ZOMBIELAND

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray
Year: 2009
Rating: R

Low on plot but high on humor and good, old-fashioned zombie fun, Zombieland is narrated by a young man known here as Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), because of where he's from originally - a typical, virgin-esque, stay-at-home nerd with no backbone ... who, somehow, has come into his own and survived in a world now almost overrun completely by zombies.

The opening scenes (including some way-cool opening credits) are some of the funniest scenes in the film, as Columbus briefly recounts how the world succumbed to an international virus that turned its inhabitants into the ghoulish flesh-eaters they are now. Viewers are treated to a fairly hilarious set of rules for surviving zombie attacks, as taught by Columbus - before he meets up with a true zombie ass-kicker named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson, so wickedly good here), and the two travel across the country together until Tallahassee can get Columbus home to Ohio, to see if his parents are okay.

On the way the pair kill some rather insistent zombies before running into a pair of sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who are still human ... and soon trick the men out of their guns and Tallahassee's SUV. Left stranded, the boys finally find another ride and Tallahassee vows to track down the girls and get his truck back - as the girls head toward Little Rock's favorite amusement park, just outside of Los Angeles, which the girls have heard is still zombie-free.

Lots of zombie action and gore abounds - though things kind of slow down on that front, when the gang gets together to camp out at the home of a Hollywood film/TV star - before the foursome gets to the amusement park and Tallahassee continues his search for the one things he wants most: Twinkies. A semi-suspenseful finale with an ending you can see coming from miles away still doesn't do much to deflate what is a short, brisk, and often very funny tale of a world gone mad, known now as Zombieland.

Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg in particular are excellent in the film, Harrelson (thankfully) never quite going over the top to become a caricature as Tallahassee. Eisenberg's Columbus manages to hold onto his charming sense of innocence throughout, even as he learns to become one heck of an effective zombie basher, and the chemistry between the two guys works so well in their scenes together. Stone and Breslin, as the world-weary ladies just trying to survive, are effective (Breslin - who has really grown into a young lady - especially) but don't quite shine like the boys do, especially in kicking zombie ass.

Overall, Zombieland is a fresh and funny new take on life in the land of the undead. Definitely a great night's entertainment, if you don't mind the gory parts, and one heck of a funny comedy. If you're looking for fun and a few thrills, and have no problem with the lack of a real plot to back things up, this film is for you. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome