Hello everyone and welcome to a new throwback review! I hope everyone had an awesome, and spooky Halloween, and your all probably looking forward to the holidays. Well before we do that I wanted to at least one Horror/Halloween review related to what was by default the big Halloween movie this year, Zombieland 2 Double Tap (unless you consider Countdown a biggie). Now I had yet to have seen the original Zombieland until this summer, and I had heard many good things about it (and how long the sequel was in development). So after having finally seen it, and with Double Tap now in theaters, I will be discussing it with you hear today to see if it still holds up nearly a decade later.
We are fist given a little bit of an explanation by our main character, Columbus, that a “Mad Zombie disease” has overran the entire United States, and has turned most of its citizens into vicious zombies (we are shown this through a darkly funny montage). He however is still alive thanks to his apparent lack of social skills, and how he has made a list of rules to follow in order to survive the Apocalypse (33 to be exact), and decides to make his way from Austin, Texas to Columbus, Ohio where he hopes to find his parents. On the way he runs into a fellow survivor named Tennessee (though one who’s a little more hardcore) who reluctantly agrees to take him (while also continuing his hunt for Twinkies). While on their travels they then run into two con artist sisters, Wichita, and Little Rock who after a couple of encounters they reveal they want to head to Pacific Play land located in Los Angeles, an area supposedly free of any zombies. Without giving too much away let’s just say some things come up that convince the four of them to go together to Los Angeles. Even though one of Columbus’s rules is not to get too emotionally attached with other people, he may find that to be a bit more challenging than he initially thought.
Ever since this movie came, there has been something of a resurgence of media centered around the undead such as ABC’s hit the Walking Dead, Brad Pitt’s World War Z, the CW’s IZombie, and more. Yet even with that deluge of content, this flick still holds up very well as a clever, funny skreed on the genre, while also being a good zombie film in general. On paper there isn’t anything too special about the story, but it ends up being one of those situations where the execution is the key to its success. I like how this zombie ridden world is set up like there’s no complicated explanation as we’re kind of just thrust into into it, which is kind of refreshing, and the script, and story has a lot of fun exploring more comical avenues of how the Apocalypse can be like (including all the stuff that can be taken advantage of like, staying in a celebrity house, don’t worry we’ll discuss that soon). It manages to work as a fun take on one of those post apocalyptic movies, by being this sort of road trip flick where it feels like the zombie carnage is mostly in the background (heck there’s only a handful of action sequences throughout the whole movie), taking a back seat to the compelling human drama on display. Yep, that’s right not only is the movie good undead fun it also manages to have a nice beating heart at its center, with a surprising amount of emotional depth, and character development for our four leads. As Deadpool would say, it’s actually a really good family film that argues how important it is to not live your life alone, and that family is the people whom you trust the most, and will stick with you to the end. It’s a simple but sweet underlying message that is present throughout the film, and its brisk 88 minute run-time. As for the comedy, a lot of it stems from the highly entertaining character interactions, and their personalities (Columbus’s awkward, introverted personality, Tennesse’s comically hardened self, Wichita’s cynical wit, and Little Rock’s un child like behavior are all highlights), and of course the ways in which the Zombie world is presented. With a few exceptions (Columbus’s big fear of clowns should have been much funnier then it ended up being, and the pay off felt rushed), the humor lands very well, and along with the concepts, and emotion gives this somewhat familiar story some new life.
Reuben Fleischer was the man behind the camera (also the director of Venom) for this one and he does a pretty good job overall. While there’s nothing too amazing in terms of production values, Fleischer puts in some nice stylistic flourishes to give it it’s own feel (for example how one of Columbus’s rules pop up in big letters whenever he’s explaining them), and he does have some fun crafting the action scenes which as I said are actually in sparse supply, but they do contain some creatively gory kills (the climactic battle in a carnival setting is pretty fun taking advantage of the setting). I will also give credit to those who did the make up for the zombies because they did a good job making them convincing (even if the designs themselves are nothing special). But of course the biggest highlight is the familial bond that is formed between our titular foursome, and this is a pretty interesting movie for the fact that this is kind of the film that solidified these actor’s as who they’re known for, and put them into the mainstream. Eisenberg plays the anti social geek very well, and he makes for a very relatable, and compelling protagonist one he learns how important being with other people is, and how anyone no matter where they’re from can be a family. He also plays well off of Woody Harrelson’s Tennessee who is an absolute delight, and my favorite character since he gets some of the best lines, and has a pretty heartbreaking backstory (one that’s set up quite cleverly that makes the scene even more powerful). This was pretty much the role that made him into a crusty character actor, a role he’s gone on to perfect many times more. Meanwhile Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin make for an equally fun, and compelling older, and younger sister pair getting some good laughs (whenever they fool anyone is always funny), and emotional moments as Wichita just wants Abigail to experience what it’s like to be a kid again (the biggest reason they are headed for Pacific Playland in the first place). The four of them make for an unexpected family, that nevertheless is great company to hang out with. There is however one other actor in this movie who makes probably one of the best celebrity cameos I’ve ever seen. Spoiler for those who haven’t seen Zombieland, but I am of course talking about Bill Murray as himself who managed to survive the Zombie Apocalypse by dressing up as a zombie (which somehow worked), and our foursome stay in his mansion (because they are understandably huge Bill Murray fans, especially Tennessee). Of course everything about this is awesome with Murray and his usual deadpan delivery being a highlight as always, and the fact that out of all of the people in the world to not be affected he is one of them is just funny (curious how he returns from the dead in Zombieland 2, since thanks to a big misunderstanding he doesn’t quite make it here). What is done here with the cast is a great example of quality over quantity since there aren’t too many characters, but the ones that are there leave a huge impact.
Well as for someone who saw Zombieland for the first time this year, I can safely say that it is indeed a fun road trip film with some clever execution of it’s story, and world, Fleischer fun directing, an exceptional cast of characters played perfectly by their actors, and of course Bill freaking Murray. The story really isn’t much on paper, and there isn’t anything too amazing in terms of visuals (granted they were able to stretch that $23 million budget as much as they could), which keeps the film back a little bit from greatness, but not by too much. So yeah I am curious about the sequel even if I would argue it works well on its own, and doesn’t really need a follow up, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see these guys again. If you like zombie flicks, or just want a good fun horror comedy, this will certainly satisfy your niche. It’s a nice, fun ride through the Zombie Apocalypse with some great company, that you should strap in, and enjoy.
Rating: B+
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