This is a good film, NO, it’s a great film. It could have been the beers, or the atmosphere at the venue, or even the mood I was in, but it was exactly what I wanted from a film. It was funny, silly, well written and produced and well acted. It reminded me of Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber and to a certain extent some of the Carry On films – and this is by no means a bad thing.
I guess it’s fair to say that the current film circuit isn’t exactly light on zombie numbers, and as crap as the majority may be we can’t just assume that they’re all going to be like that. And in this case they’ve managed to ‘hit the nail on the head’ (intended) and bring some 90’s humour, contemporary awkwardness and unrealistic simplicity together to form a silly but really enjoyable comedy.
In a world where the remaining survivors of a zombie apocalypse still find time to argue about Hannah Montana, still suffer from Twinkie addiction and obviously still can’t talk to anyone attractive. Columbus, the sardonic nerd believes his obsessive-compulsive list of personal rules is the sole reason he’s managed to survive this long. He quickly finds himself forming an unusual alliance with another lone ranger, Tallahassee, who is the extreme opposite of Columbus, a loud badass who is transfixed with finding the last box of Twinkies. They eventually run into a couple of sibling con artists with trust issues Wichita (eye candy) and Little Rock (smart but ultimately a child).
After a fashion and moments of despair they decide to stick together and visit a Californian amusement park that’s rumoured to be a ‘zombie free zone’. En route they make a stop at an ostentatious, empty Hills mansion belonging to none other than Bill Murray, probably one of the best bits of the film.
The movie isn’t actually scary, but that’s fine, we’re not here for scares, we’re here for laughs. And Jesus.. Laughs we get. The zombies are well made up and actually probably a bit smarter than the average zombie, opening doors and climbing stuff. They’re also remarkably fat – a running joke about keeping fit to survive. The rulebook Columbus has established and ardently sticks to is also quite a fun feature – although remarkably similar to The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks.
I guess the main problem is the story is all to familiar – unlikely foursome are thrust together, they don’t get on but see the error of their ways and realise they DO need each other. So as they reach the amusement park, things begin to feel a bit weak. However it’s a minor glitch in an otherwise riotous lark. Yeah, a lark.
Emily Paget