Zombieland: Full of tons of humor and zombies

When the human race finally ceases to be, one thing will be abundantly clear: there will be lots and lots of zombies and it will be awesome. Zombieland, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and directed by Ruben Fleischer (Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory) is not your typical zombie film. Full of tons of humor and tons of zombies, this film will take you on a rollercoaster ride — literally  — killing zombies and generating laughter the entire time.

Set in the post-apocalyptic world, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a college student from Austin, Texas is on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his parents are alive. Following his own personal set of zombie survival rules, Columbus soon runs into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), whose life goal is to find the remaining Twinkies on Earth.

As Columbus and Tallahassee search a grocery store for Twinkies — killing zombies along the way — they meet two girls, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The four decide to stick together despite their differences as their adventure leads them to a final battle at the Pacific Playland amusement park.

One thing that's great about Zombieland is that it doesn't ignore the concept of character development. Columbus is a nervous germaphobe looking for the idea of a family, Wichita and Little Rock are con sisters and Tallahassee is a rough neck, Twinkie-obsessed guy with a talent for laying waste to the undead.

While most zombie films have a political undertone, this film focuses more on comedy and destruction. How the zombies first appeared is irrelevant in the story as the goal is to show the various ways zombies can be killed. These involve guns, of course, as well as baseball bats, gardening tools, a toilet-bowl lid and even a piano.

Don't let this straightforward storyline fool you. There is a lot of heart written into this story with plenty of moments that are both hilarious and touching.

Zombies in this film are fast and creepy much like in Dawn of the Dead. However, the audience is meant to laugh at their variations rather than be terrified of them. This idea stays original all the way through the end of the film. Even the hilarious Bill Murray makes a cameo playing himself disguised as a zombie since "zombies don't mess with other zombies."

Although a small cameo, it is the most memorable performance from Murray and Tallahassee running around his mansion dressed up as Ghostbusters to Murray delivering an unforgettable line about his movie Garfield.

One of the most interesting gags written into this story is Columbus' long list of rules for surviving zombie attacks. Though there are 32 rules on the list in total only a few are mentioned. The first and most important rule is cardio, being able to out-run zombies.
The second is called the double tap, which means after someone shoots a zombie, they shoot them once more to make sure they're dead. The third rule, beware of bathrooms, keeps survivors from being eaten during one of their more personal moments.

Others rules include wearing seatbelts, traveling in the light, not being a hero, limbering up to avoid pulling muscles, knowing your way out, checking the back seat and enjoying the little things – that of course being zombie killing.

Filming first began in February in Valdosta, Ga. with scenes being shot at Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park and other locations.

Filming then continued in March in Atlanta, Hapeville, Morrow, Decatur, Newnan and Powder Springs, Ga. Harrelson personally chose the wardrobe for his character, Tallahassee.

"I never worked so long and hard on an outfit in my life," Harrelson recalls. "What this guy wears is who he is. You want to get a sense of this guy as soon as you see him. So I pick out the necklaces, the sunglasses. But the hat? The minute you see that on Tallahassee, you buy him. He's real. And he's got a real cool hat."

Zombieland is a film for both zombie fans and comedy fans alike. Despite the many zombie films out there this one manages to stay original. This film is just as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but it is by no means an American duplicate. With its numerous gags, eye-catching action and a well thought out script, this is one film everyone should see to get into the Halloween spirit. The film is well aware that it is part of the zombie genre, but they also know how awesome that can be. Grab your baseball bats, shotguns and Twinkies, it's time to nut up or shut up.