ZOMBIELAND (2009)

Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse? Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) makes the case for his own survival by listing his own strict rules in the opening sequence of Zombieland. Some rules are pretty straightforward: have good cardio to outrun the zombies, and to always know your way out of a building. Others are based on experience, like the rule to “double tap”, which means to make sure the zombie is dead by shooting or hitting it again. The socially awkward college student Columbus has abided by these rules for the last two months when mad cow disease mutated to affect humans and started the zombie apocalypse.

Joining him for this road trip horror comedy are zombie-butt-kicking Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and grifter sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The unlikely crew uneasily join forces after Wichita and Little Rock scam Columbus and Tallahassee and steal their weapons and truck twice. The sisters are headed to Pacific Playland, an amusement park in Los Angeles, which is rumoured to be zombie-free; the men have nowhere else to be and decide to accompany them. Tallahassee’s only goal, apart from killing zombies, is to find a Twinkie, his favourite snack cake, so the foursome makes regular stops on their way to find the elusive pastry. Meanwhile, Columbus is love-struck with Wichita and hoping to score.

The comedy of Zombieland is what makes it work, and the zombies are a means to an end to tell the story of the mismatched group and their unlikely friendship. The zombies are the standard fare, mindless flesh-eating undead à la The Walking Dead (2010-2022), but there’s nothing more to them than that; the movie doesn’t spend any time going into detail about how or why they function the way they do. They make for some unhinged, funny tableaux, like a bikini-clad zombified stripper running after a client, or a bunch of princess-costumed zombie girls assaulting a suburban mom, both in the opening narration. Otherwise, they are interchangeable monsters used to drive the plot forward. Nevertheless, the SFX makeup to create them is excellent. The zombies’ gruesome design was handed to Tony Gardner, who also worked on The Blob (1988), Army of Darkness (1992) and Seed of Chucky (2004).

As his theatrical debut, director Ruben Fleischer (who went on to direct 2018’s Venom and 2022’s Uncharted) makes a solid offering. Coming from a music video and commercials background, he’s no stranger to making the most of a sequence, however short it may be. He cited Shaun of the Dead (2004) as inspiration, which can be felt in the movie’s tone and pacing. He brings to life the excellent, witty dialogue of writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who first developed the story as a TV show before Fleischer came on board to make it into a feature film. Together they find an amazing balance between comedic timing and big-stakes action. A few moments stand out, such as when Little Rock is trying to explain the appeal of Hannah Montana to a bemused Tallahassee, or a short sequence left over from the original TV show script, “Zombie Kill of the Week”. Another, which has become a popular meme, is when Tallahassee recounts losing his son Buck to the group and starts wiping his tears with dollar bills. There’s a tragedy to these characters’ stories, but Zombieland doesn’t take itself seriously enough not to turn everything into a joke.

The star-studded cast has withstood the test of time, and can now boast five Academy Awards nominees (including one winner, Emma Stone). While their characters remain somewhat superficial, and their backstory is limited, the cast makes the most of them. Eisenberg is a shoo-in for the nerdy, reclusive Columbus, as is Abigail Breslin as the tough teen Little Rock. Emma Stone is equal to herself and makes the most of the thankless and sexualised role of Wichita, the ruthless big sister and main love interest. Tallahassee is probably the most interesting character, and Woody Harrelson brings his considerable charm to the gun-toting brawler with a big heart. Tallahassee appears like a hard-to-love badass at first but quickly warms up to his new companions, eventually revealing a tender, vulnerable side that makes him all the more impressive.

In a surprising and hilarious cameo, Bill Murray (The French Dispatch) threatens to outshine the crew. He’s brilliant as a version of himself, indulging in Tallahassee’s fanboy excitement by role-playing his famous Ghostbusters (1984) role and admitting to Little Rock that his one regret might be starring in Garfield (2004). Surprisingly, Murray wasn’t the first choice for the cameo, and many other stars were considered, including Patrick Swayze, Kevin Bacon, and Mark Hamill. He snagged the role one week before shooting, as the previous (unnamed) star dropped out at the last minute, and improvised most of his lines. Harrelson is to thank for his last-minute addition: he made the call which brought Murray on.

Despite laughter being its goal, Zombieland’s cinematography keeps the film firmly in horror territory thanks to cinematographer Michael Bonvillain (Cloverfield). Zombieland’s images are appropriately dark and gritty; multiple POV shots appear to be filmed with a handheld camera, and Bonvillain isn’t afraid to dirty the frame, all of which helps to establish unease for the audience regarding the zombies. The gore is also very effective and sometimes surprising in its detail and follow-through, especially considering all the blood was added using VFX after the fact.

Another fun choice made by the editing team was to stick to a quirky visual effect throughout the film. 3D-rendered text appears on screen for each rule during the opening narration, which adds to the comedic effect of the sequence as it illustrates each rule with a little scenario. One wouldn’t necessarily expect to see the text again, but then, every time a rule is enforced, the text pops up again, fitting into the environment and often interacting with it, either by being splattered with blood or hanging from the ceiling and breaking off.

Zombieland is also a product of its time, which means some jokes haven’t aged gracefully at all. Columbus’s internal monologue towards women and his pursuit of Wichita reads more like a “weird incel” than a “cute virgin” and is thus extremely cringe-worthy. Thankfully, the actors’ chemistry is believable enough to save it. The sequence where the group trashes an Indigenous souvenir shop is another joke that falls flat over a decade later. Even if the cast had been a bit more diverse, the choice of a specific culture’s souvenir shop would have been insensitive, and the sequence would have aged better if it had been set in a more neutral shop.

Sensitivities changed rapidly in the 2010s and 2020s, and it’s not uncommon for some films to have outdated jokes and references that might offend modern viewers. Ultimately, these details are not enough to tank the film. Zombieland remains a hilarious film with excellent physical comedy and dialogue. It appeals to a wide range of people, from gore enthusiasts to Emma Stone fans, and still holds a special place as a horror-comedy with mass appeal, which is a hard feat to pull off. It was even a success with both critics and the public, grossing $102.4M at the worldwide box office, far surpassing its modest $23.6M budget. The whole cast got together again for a sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), which was also well-received, and Emma Stone has hinted she’d be game for a third movie in 2029. As Tallahassee tells Columbus, inspiring the latter to add one final rule to his list, you need to “enjoy the little things”.

USA | 2009 | 88 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH • SPANISH • FRENCH

Cast & Crew

director: Ruben Fleischer.
writers: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick.
starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray & Amber Heard.