Zombieland

While I understand the overseas acclaim, I refuse to join in. In fact, Zombieland runs at about half throttle when it could easily push the pedal through the floor for 85 minutes. Ideas from the black humor barrel are piled on during the opening credits meaning that essentially nothing happens for an hour, and then they arrive at B. M. and then at the amusement park. Every now and then pop culture is mentioned (Facebook, actors, movies), and sometimes it switches to video game mode (the roller coaster ride is a "Painkiller" DLC), but rarely does something ball-busting pop up that would stay in my mind forever and make me want to watch this again... for that, all I need is the trailer. PS: Woody Harrelson is one of the absolute best guys of the year, no question about it. (11/03/2009)

I confess that despite the excellent responses, I didn’t believe in Zombieland, at all. The trailer didn’t interest me in the slightest and given how much I (didn’t) like that other highly praised zombie comedy (Shawn of the Dead), I expected 80 minutes of boredom and suffering. Fortunately, the heroes of Zombieland are a lot more likeable than the gang around Simon Pegg. Where I fundamentally disagree with most other reviewers is in my opinion about the course of the film. I consider the beginning as the weakest part (those first fifteen minutes made me fear a new Shawn, with the corresponding two stars), the quiet moments in the middle (the interactions of the characters) as the best, and the action-packed climax as a fun end to the ride. BM’s cameo was awesome! (11/03/2009)

Likeable main protagonists, a ton of laughs and eye-candy slow motion splattering blood. What more could one ask for? Woody Harrelson is awesome and Jesse Eisenberg was a very pleasant surprise. The zombies here aren’t spooky, so no horror, but maybe comedy of the year. You must learn to appreciate the simple things in life. (11/30/2009)

I avoided Zombieland at the time of its release in movie theaters, as I didn't expect any miracles and after watching it, that feeling was confirmed down to the last detail. It is good to compare this film to the British film Shaun of the Dead. After all, they are both in the same genre and thematically about the same thing. From this comparison, it's clear why American cinema so successfully crushes its competitors. It has perfectly mastered marketing and can sell even average products as exclusive matters. Although Shaun of the Dead is a much more mature and clever spectacle, both films have the same rating scores and Zombieland easily leads in terms of viewers. All in all, it is an average affair and one of the numerous cases where the functional content is contained in the trailer and a substantial part of the film is filled with mere filler. The first ten minutes are fine, setting a decent pace and outlining the rules by which the main hero operates in his desire to survive the rampage of zombies. Then the film falls into routine, occasionally interrupted by a good gag, such as the destruction of a bloodthirsty zombie with a piano or Bill Murray's role with his undignified end. The film also shows an obvious effort to sell it to a teenage audience as the target group, so besides the horror parody, it also uses elements of a teenage comedy. Fleischer's film has tremendous untapped potential, as the subject matter allowed for countless gags and comedic situations. Overall impression: 50%. (04/17/2010)

The first part had exactly the amount of rawness and blood that I had been longing for – it parodies the aesthetics of teenage horror and comedy, peppers one-liners one after another and culminates with a famous cameo by Bill Murray, which is destined to be a cult cameo. Unfortunately, any and all invention is lost thereafter and Zombieland starts to lose its way and the banal finale cannot improve on the lost tempo. Suddenly, what was parodied before is now part of the film, as well as awkwardness and implausibility. We also have the fat redneck Harrelson, who saves the ship from completely hitting the rocks and sinking. Partial elements of Zombieland are amongst the great representatives of horror comedy, but it's too bad that Fleischer et al. were unable to connect them into a meaningful whole. In fact, it’s too bad that they even tried. Because they deserve a smack on the head for the family ending. (11/19/2009)