Zombieland Review

Written by: Loreja   

I went to see Zombieland opening night to a packed house. The audience was completely plugged into the storyline the entire film, and the scares and laughter were frequent and resonate. I loved the film, and so did the rest of the audience by the responses to it in the theater. It has been said that the story was predictable and the characters weren't very dimensional. I disagree. Just because, for once, the story doesn't end with the zombies killing everyone and thus besting mankind, doesn't make it boring. As for not believing the characters were ever in danger, I for one, couldn't stop thinking about when a zombie was going to cruise up out of nowhere and attack. Movies with repetitive nonstop violence, gore and a steady stream of innocent victims gets old.

I liked this film because the living aren't bested by the undead, after all, they are just aimless, walking appetites.  The cameo appearance was a pleasant surprise, and everyone in the theater seemed to appreciate the homage that was meant in including it. Many of us stayed in our seats until after all the credits had scrolled in the hope of some outtake snippet and we were indeed rewarded by a single moment of film between Harrelson and the cameo appearance.  Personally, I hope they don't make a sequel(s). Too many horror sequels these days are a complete waste of film. There are several exceptions of course, but  there is a lot of drivel out there as well. This movie was fun, gore and all. I didn't want it ruined by the party being massacred by the zombies, or for the group to have to make too many real life decisions. The world is a crap sandwich these days. You want genuine blood-curdling horror, turn on CNN.

There's plenty of horror reality to go around. This movie was exactly what we all desperately need, a fantasy of payback and catharsis to soothe a frustrated and troubled world. As I was leaving the theater, there were clusters of people animatedly discussing the movie. You want to know what every single group was talking about? What the best gun would be to have in a world of zombie apocalypse. No one talked about how unrealistic or unbelievable the  characters were. That's because they weren't. Everyone believed them enough to sympathize with their situation and see themselves enough in the story to speculate what kind of weapon they might use. A final comment- the Fringe (television series) lettering and use in continually pointing out the "Survival Rules" was awesome. It helped move the story along with effortless continuity and helped punctuate the comedy. Great flick!!