ZOMBIELAND REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2004, Simon Pegg and director Edgar Write successfully combined comedy with horror and created Shaun of the Dead. Now, here is America's answer to that combination: Zombieland. 

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a shy, lonely student trying to make his way through a sudden zombie apocalypse by sticking to his thirty rules (one of them being "avoid public restrooms"). He is on his way to Ohio when he meets Tallahasse (Woody Harrelson), a man obsessed with finding a Twinkie to satisfy his sugar cravings. On their journey, they encounter Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have survived the apocalypse by acting as con-artists. The four all have different journeys but will they reach their destination through the zombie attacks?

The only similarity that Zombieland has with Shaun of the Dead is that they're both horrors mixed with comedies and feature zombies as the main antagonists. Everything else is different including the characters and story. 

The film features strong comedic performances from the whole cast including Jesse Eisenberg, who plays the main protagonist, Columbus who, by using narration and a flashback sequence, tells us his backstory. He was at home when his crush rushes into his house and tells him that her boyfriend just tried to bite her. To Columbus' horror, she soon becomes a zombie and tries to eat him. Fortunately, he escapes and since then he has come up with his own rules to survive. This is what makes him a likable character as he's both smart and brave. He is also witty and isn't short of a sarcastic coment. Woody Harrelson is brilliant as Tallahasse, the Twinkie-obsessed guy who isn't afraid to shoot a zombie or bash their head with a bango. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin both give great performances as the two sisters who are conning their way through the apocalypse. The four work have chemistry together and soon develop a bond that'll hopefully help them survive the zombies. 

This film is also best known for featuring one of the best cameos and that's from comedy legend, Bill Murray, who appears in the film as himself when the four stop at his house. Murray fans will be in stitches during his scene.

In my opinion, this film is worth watching just for Murray's cameo and the finale which is set in a theme park. Both Witchita and Little Rock have arrived at a theme park only for it to be infested with zombies. They manage to escape but are trapped on one of the rides and must rely on a limited number of bullets in their guns and Columbus and Tallahasse to rescue them. Fortunately, the pair turn up, ready to fight the walking dead. It's this finale that features one of my favourite sequences, which is when Tallahasse rides a rollercoaster whilst shooting zombies, as it shows how unafraid he is of the zombies and is really funny.

Personally, I'm not a fan of violence or gore but, fortunately, they're both kept to a minimum and, like in Shaun Of The Dead, are used for slapstick comedy purposes. 

The director, Ruben Fleischer, obviously didn't want to scare people and wanted to viewers to be entertained throughout the film and he succeeds. All four actors give some of their best performances in this film.

If you love Shaun Of The Dead and are a fan of the featured actors, I definitely recommend this film.

7/10