Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Have I Seen It Before?: I was an extremely skeptical viewer on opening weekend. What could possibly be added to the arena of Zombie comedies after Shaun of the Dead (2004)?
Did I like it?: I think it’s important to admit that I have such little regard for the Zombie genre that this film could have been very good, indeed, and completely missed my interest. Most of the Romero films have failed to make anything resembling an impression with me. Like any good consumer of popular culture, I watched The Walking Dead for as long as I could, but checked out far earlier than most, and can’t say I enjoyed the depressing odyssey for which I did remain. Some people dream of living through the Zombie apocalypse, and for the life of me I can’t understand those people. Were armies of the undead to rise and crave the brains of the living, I would easily happily check out when CDC facility explodes, if it is all the same to you.
All of the above being said, I’ve definitely enjoyed Zombieland the handful of times I’ve watched. The zombies themselves are completely incidental to that enjoyment, naturally, as it is all basic fair. The other visual flourishes regarding the rules Columbus (Eisenberg) devises for surviving the Zombie apocalypse, and the chemistry between the actors and their performances make the whole affair far more watchable than it has any right to be.
And then, there’s Bill Murray (Bill Murray). What a wonderful treat to be surprised by Murray having fun in a film and with his own screen personae. Before seeing this film, the idea of playing Ghostbusters with Murray (wherein you get to be Pete Venkman, naturally) wouldn’t have occurred to me as bucket list item. Now, it’s the one thing I keep thinking about any time I watch the movie.
If that’s the kind of thing one can expect from the Zombie apocalypse, maybe I won’t check out at the earliest opportunity.