Genre: Action, Comedy
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Running Time: 81 minutes (plus trailers)
"Time to nut up or shut up!"
Can I put a question to my US readers real quick? Are Twinkies really that amazing? I’ve noticed that in a lot of movies and TV programs that are beamed to us from your shores, this desert snack is treated with an almost religious reverence. Aren’t they just kind of a sponge cake wrapped around whipped cream? Don’t get me wrong, I like sugar just as much as everyone else, but come on! They don’t even have chocolate in them! Surely they’re not all that? I’d appreciate any feedback you might have (or if you want to send me one in the mail, feel free)
Now onto my review of Zombieland.
The story in a nutshell follows four survivors of a recent zombie apocalypse: the gangly phobic teen Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), zombie hating badass Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), sexy con artist Wichita (Emma Stone) and her twelve year old sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The film follows these four unlikely heroes as they try and cross the country and find safe haven from the creatures that have turned the United States of America into the United State of…well, take a guess what they call it.
A fair amount of the humour in Zombieland comes from watching the flesh hungry fiends get killed ridiculous and very bloody ways. So if like me you are the kind of person who can laugh at a zombie getting shot, stabbed, run over or crushed by a piano, then this is the kind of movie for you. I thought this is a very funny film, with excellent performances across the board. Woody Harrelson is probably the highlight as the borderline insane zombie hunter, but the rest of the cast hold their own, and Eisenberg’s neurotic voiceover actually really helps keep the movie grounded in some kind of emotional reality…as much as you want it to at least. The script is great with some very amusing dialogue and a lot of movie and pop culture references (that actually felt organic and not shoehorned in) that I could appreciate.
Zombieland also felt like a very efficient film. It’s extremely well paced, with no scenes that felt too long or unnecessary. It’s only eighty minutes and change, but director Ruben Fleischer has done a great job in covering all his bases and making sure everything clicks. There’s plenty of humour, plenty of action, a little bit of romance and actually some pretty badass female characters meaning it can appeal to more than just guys. Add to that the very likeable cast, a brilliant surprise celebrity cameo and healthy dose of good old fashioned gore and Zombieland has something to appeal to pretty much any fun loving audience discounting the overly squeamish - the violence, while funny, is also pretty bloody (and that’s not a criticism).
It’s not exactly a movie that going to change the world and I don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as the first two thirds of Shaun of the Dead (which I personally think is a brilliant movie that goes into the toilet once they reach the Winchester – but that’s a different review. But while I’m on the topic of Shaun, Zombieland might just challenge it for the best zombie movie opening credit sequence). I was kind of hoping for a bit more satire than just straight up gore based comedy, but never the less Zombieland is very entertaining film that I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy. It’s one of those movies that you can take your friends to and just have a good time without having to do much thinking. So my final recommendation? Get your mates together, maybe grab something to eat and go rent Drag Me To Hell, which is hands down the best horror-comedy of the year!
After that though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to head down to the local cinema and check out Zombieland as well.
Zombieland is in theatres in Australia now
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Running Time: 81 minutes (plus trailers)
"Time to nut up or shut up!"
Can I put a question to my US readers real quick? Are Twinkies really that amazing? I’ve noticed that in a lot of movies and TV programs that are beamed to us from your shores, this desert snack is treated with an almost religious reverence. Aren’t they just kind of a sponge cake wrapped around whipped cream? Don’t get me wrong, I like sugar just as much as everyone else, but come on! They don’t even have chocolate in them! Surely they’re not all that? I’d appreciate any feedback you might have (or if you want to send me one in the mail, feel free)
Now onto my review of Zombieland.
The story in a nutshell follows four survivors of a recent zombie apocalypse: the gangly phobic teen Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), zombie hating badass Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), sexy con artist Wichita (Emma Stone) and her twelve year old sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The film follows these four unlikely heroes as they try and cross the country and find safe haven from the creatures that have turned the United States of America into the United State of…well, take a guess what they call it.A fair amount of the humour in Zombieland comes from watching the flesh hungry fiends get killed ridiculous and very bloody ways. So if like me you are the kind of person who can laugh at a zombie getting shot, stabbed, run over or crushed by a piano, then this is the kind of movie for you. I thought this is a very funny film, with excellent performances across the board. Woody Harrelson is probably the highlight as the borderline insane zombie hunter, but the rest of the cast hold their own, and Eisenberg’s neurotic voiceover actually really helps keep the movie grounded in some kind of emotional reality…as much as you want it to at least. The script is great with some very amusing dialogue and a lot of movie and pop culture references (that actually felt organic and not shoehorned in) that I could appreciate.
Zombieland also felt like a very efficient film. It’s extremely well paced, with no scenes that felt too long or unnecessary. It’s only eighty minutes and change, but director Ruben Fleischer has done a great job in covering all his bases and making sure everything clicks. There’s plenty of humour, plenty of action, a little bit of romance and actually some pretty badass female characters meaning it can appeal to more than just guys. Add to that the very likeable cast, a brilliant surprise celebrity cameo and healthy dose of good old fashioned gore and Zombieland has something to appeal to pretty much any fun loving audience discounting the overly squeamish - the violence, while funny, is also pretty bloody (and that’s not a criticism).
It’s not exactly a movie that going to change the world and I don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as the first two thirds of Shaun of the Dead (which I personally think is a brilliant movie that goes into the toilet once they reach the Winchester – but that’s a different review. But while I’m on the topic of Shaun, Zombieland might just challenge it for the best zombie movie opening credit sequence). I was kind of hoping for a bit more satire than just straight up gore based comedy, but never the less Zombieland is very entertaining film that I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy. It’s one of those movies that you can take your friends to and just have a good time without having to do much thinking. So my final recommendation? Get your mates together, maybe grab something to eat and go rent Drag Me To Hell, which is hands down the best horror-comedy of the year!After that though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to head down to the local cinema and check out Zombieland as well.
Zombieland is in theatres in Australia now
