Zombieland

 

Movie, 2009, R

Premise - The United States of America is now The United States of Zombieland, in which a destructive virus turns humans into aggressive, bloodthirsty monsters. Zombies now outnumber healthy humans, of which there are very few left. One nerdy and socially awkward man has managed to survive against all odds, using his strict survival rule book. While trying to find if his parents are still alive and human, he discovers some fellow humans along his journey that are not so rule-abiding.

Review - For such an insanely gory, nihilistic, and raunchy comedy, I was not expecting to cry. But cry I did, because nothing is more tragic to consider than the death of the entire human race.

Because of the absurdist comedic nature of the film, I thought the point was to distance ourselves from the tragedy of a zombie apocalypse. I thought the point of the film would be to point and laugh at the violence, because it would have been so ridiculous and intentionally unrelatable. But much like the other apocalyptic film I recently watched (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World), this film very surprisingly leaned into the very real grief, loss, and despair that would accompany an apocalypse. Yes, the film is very funny, but the humor that gets you to fall in love with the characters only drives the point home further when you're hit with the reminder that all of their loved ones are dead, and someday they will die. It's a highly sentimental and heartwarming film, given the genre, and I loved that. (93/100)

Quote - "I haven't cried like that since Titanic." This was the exact point of the film where I was also crying, unexpectedly, when Woody Harrelson's character is crying. The brilliance of the scene is that I felt so deeply in that moment - and the writers are able to pull you back into comic relief with a singular line like that. I burst out laughing and immediately stopped crying - and THAT'S an emotionally captivating film.

What to watch for - All-star cast of the 2000s, including Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, and Woody Harrelson.

If you liked this movie, I'd recommend Seeking a Friend for the End of the World!

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing