(R-L) Woody Harrelson Jesse Eisenberg
Writer: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Notable actors: Bill Murray (in clips of Ghostbusters)
I’m coming to realise movies are made of many more elements than I’d previously considered, and it’s harder to have a ‘good film’ then I’d ever thought. Everything has to be spot on – as well as the main four; acting, directing, story, script; there needs to be consistency in lighting, justified cinematography…and, of course, so much more.
And so we come to Zombieland, a film better viewed in its previous incarnations of 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead. That’s not to say it’s not a fair-enough waste of a couple hours, but it will leave you with the notion your time would have been far better spent re-watching either of these modern classics. Viewing Zombieland becomes a mental game – that’s from Shaun, that’s from 28, that’s just plain Hangover Humour…that’s also, by the way, the most enjoyment you’ll get out of little-miss-predictable here.
OK, Woody’s grown up but he’s still quirky as ever (Twinkie, anyone?). The decision for the character’s only to be known by state names adds the element of fear of connection. That is, until, Woody’s ‘dog’ turns out to be called Buck. Really? Oh, yes, I agree, it’s all so awful; but Buck? Perhaps I’m a little too English sometimes. I also have no idea what a Twinkie is, save gay slang, so I’ll thank you to not enlighten me on the subject. The unintended comedy was fantastic for a moment until I twigged it was some sort of ‘candy’.
So, what else? Bill Murray’s cameo is well-done but gives us a chance to see the characters, him included, as so fucking stupid there’s really no need to feel sympathy at all. The funniest part in the film is when Columbus, played by Eisenberg, insults Facebook. The creator of Facebook invented Facebook and thus may insult Facebook. Or something.
There’s about a thousand things this movie is not. What it certainly is is aimed at boys. Boys my age, much to my disparity. The sort of guy who looks fondly back on Atari even though it had been eliminated years before his birth. The sort of guy who gets pissed off with ‘smart’ horror because there’s just not enough blood, damn it. The sort of boy who is mentally fourteen. I’ve close friends who love this film, who laugh hardest at the gore. Believe me, I love my gore. But it has to be justified, and you can’t even attempt to consider the rest when those main four have been so carefully ignored.
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