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| ZOMBIELAND |
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| Actors: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray |
| Director: Ruben Fleischer |
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Studio: Sony Pictures |
| DVD release: 02 February 2010 |
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Runtime: 88 minutes (1 disc) |
| Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC |
| DVD features: Aspect ratio 2.40:1, Audio tracks (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Descriptive Service), Subtitles (English, English SDH, French), Audio commentary (actors Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg, dir. Ruben Fleischer, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick), In Search of Zombieland, Zombieland Is Your Land, Deleted scenes, Visual effects progression scenes, Theatrical trailers, Woke Up Dead premier episode "Up and At 'Em," Easter eggs |
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 Ok, tell me if you've seen this one before...
When it comes to zombie movies, you have the old-school crowd who enjoy the sense of dread that comes with the end-of-the-world scenario, quality (for horror movie standards, anyway) acting, and (of course) the typical Romero slow-moving zombies. Then you have the next generation of fan - the Gen X or Gen Y crowd - who are more influenced by video games and want fast-moving zombies, fast-moving plot, the ubiqutious horror boob shot, and last but not least, some (no, I mean lots) Lucio Fulci-style gore. But when the zombie movies got spoofed, it created a new genre: the zombie comedy. With Zombieland, that's what I was hoping to get enough of.
The movie opens with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), who survived the zombie apocalypse because he was too into playing World of Warcraft. He's the deadpan, virginal geek/dweeb A-student who has established his own set of rules for survival that are funny for the first five minutes. Columbus runs into Tallahassee (yes, all the characters are named after where they are going), played by Woody Harrelson. His character is your typical gun-loving redneck on a mission to find the last Twinkie on earth. Don't worry - it isn't a buddy film.
On one of their stops into a market, they run into Wichita (Emma Stone), the rebellious-for-no-reason pretty girl, and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), the sarcastic twelve-year-old.They take the guys' guns and their wheels, leaving Columbus and Tallahassee stranded - but only for about forty-five seconds of screentime, as they find a Humvee loaded with weapons literally on the next block.
There is no real plot to speak of, so letting you know this much won't spoil it for you if you decide to rent it. No sooner do the guys start driving down the lonely highway than they come across their stolen vehicle, where they are once again - at gunpoint - taken over by the girls. Therein lies the problem with this film - it's got no focus and is kind of all over the place genre-wise. It's kind of a road trip movie, not really a yuk-fest, and not even remotely scary. There are some funny lines, but it isn't enough to carry a whole film. The zombies are ancillary as they pose no real threat to the four characters, and if you think too much or ask too many questions, it will ruin it.
Zombieland is just pure popcorn entertainment and doesn't by any means try to be more than that, but even on those terms, it's no Shaun of the Dead . That movie had a sharp wit and biting sarcasm, AND more laughs. There is some funny dialogue and a unique locale for the ending, but it isn't enough. This is really a vacuous film, but for a rental that only runs eighty-eight minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome. Should really please the Left for Dead crowd. Truth be told, this would have been better off as a video game instead of a movie. But it's light and fun enough, and features an unexpected cameo.
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