Zombieland Review

Written by: Psyko113   

Zombieland is waaay too much fun for it’s own good!

The film is truly the American answer to Shaun of the Dead (I know that description has previously been taken by Dead & Breakfast, but trust me when I say there is no comparison, and Zombieland takes the title with a single-hit knockout).

The film’s story is told by our unlikely hero, named “Columbus” (it becomes a running theme that characters are named after their places of origin or destination rather than their actual names; why get attached in a world run by zombies, right?), where he clearly gives us a brief rundown on his list of rules, with a few choice examples…The rule about seatbelts probably has the best moment during the first act of the film!

We’re quickly introduced to “Tallahassee,” played wonderfully by Woody Harelson. The man is on fire in this film! Best of all, there’s more to the character than you think from the start, which is refreshing when it all comes about.

Traveling together for the hell of it, the two encounter a pair of sister con-artists in “Witchitaw” and “???,” who become unlikely allies after a few rough encounters.

There’s more character work here than zombie gore. Those moments are few and far between, but they’re nice little touches when they happen. Truly, you don’t really miss it all that much. You’re too intrigued by the characters and their interaction to really notice what’s missing.

There’s of course the clichés to the film these days; boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl leaves boy, yadda-yadda-yadda. But the film does wrap up quite nicely, and the “moral” that we’re left with, while a bit on the head, is a nice one for what it’s worth.

The technical aspect of the film is great. The lighting feels natural, and the camera work is SMOOOTH. I mean, really smooth. There’s hardly ever a moment where the camera movement takes you out of the world of the film; and the lighting never calls attention to itself, so that’s wonderful. It’s rare to watch a film where the DP hasn’t either gotten too lazy or too flashy, but this is done perfectly.

The sound quality (including the choice of songs listed on the soundtrack; BADASS!) is great. The effects aren’t overpowering any other element in the film, more are they uprooted.

The film is really a solid balance of all the needed elements for a good film, let alone for a decent horror-comedy in a world full of cardboard cut outs of yesteryear’s big hit.

For fanatics of the genre like myself, go see the film. You’ll laugh, you’ll be impressed with some of the bloody effects, and at the end of it all you’ll feel you actually got your money’s worth.

‘Nuff said.