Review: 'Zombieland' is an enjoyable RomZomCom

Film: Zombieland
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writers: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and Bill Murray
Rating: A

Zombieland is not just another addition to the overstuffed and undernourished subgenre of zombie flicks. It does in its own way what 28 Days Later did to this subgenre a few years ago that is revive it. But mind you Zombieland does it quite differently.

The movie is still a splatter fest with plenty of gore, like cutting off of limbs and the eating of innards. But it’s neither a horror nor a thriller.

Because when the zombies are going ‘chomp’ ‘chomp’ on the intestines of a man, like one in the beginning scenes, the leads don’t run away from it, rather drive around them and opening the car door in time to bang it on an unsuspecting zombie, just for the fun of it.

The movie is what you might call a RomZomCom (romantic zombie comedy). It’s actually a very American film the kind where the loser in school finally gets the hot chick. Except this one has zombies thrown into it. And it is funny.

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, a virulent form of mad cow disease has turned almost everyone into bloodthirsty, flesh-eating zombies.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) who plays the lead is travelling across zombie-land in the hope that his town hasn’t been ravaged by the disease and his ‘dysfunctional’ family is still alive.

Along the way he meets tough redneck Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a person who loves killing zombies almost as much as he likes twinkies. Midway he falls for the hot Wichita (Emma Stone), who along with her sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) makes for an impressive team of con artists.

It’s the story narration that is most enjoyable in the movie. It’s by the lead -- a cowardly teenaged loser who’s always falling for women above his league (read: way over his league) and dying to brush the hair off a woman’s face – and he narrates the rules for survival in zombie-mania.

So when a frightened girl comes for help and sleeps in his arms, he actually doesn’t believe his luck, but the next instant she’s turned zombie, trying to bite his head off.

There’s also trigger-happy Harrelson, who swings at zombies with anything from baseball bats to gardening appliances. And a cameo by Bill Murray, who plays himself.

If you are looking for a scare, or a heartfelt moment (maybe someone having to shoot his zombie mother or wife), this is not the movie to watch.

But it is funny and enjoyable. After all who doesn’t want the loser to get the girl and some zombies getting their asses kicked.