“Zombieland”
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Columbia Pictures

The story follows a loner college student on his way from Texas to Colombus, Ohio trying to find his parents. Taking on the name of their destinations, the young traveler Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) meets up with the badass zombie killing machine known as Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and eventually Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).

The zom-com genre, while not unheard of, does not have an extensive history. There is a certain charm in being able to take a horrifying subject such as flesh-eating zombies to a comical level. Zom-coms are a perfect date movie: the zombies for the men and the comedy and romance for the women.

There are only a few successful examples of this genre, with the most prevalent example being the British movie “Shaun of the Dead,” but there have been others suchas “Fido” and “Return of the Living Dead.” These films walk the line between camp and boring clichés.

“Zombieland” is a great film for several reasons, one of which is that the acting is spot-on. The main stars of the film, Eisenberg and Harrelson, mark the rise of new talent and the return of old talent.

For those of you who missed “Adventureland,” (no relation to “Zombieland”) this is probably the first time you have seen Eisenberg in a starring role. He is, to put it bluntly, a poor man’s Michael Cera.

Eisenberg perfectly channels the half-sarcastic, half-confused acting style of most of Cera’s performances in films such as “Super Bad” or “Juno.” Eisenberg is exellent in the movie as the phobia-ridden, frantic Columbus; but it would be nice to see him in a different role.

The film also does a good job of showing off the true acting ability of Woody Harrelson.Not since the early ‘90s in films like “Natural Born Killers” has Harrelson had a truly great role. But as the zombie killing, Twinkie-loving, Escalade-driving Texan Tallahasse, Harrelson exhibits a wide range of acting ability.

The other characters of the film also provide a unique take on the apocalyptic society. It is nice to see another movie with Breslin (of “Little Miss Sunshine”), where she takes on another untraditional role. A cameo by a huge celebrity almost steals not only his scene, but the movie as a whole.

What “Zombieland” does best is avoid what films of both the zombie and the comedy genres fall victim to: cliché. The first cliché is elaborate back story. Many zombie films go into too much detail for their own good. “Zombieland” gives a quick two-minute explanation of why the things are the way they are and moves on.

The second cliché is the whole “it’s hard to grow up.” The youngest, “Little Rock,” is 12. Her big sister loves her and wants her to be able to grow up in this tough world. This, like the back story, is briefly mentioned but not dragged on.

The last cliché they avoid is maybe the most important, the ending. I won’t spoil anything, but it avoids the campy and predictable climaxes that most horror films and comedies face.

Zombieland is not without its flaws. The pacing seems off, with filler scenes dragging on between exciting and interesting scenes. The sisters are definitely the weaker actors of the film, but they serve their purpose and are entertaining enough.

Overall, “Zombieland” is a refreshing take on an interesting genre. From hardcore zombie-philes to those who know nothing of the undead, it is a must see.

- Ben Pack