Zombieland (2009)

  I know I'm coming to the Zombieland party a little late.  Honestly, if Netflix streaming hadn't been such a pain in the ass on Tuesday, I wouldn't have watched it at all.  The next one up in the queue was Romance and Cigarettes.  Zombieland was sitting down at #292.

The Internet Gods made their wishes known, however, and this was the only one that would play.  I will say that those were the best opening credits I have seen in a long time.  The pop-up rules were also quite entertaining throughout the film.  I didn't love the movie but it was a solid comedy.  I can't even call it a horror-comedy since there wasn't a single scare.  Not sure if that was the intent or just a misstep.  Even the big-name surprise cameo just didn't make a lot of impact on me.  Maybe because I'm not fanatical about any of his films either.  I like them; I just don't love them.

So, the story.  This is about a nerdy little dude who manages to survive the zombie plague (a la 28 Days Later) by being a complete social outcast and his quest to get back to his hometown, Columbus, OH, to see if any loved ones have also survived.  On his way, he meets a crazy-ass zombie-killer who is going to Tallahassee, FL on a quest to find Twinkies.  Woody Harrelson is at his over-the-top comedic zenith here.

Virginal Columbus thinks he may have found the survivor of his dreams when they run into feisty Wichita (Easy A's Emma Stone, who has now become an actress I will watch in just about anything) and her sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin has grown up quite a bit since her turn in Little Miss Sunshine).  Sadly for him, the two ladies are seasoned con artists who proceed to jack their rides no less than twice in order to make their way to Pacific Playland, an amusement park outside L.A. which is reputedly zombie-free.

The only times the movie drags its feet a little is when it's trying to build this unlikely (yet completely predictable) love story.  It is a lot of movie to dump on what amounts to a cast of 5, not counting the 1000's of (probably) unpaid zombie extras, but I think they could have punched it up a little more in those parts.

Also, I noticed Amber Heard (recently of Drive Angry) giving a fairly decent performance as Columbus' hot college neighbor-turned-undead.  I'd like to see her pop up in a couple more Easter egg roles.  I'm wary of giving her leads for fear of having a Meagan Fox clone.

But I digress.  In short, Zombieland is a fun little rom-com with zombies.  It won't rot your juicy little brain so feel free to watch repeatedly.  Mmmm, brains...