SCI FI PI

Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Directed by Ruber Fleischer
Released Dec 3
Rated MA


"Zoh-ambeh, zoh-ambeh, a-eh e-eh a-eh!"

Those of you who enjoy The Cranberries will no doubt have Dolores O'Riordan's voice bouncing around their skull right now. It's a sad song but a triumphal refrain - a very nice parallel to the joy that is Zombieland.



Looks like this instance of duelling banjos has a clear winner.


It is the near future. The Zombie Apocalypse has occurred. The few remaining humans are scattered, shattered and mistrustful, desperately trying to stay alive, but at the same time, desperately attempting to seek out some kind of meaning in their new lives. What do you DO when the planet goes all brain-hungry? You know, as a hobby. As a life GOAL. The shooting of brains, running away, attempting to find food, that's a given. But after that?

This really, is one of the central tenets of the film. That and 'how to win friends and influence people without getting eaten'.

The film is essentially a road movie, about four unlikely partners, learning (very, very, very slowly) to get along. How do you develop a relationship with someone who may be alive one day, undead the next? It's tough. People don't open up in this situation. That's why, in Zombieland, there are no names. Just places where people come from.



Neeeeed to get one of those 'bewoo-bop!' bleepy automatic keys. Really really do!


Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee wants one thing. A twinkie. Oh - and another thing. To kill the zombeh. E-eh. E-eh. For him it's not about survival, it's about art (in a twist the head off a racoon kind of way). He enjoys the little things. His is the flashy role of the film (and a joy for Woody fans everywhere) but the main protagonist and narrator of the tale is Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus, who is on the road to try to find his family.

Jesse is a natural coward, weedy and neurotic. He has managed to survive the legions of the undead by sticking to a carefully crafted set of rules, which, whilst practical, are also hilarious. Rule #1 is Cardio. Being able to outrun those hungry for your sweet, juicy brains is literally top priority. The converse of this is that the fatties got munched in the first wave. America never stood a chance.

So Nascar Crocodile Dundee of the Zombie Apocalypse and Woody Allen With A Shotgun team up, head on down the road, stating destinations where hope may exist. They come across a pair of young female humans (Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone) who have their own agenda. Trouble brews, then overboils. But the less said about that, the better. You'll find out what happens when you go see this movie. Right now. Finish the review, but seriously, check session times online. It's the American Werewolf in London of the noughties.



The joys of post-apocalyptic freedom are obvious. Trashing crappy stores is fun!


As such, the film is a comedy more than a horror flick - the zombehs (and Zombie Kill of the Week!) are played mostly for laughs. Zombie Clowns, however, are no laughing matter, and creators Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and director Ruben Fleischer should get a mirror and have a long hard look at themselves. That is some sick, scary, shit.

The film has an interesting structure, and plays very much like the first couple of episodes of a TV series, where we meet the characters, find their motivations and then give them a task and a hurdle, but with an overlying goal that they may, one day, reach. It's not that the ending is unsatisfying, it's just that you get a sense, when the movie finishes, that there's a whole lot more in this undead wasteland theme park.



Emma Stone. Not to be messed with.


One pleasant surprise is a cameo role from Tallahassee's all time favourite movie star*. The story is that the writers actually wrote out dozens of cameo-specific roles in the hope that the approached star de jour would actually say yes. Finally (and thankfully) we've ended on a great one. The good news is, with this cameo being so successful, Hollywood will be banging down the doors to get into the next Zombieland.

Recent news is that the sequel is already in pre-production. It's also been tabled that it will be in 3D.



Yeah.Just try to sleep tonight. This is so, so, sooooo many kinds of wrong.


In the meantime, Zombieland is one of the funniest, most joyful celebration of Zombie-ism ever made. When you see the opening credits, featuring zombies attacking in super, super slow mo, backed by titles that are in and interact with the shot, you'll know that you're in for something special. But it's the subtleties amongst the comedy and the zombie slayings are what raises the bar here. Small directorial quips that mirror the train of thought of the audience are sparks of genius.

The ongoing use of 'rules' and the rather unexpected behaviours from our characters gives you plenty of originality. Which in our current filmic wasteland is pure, pure gold. See Zombieland as soon as you can.



Handy tips for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. Good luck!


*No, it's not Burt Reynolds, but nice zombie movie reference anyway.