"Zombieland" - REVIEW

Zombies. Not exactly a "happy" subject, are they? Aside from the typical flesh-eating, they bring to mind images of the apocalypse, whether it's caused by some unknown force raising the dead, or the spread of a virus a la "28 Days Later". But we don't exactly think of the undead as being particularly ripe for humor. But as it turns out, The United States of Zombieland is a place filled with both scares and laughs, as evidenced by Ruben Fleischer's film.

Opening on images of zombies rampaging, well, just about everywhere (at least in the US, it's never mentioned if the zombie-ism has gone global), we gradually learn how this all started from a voice over courtesy of our main character (Jesse Eisenberg). He gives us a rundown of his rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse, which are played out in ways both gorey and funny. Among the rules? "Cardio (Fatties Die First)", "Double Tap (after a zombie goes down, shoot it one last time), and "Wear Seatbelts", and "Avoid Bathrooms". As we observe Eisenberg practice some of these rules, we learn that the zombie-ism started in a small town in Texas due to an infected burger. Eisenberg, a college student living in Austin, is trying to make his way back to Columbus, Ohio, to see if his parents are still alive. But things change when he meets up with Woody Harrelson's character, a reckless drifter who is determined to find the last box of Twinkies in the world ("believe it or not, Twinkies have an expiration date").

You may have noticed by now that I haven't mentioned any character names, and that's because the eventual four leads of "Zombieland" don't have any, and are instead called by cities that they're trying to reach or that have some sort of significance to them. Eisenberg is "Columbus", Harrelson is "Tallahassee", and sisters Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are "Wichita" and "Little Rock". But what's surprising about all of this is that director and co-writer Fleischer actually gives these characters some time to develop, even though his film spans only an hour and 20 minutes. In fact, after the few opening scenes, there are very few zombies at all until the large-scale theme park climax, and though this may catch die-hard genre fans, it actually works in the movie's favor. The spaces in-between the often brief zombie confrontations are filled with humor, which is handled well by the main cast as well as the film's fifth important character, which might just be one of the most inspired cameos of the year. But what makes the film still work is that, much like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", which spoofed zombie and buddy-cop films respectively, is that while in some ways the film is a send-up, it is still legitimately intense when it needs to be.

Of course, there are a few problems that will pop up in terms of story. We never even hear about the need of gasoline despite the fact that most of the film is about traveling from Texas to California, and the characters rarely, if ever, sleep or eat (what is this, "24"?). There's also the film's finale, which, while certainly cool for its scale and a few kick-ass shots, somehow lacks the intensity of earlier encounters with the undead.

But where the film makes up for it, of all places, is in its four characters, who we get to develop a connection for, even if it's only a connection that goes only a little beneath the surface. Eisenberg continues to effectively provide a hyper-articulate-Michael-Cera vibe, while Harrison is a bit closer to being all out insane. They're countered perfectly by Stone and Breslin, who prove to be equally tough, and at times, cleverer and more successful than the boys. And while the finale may not be quite as energetic as is should have been, it's a perfect statement about the film as a whole: it's meant to be a wild ride, so either buckle and enjoy, or get the hell out. Frankly, I'm glad I chose to take the ride.

Grade: B/B-