Zombieland
In a way, “Zombieland” was inevitable. If Edgar Wright’s instant-classic “Shaun of the Dead” was the natural answer to George Romero’s “Dead” franchise, “Zombieland” is the same for movies like “28 Days Later,” which show a truly apocalyptic view of a world overrun by the people mutated into flesh-eating creatures by a deadly virus. The virus is never explained- I mean, why bother at this point?- but the world it leaves behind is what matters. A handful of survivors, who name themselves after the city’s they hail from, on the run from fast flesh-eaters.
“Zombieland” is narrated by Columbus (“Adventureland’s” Jesse Eisenberg, who’s two-for-two when it comes to amusement parks and neurotic romantic angst this year), who- in the time after zombies took over the world- has gone from being a lonely shut-in nerd to a lonely, on-the-move OCD case with some pretty smart ideas when it comes to dealing with a world overrun by zombies. Cardio is a big essential for him. So is the “double tap” rule- in other words, if you think the first shot didn’t do the job, don’t be stingy with the ammo. Always check the back seat (after decades of horror movie idiocy, it’s amazing no one has ever adopted such logic). And for God’s sake, wear your seat belt.
Columbus won’t be alone for long. It’s not long after the instantly memorable opening credits (which are the best since “Watchmen” earlier this year) that he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson, who in the past decade has shed every inch of his golly-gee Woody Boyd persona brilliantly), who takes a certain relish in killing the undead. He becomes an important ally, even when it comes to dealing with other survivors Wichita (Emma Stone, whose hair is a bit darker, but whose sex appeal and irreverent attitude is as attractive as ever) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, whose work with a firearm makes one forget who precocious she was in “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Definitely, Maybe”), who have their own rules of the road.
The film is the product of screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (best known for, well, nothing before this; by weekend’s end, however, this film will be what they’re best known for) and directed with imagination and a talent for dark comedy by newcomer Ruben Fleischer. For once, a modern movie knows how to milk slow motion with the best of them- and the fact of the matter is, you’ll never look at amusement parks the same way again. Fleischer and his screenwriters have boundless imagination when it comes to eliminating zombies using the type of rides you see whenever you hit a Six Flags or Ceder Point. There’s also a cameo so inspired, so unexpected, that you won’t believe the mileage the filmmakers (and actors) get out of it. You’d have to chop my limbs off one at a time before I’d reveal the identity. All I’ll say is- like the movie itself, you won’t see it coming.
