Zombieland (2009) Review

"I hate coconut, not the taste, the consistency."
-Tallahassee



When a zombie outbreak wipes out the majority of the planet, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) makes his way towards his hometown to find his family.  He follows a set of rules he created to survive in "Zombieland" and along the way meets a group of other survivors.  They have to overcome their trust issues and personality quirks in order to make it through this in one piece.


What Works:

I adore Zombieland and love it more every time I watch it.  This movie has had a massive impact on my life.  The thing that has stuck with me the most are Columbus' rules.  I host a podcast called "How to Survive a Horror Movie" which is me creating a list of rules as well.  Double Tap may or may not be one of the rules.  I love how Columbus' rules are used to great comedic effect and how the words show up on screen.  It's brilliant and I will always love it.

The performances are absolutely spectacular.  The best of the bunch is Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee.  He is perfect in the role and gives us one of my all time favorite movie characters.  The guy is a complete badass, but also a bit of a buffoon.  He's hilarious and epic, but also has a really powerful emotional moment.  He's phenomenal.

The dialogue is incredibly sharp and on point the entire film.  I quote this movie nearly every day.  It's absolutely hysterical without it becoming obnoxious at any point.

The introduction to Columbus is really well done.  After some voice-over from him explaining his first four rules, we get to see him put the rules into practice.  It's an excellent zombie sequence and watching Columbus run around a parking lot is really funny.  It's a well crafted way to introduce us to our protagonist.

I usually don't like voice-over in movies, but it works really well here.  It feels natural and is also very funny.

Bill Murray's cameo is probably the single greatest cameo in the history of movies.  It's absurd and perfect.  The Ghostbusters reenactment is incredible and his death scene is hysterical.  What more do you need?

Finally, the 3rd act battle at Pacific Playland is nothing short of epic.  We get some great and hilarious zombie kills as well as an absolutely badass soundtrack.  Tallahassee's final stand is one of the most epic moments ever captured on film.  I was convinced he was going to die there, but the fact that he survived his own last stand tells you what an amazing character this is.


What Sucks:

I've got nothing for you.


Verdict:

I don't say this very often, but Zombieland is pretty much a perfect movie.  The comedy is fantastic, the zombie sequences are fun, we have amazing characters, excellent dialogue, the best cameo of all time, and an epic finale.  I can't think of a single flaw.  Without question, Zombieland has got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing 

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