Zombieland and Finding your Twinkie

To preface this review, I saw Zombieland last Thursday after an exhausting day of work and school. As I settled into my seat, I feared that I might fall asleep in the cool dark interior of the Movie Tavern if this newest zombie comedy didn’t live up to the wonderful reviews I’d read. I’m here to tell you, that Zombieland did not disappoint me.

To start, I have never seen a zombie movie that was less about the zombies and more about the people. Unlike Day of the Dead, where Romero’s depiction of Bub encourages empathy, the zombies of Zombieland are the most inhuman creatures imaginable. Their hungry screams are a cross between a bird of prey and a velociraptor as they sprint after their victims at amazing speed. But despite their fearsome appearance, the zombies of Zombieland are merely a backdrop to the film’s central concern with human relationships.

The zombie plague has left the remaining human survivors wary of making connections with each other. The film’s protagonists never give their real names and go by their hometowns: sisters Wichita and Little Rock with Tallahassee, the badass zombie killer paired with Columbus, the boy wonder. Though it seems that staying disconnected is vital to survival, the film ultimately reveals the downside of such isolation—you become a zombie.

Several scenes had the potential of being real downers a la Dawn of the Dead, but Zombieland brings back the fun just in time. This happens when Tallahassee reveals to the gang that he lost his young son to zombies. The realization hits the audience hard, but Woody Harrelson diffuses the somber mood by sobbing comically, “I haven’t cried that much since Titanic” as he dabs his eyes with a stack of hundred dollar bills.

My favorite part of the film was a cameo by the King himself (no, not Elvis—Bill Murray) who disguises himself as a zombie so he can continue his active lifestyle post-zombie apocalypse. Bill’s appearance was rivaled only by the reenactment of a scene from Ghostbusters by Murray, Tallahassee and Wichita after they all get high (don’t cross streams!)

But the most touching plotline of all is Tallahassee’s quest for the Twinkie, as he tries to get back to a simpler time where Hostess snack cakes reigned supreme. Tallahassee’s dedication to the little cream filled snack cake is enough for Columbus to create a new rule for his list “enjoy the little things.” Because in Zombieland, if you don't enjoy the little things, you might as well be a zombie.

Zombieland could easily be called the feel good horror movie of the year, and as Cortez the Killer put it over at Planet of Terror, “Zombieland is just good ol' fashion fun. Nothing revolutionary or mind blowing. And that's alright by me.”