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Movie review: Going to 'Zombieland' is a trip worth taking
Columbia Pictures
Jesse Eisenberg, left, and Woody Harrelson play survivors of a viral zombie outbreak in "Zombieland."
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Published: October 1, 2009
Updated: 10/01/2009 05:46 pm
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You'd be justified in thinking you've visited "Zombieland" before.
After all, there has been no shortage of zombies at the movies in recent years, just as there has been no shortage of vampires. And within that genre, a crop of zombie comedies has arisen, from "Shaun of the Dead" to "Zombie Strippers" to "Dead Snow."
Like "Shaun" before it, though, "Zombieland" mostly finds that tricky balance of the laugh-out-loud funny and the make-you-jump scary, of deadpan laughs and intense energy. It's a total blast even if the story is a bit thin, and it does run out of steam toward the end, but thankfully our trip to "Zombieland" is appropriately quick.
First-time director Ruben Fleischer grabs you from the get-go with stylized visuals - the super slo-mo carnage over the opening titles is gnarly and inspired in its detail - and the script from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is hilariously bizarre while still remaining rooted in contemporary reality.
Jesse Eisenberg stars as an uber-nerdy college student who has managed to survive a viral zombie outbreak by adhering to a strict series of rules, which are inspired by his innate fear of everything. They include "never trust bathrooms" and "fasten your seatbelt," and they've gotten him this far when, clearly, courage and brawn have not.
While traveling across a post-apocalyptic wasteland, hoping to see what's become of his parents in Ohio, he runs into a fellow survivor (Woody Harrelson) who is his brash, butt-kicking opposite - the dude literally rides up toting a shotgun in a stolen Cadillac Escalade with a hand-painted number 3 on the sides, a la Dale Earnhardt. Meanwhile, the undead they creatively fend off are just as speedy as they are.
MOVIE REVIEW
'Zombieland' ***
MOVIE BOARD RATING: R; horror violence/gore and language
STARS: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
DIRECTOR: Ruben Fleischer
PLOT SUMMARY: An uber-nerdy college student manages to survive a viral zombie outbreak and tries to get home to Ohio to see what's become of his parents.
RUNNING TIME: 82 minutes
ON THE WEB: www.zombieland.com
Movies are rated on a scale of zero to four stars.
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