Short Take: It's exactly what you'd want it to be.

Director: Robert Fleischer

Screenwriters: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Emma Stone (The Rocker, Superbad), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)

Length: 1h 20m

Synopsis: The world as we once knew it is over. The vast majority of people on earth have become zombies, leaving a remaining select few to wander about trying to survive. A teenage boy – referred to by his home town, Columbus, Ohio (Eisenberg) – gets picked up by a zombie-killing professional (Tallahassee) and the two destine to travel west across the U.S. in search of a zombie-free locale. On their way they encounter two girl con artists named Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), and the two pairs henceforth oscillate between being trusting and distrusting of each other as they travel together. Zombies, as the common enemy, might prove to be the only thing the four have in common.

Analysis: The zombie subgenre has gone through a number of makeovers over the years (particularly in its “modern era”), from George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968), to Zombi 2 (1979), to 28 Days Later (2002), to Shaun of the Dead (2004). With Zombieland, the mixture of horror and comedy both continues (from the standards set by Shaun of the Dead) and transcends, mixing exciting action sequences with tension-releasing humor to such an effective level that what results is one of the better examples of pure cinematic irony.

Irony of course plays a significant part to the natures of both humor and horror, being that they both thrive off of toying with audience expectations and participate in making commentary by juxtaposing contrasting elements. This is not to suggest that Zombieland will take you by surprise left and right, but rather explains how its double-barreled approach works. Throughout the story we are given a variety of rules that, according to Columbus, are essential to surviving in “Zombieland.” Examples of such rules include: #1 – Cardio (being able to outrun and outlast zombies) and #2 – Doubel Tap (always taking the extra measures to be sure a zombie is dead by, say, shooting them at least twice). There are over 30 rules in all, though we’re never privy to the entire list. One rule that becomes well known is #17 – Enjoy the little things. This particular rule is referred back to on multiple occasions, and is in fact a succinct summation of the movie’s main theme.

Columbus explains to us that he and his late parents never had a very close relationship, nor did he have much of a bond with anyone before the world became Zombieland. While the earth was normal he ostracized himself, but while he finds himself on his own he relishes human contact when he can find it. The other three characters, we find, have also lost loved ones. The group continually battles with their impulse to distrust each other and remain secular, but in the end they realize the importance of enjoying something as simple as not being alone. Zombie films often have messages about a range of aspects of human nature, and Zombieland is no different. And perhaps more so nowadays than normally, advocating each other to take pleasure in the simple things is especially pertinent. Whether it’s finally getting your first kiss, or just satisfying a craving for the last Twinkie on the planet, in the end (and hopefully our end doesn’t look at all like Zombieland) it’s the little things that count the most.

Note: There is a short clip following the credits.

Rating: 8.0