Zombieland

When Woody Harrelson spoke his name, the crowd cheered.

Columbus was at school in Texas when the zompocalypse happened. On his way back to Ohio he runs into Tallahassee, another survivor. The two team up, just as far as Texarcana, where they will go their separate ways. But after they're carjacked by two sisters, Columbus and Tallahassee find themselves en route to California with the girls in the hope of finding a safe haven in a coastal amusement park.

Part road movie, part zombie movie, Zombieland blends comedy, violence, and gore in a post-zompocalyptic tale of survival. Playing on themes of trust and family, the film is incredibly, refreshingly simple. The tone is light, but the film is not without a sense of sadness and loss. The main focus, however, is one of simply staying alive.

In this take on zombieism, the plague began with a contaminated hamburger. But I'm not suggesting that Zombieland is a commentary on the food industry. Tallahassee's Twinkie cravings are better understood through the lense of Columbus' rules of survival, one of which is to enjoy the little things in life.

Zombieland has everything I look for and love in a good horror movie: likeable characters, good effects, and no shakeycam. The movie excels in engaging its audience with viewer-friendly characters and camerawork, and the film does't shy away from violence. Zombies are shot, clubbed, and run over with wild abandon and the movie revels in the brutality of it all.

Thank God for rednecks!