Zombieland: Review

When I first heard that a film was being made called Zombieland, my immediate thought was,'Oh dear!' That sounds like a hum-dinger!' Well, the old adage of never judge a book by its cover comes to mind, or never judge a movie by its title, because Zombieland, along with (500) Days Of Summer, possibly the most surpringly entertaining film of the year.

The plot is fairly simple. The earth has been taken over by rampaging, flesh-eating zombies, and Columbus, a neurotic, paranoid young man has managed to survived on a set of rules. He meets up with devil-may-care Tallahasse, whose main goal in life is to find a Twinke, which leads them to meet up with swindling sisters Wichita and Little Rock, but will they manage to get to the land where zombies don't exist, or is that just rumour?

Okay, so the plot may not be inspired, but trust me when I say, you will have an absolute blast. From the inventive, if gory, opening credits, you know you are going to be taken on a funny ride. With some nice touches, like Columbus' rules being used to great comic effect, this is both clever and laugh-out-loud funny, and that's what makes this film work. It is very, VERY funny.

Jesse Eisenberg, who was last seen in the mediocre Adventureland, is given much better material here, even though he still comes across as a poor man's Michael Cera. Abigail Breslin is fine as Little Rock, while Emma Stone, who made her name in Superbad, is definitely one to keep an eye on. It is Woody Harrelson who has the most fun. It's nice to see him back on form, even if he hasn't changed since his days of playing Woody in Cheers, he relishes playing the gun-toting zombie killer, and so do the audience. The film stealer, however, is a surprise cameo from a big star, and it is hilarious.

Director Ruben Fleischer keeps the film moving at a cracking pace while never losing any of the comedic moments, and at under 90 minutes, it never outstays its welcome. If there was a criticism, the ending is a little lacklustre, but you can forgive that as this is a genuine hoot. The packed preview screening was alive with laughter and claps from the very entertained audience.

If you can stomach a little blood and guts, you are in for an treat that is a nice compliment for Shaun Of The Dead and Return Of The Living Dead, and if you want to have a terrific time in the cinema, then you could do no wrong then check this blast of a comedy.

If you are wanting to check out a new movie this week, (and apart from a re-release of Toy Story, it's a VERY poor week) save your money and wait for next week, you will not be disappointed. I loved it!