blasphemous to many, but I actually prefer Zombieland over another zombie-horror-comedy which is seen as the holy grail of the sub-genre, Shaun of the Dead. They are somewhat similar in concept, but I find Zombieland significantly funnier and more re-watchable. Not to take anything away from Shaun of the Dead, which is very good, there’s just something about the chemistry between the actors in Zombieland, and the type of humour just clicks with me more.   

Every actor is so perfectly cast, I don’t think it could have worked as well had any one character been portrayed by someone else. Woody Harrelson is hysterical, with some truly quotable lines, like “I’ve never hit a kid before”, “That place just blows…my mind, it is just great”, or “Time to nut up or shut up.” The joke about his ongoing side quest to find the last existing Twinkie never ceases to be funny, and actually pays off, but his other side quest to find Bill Murray is even funnier. Bill Murray’s Zombieland cameo is well-known now, but was kept secret upon the movie’s release, and I won’t spoil the details in case you haven’t seen it, because it generates some of the biggest laughs in the entire movie. 

Zombieland is absolutely a must-see film. It never takes itself too seriously, the chemistry of the cast is incredible, and it’s satisfactorily gory. There’s so much to love about it, I couldn’t possibly sum it all up here. I barely even touched on how great Jesse Eisenberg is as Columbus, and his hilarious list of rules. Just treat yourself and watch it if you haven’t.