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Thinking back, they had me at For Whom the Bell Tolls. Like Shaun, Fleischer's infected-raving-maniac-as-zombie film, something explicitly stated in the making-of, is certainly a ballsy proposal. Perhaps a bit too much so for some, as it's a film that needs to grab a certain response out of the viewers in order to jibe with what it's trying to convey. What is that message? Well, it's nothing like what your average moviegoer expects from a modern popcorn flesh ripper. We seem to have missed the hardcore action of the initial zombie apocalypse. Survivors are scarce and those still truly alive aren't looking for cures, other uninfected, or particularly strong, errr...strongholds. No, instead Zombieland is purely indulgent undead wish fulfillment that recklessly rocks out with gleeful abandon and little concern.

To its more serious credit, the story does prance on familiar serious zombie scenario topics such as the loss of loved ones, the new concept of love in a dead world, and the advantages of plundering celebrity homes. The cast is uniformly excellent for the otherwise lightweight material and act as the glue holding the roaming narrative together. One can imagine writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick had these characters quite formed being first created for the more expansive television market. Woody Harrelson is the fucking man so it's easy to accept him as a more hillbilly Mickey Knox without the media-slicked evil. The star cameo, which is probably known to everyone by now, borders on a joyous experience. It's so refreshing to see this particular actor ham it up after years of awards in higher art.
What's perhaps even more impressive is this film is an unabashed horror comedy and found success at the box office. Zombieland's positive reception both critically and financially proves the usually poisonous "horromedy" is still viable in the mainstream. A little redemption for all those splattery laughs that failed to spark outside of our obsessive community. Though, in a short time, like all genre offerings Zombieland will be carried off by us and have real potential for continual discovery by the just initiated and horror fan vets alike. Bring on the sequel, this one could go anywhere from here.
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4 comments:
Definitely a lot of fun. I had no idea about the alternative title. And agreed, I think it would have fit nicely.
Inevitably, there will be a sequel. Count me in.
The opening slo mo title sequence hooks you in....just pure awesomeness.
"Horromedy" is going to me my newest favorite word, thanks for the "ham it up" memory lane laughs.
I didn't pick up on that callback to DotD in the supermarket scene, that's pretty funny.
Overall I was really impressed with Zombieland, but would have changed two things: Tallahassee getting a Twinkie and the girls coming back for the guys at the end. Little things like searching for your favorite snack, aspiring for 'kill of the week' or an ongoing game of tag gives the characters reason to keep going. And after all, sometimes you need to enjoy the little things.
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