Published: October 07, 2009 09:08 pm      

‘Zombieland’ a big, bloody blast

There are a lot of theories floating around about why zombies are so popular. Some say it has to do with social commentary, and that zombies are a metaphor for American consumer culture and conformist society. Others say that zombies represent humanity’s constant aggression against itself, and our inability to exist in a state of peace. Still others like to talk about zombies simply as a form of wish-fulfillment for viewers, envisioning a world where we can kill members of the society that makes us feel so awkward without feeling guilty because, after all, they’re no longer human.

There’s an element of truth to all of these, I think, but there’s always a danger when rifling through those theories that we’ll start to take it too seriously. Zombies are good for lots of things in the world of storytelling, yes, but any exercise in profound thinking tied to the living dead should be taken with a grain of salt. In the end, if we’re really being honest, we go see zombie movies because we want to see some undead heads explode.

Which brings us to “Zombieland.”

We open in Garland, Texas, where a scrawny, nerdy young man (Jesse Eisenberg) is pumping gas, shotgun in hand, at a deserted convenience store. He explains a bit of what’s happened, and begins to lay out his set of rules for surviving a zombie holocaust. They include everything from practical advice on staying in shape (to outrun zombies) to advice on how to kill efficiently (always go for the “Double Tap”).

After a brief run in with a couple of flesh-eating monsters in which he is forced to crash his car, our as yet unnamed hero is forced to walk. It is here, on a lonely interstate highway, that he finds he is not alone. A black Cadillac Escalade fitting with a blade on the front bumper and proudly wearing the number three on its doors roars up from behind him, and a rough and tumble character in cowboy boots and shades saunters out to make his acquaintance.

They don’t use real names, only the names of their hometowns. The nerd is “Columbus,” the cowboy is “Tallahassee,” a lone wolf on a quest for freedom from zombies and one last bite of a Twinkie before they all go stale. The pair agree to travel together at least to the border, where they will part to return to their respective homelands to see what they can salvage.

Along the way, they meet a pair of sisters and con-artists, “Wichita” (Emma Stone) and “Little Rock” (Abigail Breslin), and after a period of car swapping and Mexican standoffs, the quartet agree to travel together to the girls’ eventual destination: Pacific Playland amusement park in Los Angeles.

That’s it as far as any real plot goes. The rest is filled with inventive zombie kills, blossoming romance, deserted tourist attractions, discussions on Willie Nelson and Hannah Montana, and a stop at the home of a movie star (won’t tell you who, but you’ll love it).

Helmed by director Ruben Fleischer and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, all relative unknowns, “Zombieland” has no shame in its status as a guilty pleasure. Indeed, it seems at times it absolutely savors every moment of its B-movie glory. Even as the mayhem ensues, little digitized reminders keep popping up on screen to remind us of Columbus’ list of rules, and the dialogue takes jabs at nearly every great zombie cliché. After years of watching everyone suffer through flesh-eater apocalypses, I have to say it’s about time someone made a movie like this.

But that doesn’t mean they scrimped on quality. Fleischer’s camerawork and pacing are right on target, delivering on every tense moment, nailing every visual gag and squeezing out every last drop of action movie awesomeness. The attention to detail in this film proves it’s the work of someone who takes pride in how the blood spatters and how the intestines pull apart. Hey, just because you’re not winning an Oscar doesn’t mean you should ignore that stuff (Rule No. 32: Enjoy the Little Things).

The film’s cast also plays a big part in making sure this movie is a blast, largely because they’re visibly having the time of their lives on screen. Tallahassee is a return to glory for Harrelson, who’s comic gifts have been largely forgotten in recent years. Eisenberg, long a fixture of the indy circuit, gives a breakthrough performance. Stone, who has already proven her versatility in roles ranging from geeky to girly, is a dream as Wichita, throaty voice, shotgun and all. And Breslin, already a household name, proves she’s much more than Little Miss Sunshine with a performance that makes me think Dakota Fanning should watch her back.

Bottom line: if your stomach is strong enough to handle it, and your sense of humor includes shotgun blasts to the occasional undead skull, you’re gonna love this one. Something about “Zombieland” makes you feel in your soul the same abandon you might feel if zombies really did take over the world. Your job, your love life, your crappy apartment, they all cease to matter. You’re just kicked back in your seat, popcorn in hand, watching the entrails fly, and hey, what’s more fun than that?

Matt’s Call: The most fun I’ve had at the movies in a long, long time. Don’t be snobbish about this one. Don’t say it “looks stupid.” See it. Thank me later.