The plot of Ruben Fleischer’s new movie is nothing to speak of. In the middle of national tragedy, a nerdy but lovable boy finds a tough father figure with a deep secret. The duo encounters beautiful girl the same age as lovable nerd, and a small child. Together they learn to care for each other and become a family.
OK, now throw in zombies. Hoards of zombies, gallons of blood and an appearance by Bill Murray, and it becomes clear that the true pleasure of “Zombieland” is neither in plot nor point, but in the humor and gore of living in a world overrun by zombies. Unlike other zombie movies, the characters in “Zombieland” aren’t bothering to stop the spread of disease, find a cure or wait out the crisis — they’re running around what’s left of the United States looking for Twinkies and trying to reach a theme park in California. And killing zombies, of course.
Humor might be the film’s biggest asset, but Fleischer’s movie is as likely to make you cringe as much as chuckle. Instead of pairing the ghastly zombies with feelings of panic and dread, it’s comical to see otherwise normal looking extras be splattered in blood, twist their faces and limp and groan after their victims. The script is full of one-liners, and the characters provide laughs in the context of the film.
“Zombieland” is narrated by a character named “Columbus,” referring to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus is played by Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg perfectly is cast as someone who can emit a Michael Cera-like combination of shy, never-been-kissed charm and nerdy awkwardness, a type that creates a hilarious contrast to the screen action. He worries about buckling up and his irritable bladder as oversized guns unload showers of bullets on the living dead and zombiefied girls in party dresses attack the neighborhood soccer mom. Accompanying him are Emma Stone, who quickly proves to have brains with the body, Abigail Breslin, who still looks cute while she’s packing a gun and Woody Harrelson, whose character eagerly awaits the next opportunity to slam a zombie over the head with a banjo or knock them down with a car door. The characters each receive some dimension, and many of the movie’s best moments are carried on their wit and one-liners. The film doesn’t ramble from one slaughter scene to another, but takes enough detours to keep audiences awake and engaged and keep the zombie scenes fresh.
The film does have its softer moments. Some work, like the romantic bits between Eisenberg and Stone. But Harrelson’s scene reminiscing over his son seems fake and out of character for a man who focuses most of his time on trying to find a Twinkie.
But such scenes are few and far between. The best slices of the movie, which runs just under an hour and a half, are slightly more violent and a lot more fun to watch. A good example: Midway through the movie, to release some tension that comes from living in a zombie apocalypse, the gang goes into a shop selling fragile handcrafted goods and proceeds to smash everything in a slow-motion sequence set to music.
Although “Zombieland” is mainly a blood soaked laugh-fest, this zombie flick contains a heart that pulses throughout the movie.
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