Zombieland, dir. Ruben Fleischer

Zero and Wiz RECOMMEND Zombieland Zombieland, the hit horror-comedy from the 2010s, is all about rules. Whether it's the main character spouting his rules on how to survive or the rules the movie implements to the story itself, the film's main question is usually whether to follow them or not. And that's both a blessing and a curse for the film: It's good because it can use its self referential nature to poke fun at the stereotypes and traditions of the genre. It can also provide a much lighter, sillier mood to the proceedings of the story. The cast provides to the lighter side of the film: all four actors just seem to have fun with what's going on, with Woody Harrelson providing the most laughs with his seasoned but dim-witted Tallahassee. It's lack of dread and pathos also just add to the snappy nature of the film. Flying by at less than 90 minutes, the film relies solely on jokes and it's honestly better for it. But there's a bad side too: the characters are basically thin joke factories that work for comedy but very little else. Basically, if you aren't laughing, there isn't much else to the film to enjoy. Also, remember how the film has rules? Sometimes, the film uses those rules for good comedic effect...but in other times, it actually holds the film back. My biggest example: Wichita and Little Rock finally make it to the theme park and the first thing they do is turn on all of the sound and lights in the amusement park. When it comes to the characters, it makes sense: Wichita wanted Little Rock to have that experience again. But the film makes it clear that the zombies are perceptive to both lights and sounds as exampled by Tallahassee making noise as he enters a building in order to bring out the zombies to kill. Finally, the references to movies is appreciated in some scenes, but it gets tiring towards the end. And honestly, the Bill Murray cameo was humorous at first, but really falls flat at the end of his scene. Zombieland is enjoyable, but it's also one that could have been more creative with the comedy and concepts of the film. It's honestly hilarious in some parts, but utterly forgettable in the rest.