Chattanooga Pulse

It makes me angry. Angry, I say! Zombieland will never win an Oscar for cinematography, simply because it is a zombie movie. In a world where directors (and directors of photography) are honored for horrible shaky-cam “grittiness”, a movie with such beautiful filmmaking as Zombieland will be cast aside every time. Director Ruben Fleischer deserves an Oscar—and you can quote me on that.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, and Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee, Zombieland details the life of two survivors with very different philosophies struggling to survive in a post-zombie apocalypse America. Along their way they are carjacked by the ravishingly emo Wichita (Emma Stone) and adorably vicious Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). You’ll notice the motif in their names, as Tallahassee doesn’t want anyone getting too attached, so they go by the names of the cities they used to call home.

Columbus has survived the apocalypse by adhering to a strict set of numbered rules. The most important is “Rule #1: Cardio” because as the director points out in the first few moments of the film, “The fatties were the first to go.” Columbus is a hypochondriac, omniphobic weenie, who spent his days before the apocalypse shut up in his apartment playing World of Warcraft. His fear of everything helped him establish other such important rules as “Rule #2: Beware of Bathrooms” and “Rule #4: Doubletap.”

Each time these rules are implemented, the director chose an ingenious way of layering the words over the film much in the way Volkswagen did with their CC commercials. The words become part of the setting, and occasionally get broken or blood-spattered—particularly as it pertains to Rule #4.

Inversely, Tallahassee has a philosophy that is considerably more basic. He is a man who enjoys killing zombies, is in search of the last of the Twinkies, and idolizes the acting prowess of Bill Murray. Preferring to be armed to the teeth, and chock-full of excellent one-liners, Tallahassee loves his work. A poster of the look on his face upon receiving his prized Twinkie should adorn college dorm rooms across the nation. Additionally, your day will be brightened when Tallahassee finds an abandoned Hummer H2 filled with automatic weapons, and triumphantly exclaims, “God bless rednecks!”

Oddly enough, Tallahassee also has the only visceral storyline of the foursome. His rationale for bloodthirsty vengeance against the undead abruptly shifts from superficial to completely justified. It might be hard to believe, but Zombieland could be the best example of Harrelson’s true acting abilities.

The sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, are on their way to Pacific Playland. This amusement park is hyped to sound like Disneyland, but in actuality resembles Lake Winnepesaukah. The purpose of this quest is to give Little Rock back a moment of her childhood, and the sisters are quite determined in their purpose. In the days before the apocalypse, the sisters worked as a con team, and their unique set of skills works to their advantage in Zombie America.

The unnamed star of the movie is a high-speed camera. While other directors work hard to obscure what you’re seeing by shaking their cameras to pieces, Fleischer went the other direction and slowed the action down. Don’t be confused: We’re not talking about the CG-slow-mo of 300 or The Matrix; instead we just have perfectly choreographed scenes complete with slow-motion fire, flying beverages and zombies.

The absolute most beautiful image you will see in a movie this year will be Abigail Breslin running through chaos wearing a Native American headdress and carrying a spear.

For those of you still unconvinced, let me assure you that while there’s some blood and gore, and plenty of zombies, this isn’t your typical “zombie movie”. Unless your typical zombie movie is Shaun of the Dead, then yeah, it’s a little like that.

Zombieland
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Rated R
Running time: 80 minutes