Zombieland co-writer Rhett Reese was shocked when he discovered more than a million people had downloaded his movie illegally on BitTorrent. The Hollywood writer has now penned yet another horror scenario, claiming that this achievement could very well prevent a sequel to the successful movie from being made.
I can’t remember another recent movie that was both as gorily violent and as commercially viable as Zombieland, Ruben Fleischer’s big-screen directorial debut. As someone who loves zombie flicks in general, I would have been more than happy to just watch Woody Harrelson bash undead faces in for two hours. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick had other plans, though – and I’m glad they did. The movie plays out in two different genres, playing the zombie mayhem and teen comedy elements both full to the hilt, not letting either compromise to the other. The result is an adrenaline-drenched gore-fest with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. It’ll draw plenty of comparisons to Shaun of the Dead, the Holy Grail of zombie comedy, but these aren’t fair; Zombieland, as it turns out, is a different beast entirely.
The main characters are fun and fleshed out well enough, and all four actors give engaging performances. You end up really caring about the people you’re watching onscreen – even if none of them are assigned any name beyond their hometown (Tallahassee says names let you get close to people – a dangerous pitfall when death waits around every corner). Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a geeky, nervous college student who has survived for months after the initial zombie outbreak because he adheres to a long and very specific set of rules, and lets caution guide his moves. Tallahassee (Harrelson) is pretty much the opposite: a larger-than-life redneck with a cowboy hat, an SUV and a sawed-off shotgun, who loves nothing more than “zombie-killin’” and will gladly risk his life for a chance at eating one more Twinkie. The guys run into sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who were runaways and con artists before the world ended. Soon, the four are trekking across the country in a Hummer, searching for an old California amusement park they hope will still be zombie-free.
The characters make a good mixture, playing off each other beautifully throughout their road trip. Tallahassee’s over-the-top bravado, Columbus’s awkward nervousness (Michael Cera could have played this role, though Eisenberg does a great job), and Wichita’s biting sarcasm provide most of the flick’s funniest lines. But the comedy doesn’t get in the way of the bloody mayhem. Zombieland’s zombie-action set-pieces seem to each work better than the last, as the stakes and number of zombies seem to increase along with the survivors’ firepower and our attachment to the characters. But even at the beginning, one is blown away by how enjoyable it is to see Tallahassee’s grin as he strides up to a zombie with a pair of garden shears, or Columbus’s slight relieved-but-despairing grimace after each “double-tap.” .....Continue reading at www.famousmonsters.comI can’t remember another recent movie that was both as gorily violent and as... more
Jorge Carreon has your passport into "Zombieland" for Examiner.com. With audiences eating up the outrageous zom-com movie hit of the season, this special edition of Personalities Interviews offers the second part of a lively insider’s tour of with the stars and filmmakers.Jorge Carreon has your passport into "Zombieland" for Examiner.com. With... more
