Zombieland (2009)
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson,
Emma Stone & Abigail Breslin
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick

 

'What defines us, then, is what we do in the face of that big black void. Some choose to deny it; some run headfirst into it. Others, however, simply say “fuck it, you’re not going to ruin my day,” and go about their business regardless. This is very much the spirit of Zombieland. This is what makes it one of the most refreshing, entertaining entries into the subgenre we’ve had in years; that without denying the hopelessness of the situation and the very really threat the protagonists face, it is unrepentantly upbeat and optimistic.

I’m not the first to say this and I won’t be the last – Zombieland is the perfect zombie movie to mark the dawn of the Obama era. It has to be the very first post-apocalyptic find-yourself feel-good movie. It’s like City Slickers with the living dead.

No, wait – I’ve got a better analogy than that. Suppose that when it came time to do Weird Science, John Hughes decided instead to do an Anthony Michael Hall zombie flick. And so he cast Hall as the virginal nerd turned lone survivor, then teamed him up with Bill Paxton not as a bullying big brother but as a gunslinging yahoo with an equally militant disposition. And then he dropped in the hot chick that was way out of Hall’s league. Okay, so this analogy leaves no room for Kelly LeBrock, or Robert Downey Jr. and the guy from Nightmare on Elm Street 2, or the guy who played Hall’s best friend, but substitute Jesse Eisenberg for Hall, Woody Harrelson for Paxton, Emily Stone for whoever Hall’s love interest was, then squeeze in Little Miss Sunshine... you get the gist. And yes, I do think it still would have been an appropriate frame of reference even if John Hughes hadn’t just died. Hmm... now I’m bypassing all respect for the recently departed and pondering whether Hughes would direct a movie like this if he were to come back from the dead...

Okay, so maybe that was smartypants film geek reasoning I was utilising just then. But, again, that’s entirely appropriate as, while Zombieland does not demand exhaustive knowledge of the zombie genre, it does fully expect the audience to come in with knowledge of the basics. Unlike so many others, this movie doesn’t waste time reiterating the rules. We don’t have any of the usual meandering philosophical debates about the nature of the zombies and/or what brought them about. If I’m not mistaken, no one even declares out loud that zombies have to be shot in the head (though Eisenberg does point out the helpfulness of the ‘double tap’). Instead, it plunges us headfirst into a devastated wasteland that was once America seen through the eyes of Eisenberg’s college boy loser. And yes, never mind Harrelson getting his name above the title, if this movie belongs to anyone it’s Eisenberg. He’s the one who’s telling us the tale, it’s his perspective we get, it’s his voice giving the Stand By Me/Wonder Years-ish narration.

The eagle-eyed may have noticed that, for all the reference points I’m invoking, I have yet to bring up another horror movie. There’s a simple reason for this, and it’s the one point that threatens to divide audiences: it isn’t really a horror movie at all. This is a character-based comedy-drama which hinges not on a desperate race against time or fight for survival, but on the interaction of four people. Faced with the alternative of living alone, these individuals who (sisters Stone and Breslin apart) would never have given each other the time of day under ordinary circumstances find themselves with little choice but to stick together, and in so doing realise they have more in common than they ever would have thought. Just like – yes, I’m going there – The Breakfast Club. See, I told you this was the John Hughes zombie film.

Whether or not you consider this a good thing probably depends on whether or not you like John Hughes movies. There is every possibility that some horror fans may feel that Zombieland leaves them high and dry. As I’ve said, it ain’t really a horror movie. There’s way more talk than action or scares. The living dead are largely background figures for the first act, disappear almost entirely for the second, and when they re-emerge in the finale it feels more than a tad contrived, the characters knowingly putting themselves in an unthinkably risky situation for thoroughly unconvincing reasons. Also sure to ruffle up some feathers is one of the most unmistakable Hughes-isms; that the story is told entirely from the viewpoint of privileged, good-looking people. One cannot fail to note how in spite of living rough on the road without creature comforts, all the characters somehow retain immaculate skin, hair and clothing. And as for the student dorm room we see at one point – please tell me the divide between the US and the UK is not that huge. I had a white plastered shoe box in student halls! This bastard has what looks to be a luxurious four-room apartment all to himself! Someone’s taking the piss, right?

However, there’s simply too much in Zombieland that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling for me to dwell on such little quibbles. Perhaps this seems inconsistent for a horror movie fan, but I’m a sucker for stories in which the nerd triumphs, friendship and solidarity win the day, and we leave with a feeling of hope. The key thing to note here, though, is that Zombieland does all this without getting saccharine. The story and the characters are in no way blind to the horror of their situation, and each of them carries their own personal tragedies, a particularly heartbreaking moment coming courtesy of Harrelson. That the story and the characters acknowledge all this, carry with them the awareness that they may well be the only human beings left in America or even the world, and in spite of it all keep their chins up and refuse to sulk; that, I think, is why Zombieland reputedly leaves most audiences with a big old grin on their faces.

A different kind of zombie movie it may be, but it’s still unequivocally a zombie movie, and while the emphasis may be more on dialogue and character there’s still plenty of room left for action. Indeed, it’s in these scenes that director Fleischer and in particular Harrelson look to be having the most fun, coming up with many deliberately absurd ways in which to keep zombie-killing from getting stale. Fleischer stages the action in a slick and engaging fashion, even if it was a little heavy on Zack Snyder-esque slo-mo for my liking. And while the circumstances under which the characters wind up there do strain credibility somewhat, the fairground finale is well worth it for the deluge of ridiculous comic-book action it brings. Zombieland may be a slow-burner, but it well and truly goes out with a bang.

And the surest sign that Zombieland is a movie that binds, unifies and spreads good feelings? I haven’t heard one person yet complain about the fact that the zombies run.

Those who like their horror to be harsh, bleak and relentless might find it a bit lightweight, but to those people I say - cheer up Charlie. This is a great movie that really stands apart, and you’d be a fool or a killjoy to miss it.