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Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland is the movie that you need to see in theaters this Fall. Regardless if you hate the previews for it, have something against the cast, or just do not have a “thing” for zombies, Zombieland is probably the most fun you will have at the cinema until Winter. Fleischer has created a world that is 1 part scary and a million parts hilarious. Even though the movie is pretty much over before you know it, the experience is well worth the admission into the theater.

In a world where there are no people and there are only zombies, one college student is trying to make his way back home to Columbus, Ohio from his college in Austin Texas. This is the beginning of Zombieland. Jessie Eisenberg plays the young man who remains under the alias of “Columbus” (names are not allowed in case you get infected and someone needs to finish you off) who comes into contact with “Talahassee” (Woody Harrelson) and thus they travel together searching for a safe haven and…twinkies. Whether or not you like this premise, the movie is still bad-ass.

YAY:

• Woody Harrelson steals this movie all day long. His character is probably the most iconic in campy horror films since Ash from the Evil Dead series. Harrelson’s character shows so many sides of his personality; from his blood thirsty rage, to his over the top one liners, and all the way until his soft side is revealed. If the character of Talahassee was not written as clever and Harrelson did not wear the role so well, then Zombieland would be one giant, terribly vacant film.
• The writing is top notch throughout the movie. Columbus is given some fantastic lines of narration while Tallahassee is astounding and even the femme fatal sisters Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) are fleshed out with great thought. Hell, even the opening scene sets the tone greatly for the atmosphere of what the audience is about to engage in. What is also worth mentioning is that Zombieland is just as much a “how-to” film on surviving a zombie apocalypse. If anyone out there likes Max Brook’s zombie series then this film will make a tear run down your face in euphoric joyfulness.
• There is a cameo in this movie that is utterly amazing. I will not mention anything else about this because of the fact that it is phenomenal.
• Whomever did the visual effects for this movie should get a Saturn award tomorrow. Each time the “rules” come on screen they are punchlines to jokes or they are hidden in the background behind the action. Oh yeah and the zombies that roam the world are pretty gruesome and blood thirsty which is all that one can ask for from a genre pic such as this.

NAY:

• There are some rough parts to the production values of this picture. The editing sometimes leaves you wondering what the hell just happened or there are awkward transitions from set piece to set piece. One part in particular shows Tallahassee and Columbus goofing around in a town square and then BOOM they are in a suburban neighborhood investigating a car that Tallahassee found in the previous scene in the town square. This is nitpicking mind you, since the purpose of Zombieland is to make you laugh, and scare you a little bit.
• Plot holes loom around Zombielands’ structure but who the hell cares, they are so much in the background that its a damn shame to even dwell on them.

In conclusion, Zombieland is a fantastic and gory romp cross-country with one of the greatest horror characters ever created. A matinee would do this film justice but any true horror or comedy enthusiast must see this film for full price. You won’t be disappointed.

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