Zombieland (2009)

When I saw Zombieland for the first time, I was absolutely shocked at how much I loved it.  A friend had recommended it and I watched it shortly after it came out on DVD.  I went into it knowing nothing at all about the movie and it caught me completely by surprise.

After a zombie apocalypse, there are few human survivors remaining.  Zombieland follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) as they fight their way through zombie-ridden America in search of safety, solace, and Twinkies.  They run into Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) along the way and their journey gets bumpy.

Zombieland put Jesse Eisenberg on the map.  The only other movie that I had seen him in before was The Village (2004) and at that time I had no idea who he was.  His performance in the film blew me away.  He proved that he had the power to carry a movie by himself and when he teamed up with Woody Harrelson, it was priceless.

A year after Zombieland, Eisenberg was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the part of Mark Zuckerberg in the film The Social Network (2010).  He has since been popping up all over the place with Now You See Me (2013) (also with Harrelson) coming out later this year.

Harrelson was tremendous.  He played a great tough-guy and yet he was hysterical.  Not many people can pull off that combination.  On screen you could really tell that he had a lot of fun with his character.

My friend who recommended the movie to me actually dressed up like Tallahassee for Halloween because he loved the character so much.

Zombieland also served as a big stepping stone for Emma Stone.  She was very likable in the movie.  Like Eisenberg, she became super popular after Zombieland came out.  The only difference is that she was already a little popular from a few previous roles.

Abigail Breslin didn’t need a stepping stone.  The youngest of the group, she had already earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Little Miss Sunshine (2006).  Zombieland served simply as a tool to further her acting career.  She was only 13 when she made the movie, but she held her own along with the rest of the cast.

Bill Murray has one of the best cameo appearances that I have ever seen in a movie.  It was completely random and hilarious.

Amber Heard also has a small part in the film.

The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer.  Fleischer has since directed Eisenberg in 30 Minutes or less (2011) and Stone in Gangster Squad (2013).

Zombieland is a comical masterpiece.  It has already become a cult classic and has recently spawned a TV show.  It is a movie that I could watch over and over again.  The film is not so much about zombies as it is about the camaraderie between the main characters as they try to survive among the living dead.  It is a hilarious thrill ride that will keep you laughing all the way to the end.

I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  Buy.