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Re: GOREZONE FAN REVIEWS: Zombieland
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I have to start off by saying that if there's ever to be an official zombie movie hall of fame, Zombieland deserves to be inducted immediately. Not only is Zombieland one of the greatest zombie films of recent memory, it's also one of the best horror-comedies period. Classical zombie enthusiasts be warned though, Zombieland has its own zombie bible (Columbus' own list to surviving Zombieland) by which it adheres to (for example:head shots are no longer required to keep a zombie down for good). George A. Romero sympathizers, get your pitchforks and torches ready because its seems as though slow zombies may go the way of the dodo.
The comparison between Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead is bound to happen anyway, so I might as well address it right now rather than later. To sum things up bluntly, Shaun was authentically British in its humor; meaning that it was more along the lines of clever, witty, and satirical whereas Zombieland goes for the jugular with laugh out loud moments. Shaun is to Romero as Zombieland is to Boyle/Synder. If you found Shaun lacking in the laughs department, Zombieland is surely going to be your preference in zombie comedy. I think they're both great and deserving of their critical praise, and it really comes down to personal opinion over which is the superior film. I myself still think of Shaun as the best zombie comedy only because it caters to the hardcore horror crowd and because I found myself really attached to the characters and their plight. Shaun narrowly beats Zombieland because of its heart and intelligence, but make no mistake when I say that I laughed my a** off far more for Zombieland than I did for Shaun of the Dead.
This may come off as cliche but this really was a non-stop thrill-ride just like its advertised. From the opening credits introducing us to the rules by which to follow if you want to survive Zombieland, to the the final reel, Zombieland was a relentless 80-something-minute joy ride. A cross-country film at its core, Zombieland would have lived or died depending on our adventurous heroes. Luckily for the film, it has Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, our down to earth and reluctant hero, and Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee in what sure is to be one of the most remembered zombie killer roles since Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead. It seems to me that the key to creating a successful zombie comedy has suddenly become reliant on who you cast as the buddy duo, and sure enough, Eisenberg and Harrelson work great off one another. The very hot and smokey-eyed Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin round off the cast as our two strong willed and untrusting sister combo, Witchita and Little Rock. They were great and completely believable as sisters, even managed to wrestle a few laughs away from Eisenberg and Harrelson, and I couldn't help but be mesmerized (or distracted) by Emma Stone's eyes. The one fault if any is Witchita and Little Rock throwing caution to the wind only but to visit an amusement park and in the process enduring the lives of their "family". That aside, great cast all around.
The relative small amount of zombie carnage aside, Zombieland is definitely one of the best of the year. Wonderfully written, great cast, a hilarious cameo by Bill Murray (The whole theater started laughing and cheering when he came on screen. I didn't even get to hear some of the dialogue we were all laughing so hard) had me in tears and humming a certain tune all night long afterwards; this is an incredible outing for first time director Ruben Fleischer. So incredible, that after 28 Days/Weeks Later, the Dawn remake, and REC, this may be the straw that broke the camel's back and got me to join the running zombie camp. In my opinion, Zombieland is the 2nd best horror film of the year thus far (after Drag Me to Hell) and the 2nd best comedy as well (behind The Hangover). All I have to say is that I loved watching this movie, can't wait to watch it again on DVD hopefully with the excised 40 minutes of footage, and bring on the sequel because I want to see more of Columbus', Tallahassee's, Witchita's, and Little Rock's continuing adventures in Zombieland.
GRADE: A
Would I rather be feared or loved? Um... Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.- Micheal Scott
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