MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (10/2/09): ZOMBIELAND
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin
WRITER: Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese
DIRECTOR: Ruben Fleischer
WEB SITE: www.zombieland.com
THE PLOT: Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a like of people in the world his age ... Meaning he's a lonely college student who sometimes feels like he's the last person in the world. Unfortunately for Columbus, he actually might be.
See, there's a plague that has descended not only on the Texas town where he goes to school, but all of America. And it's still spreading. Fortunately, Columbus - who seeks to return to the Ohio town for which his nickname stems from - has developed a set of rules that have allowed him to adapt and survive.
Oh, wait a sec - wondering where Columbus gets that name from - it's from Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), so named for the town in Florida he is trying to return to when he runs into his fellow survivor. Unfortunately, while both are good at surviving zombies, they are not so good at dealing with Wichita (Emma Stone) and her sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
But it's funny what a world filled with people trying to eat you can do for a group of strangers all fighting for survival.
THE TAKE: In short, Zombieland is like Shaun of The Dead except with more Hangover like humor. If that sounds like a joy to watch, it should - this is the most fun you'll have with zombies without a video game controller possible.
Michael Cera, Jr. - I mean Eisenberg - is great as Columbus, an everyman if there ever was one who's as quick-witted as he is cowardly. But it's his ability to deliver subtle comic timing and be manly when called upon that makes his work stand out. Of course, he wouldn't stand out without the stellar performance of Harrelson, who smashes the field in his role as the film's comic relief/believable 80s-style action hero/surprising secondary emotional center.
In turn, Stone shows a newer side of her range as a Lara Croft-like female lead while Breslin - the best female child actress (sorry Dakota Fanning!) - more than holds her own in every scene. Rounding out the roll of those deserving kudos are director Ruben Fleischer, who really make the film's visuals come alive with excellent clarity, fright and humor - often all at the same time. The strong screenplay from the team of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese is a great mix of humor, romance and horror without going too far for the sake of any element, which provides a strong base for the fun found throughout the next 90 minutes.
Zombieland is proof of one thing for sure ... A world filled with zombies might be scary - but it can also be really, really entertaining.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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