Trailer Tuesday: Zombieland

Zombies are all the rage (excuse the pun) right now. Hell, even I'm thinking of hosting a zombie movie marathon this Halloween to celebrate those bloodthirsty undead who have for many decades now thrilled and terrified us on the big screen, whether mindlessly shuffling and overwhelming through sheer numbers, or pursuing with rabid hunger and gymnastic agility. Whether or not you choose to look at zombie movies as a critique of contemporary society's braindead consumption practices (e.g. Dawn of the Dead's mall setting; the emergence of the frenzied zombie in the ultra-greedy early Noughties), there's no doubt about it: zombie movies are fun.

And with Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin, we finally have America's answer to Britain's' cult classic Shaun of the Dead - a bloody action-comedy where zombies take centre stage.


I seriously doubt that Zombieland will be anywhere near as witty as Shaun of the Dead, but then again I think it will be distinctly American in flavour - with the unlikely heroes wielding serious weaponry in their battle for survival. In Shaun of the Dead, by contrast, only one gun ever featured, forcing Shaun and company to defend themselves creatively, with anything from cricket bats to darts to LPs. Still, Zombieland looks like a good time, and I'm especially partial to the "Best Zombie Kill of the Week" competition. Plus it's great to see Woody Harrelson front and centre in an offbeat comedy again, shining as a crazy cowboy who has finally found his calling in life.

Zombieland's plot is as follows: Horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive in a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Eisenberg) is a big wuss - but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Harrelson) is an AK-totin', zombie-slayin' badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.


Zombieland opened in the United States this last Friday, and surprisingly dominated at the box office, easily seizing the top spot with a gross of $25 million over the weekend. The film is also a surprising hit with critics, currently sitting at 89% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. General consensus is that while slight and superficial, the film is still a lot of fun. Most importantly it doesn't take itself seriously at all. Personally I'm thinking it will be something akin to Tremors, that horror comedy with a moderate budget that emerged as a sleeper hit in 1990.

Zombieland is due to hit South African cinemas in... well, gosh, who knows when? It's missing off the Coming Soon lists from both major local distributors.