Film Review

Media Film Review

 Film Title: Zombieland

Year of Production: 2009

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Genre/Genres: Horror/Comedy

Brief Plot Outline: A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie filled America.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

The first scene which impressed me was near the beginning of the film when Columbus is doing a voice over about his survival rules and we see a man comically on the toilet in a gas station, then a zombie appears under the toilet cubicle door, we then saw an outside shot of the cubicle with blood all over the floor. This scene shows how body horror can be used to create a funny scenario but also at the same time it can horrify the audience. The second scene which impressed me was the supermarket scene where Tallahassee and Columbus went so Tallahassee could look for a Twinkie. This scene impressed me as Tallahassee epically killed zombies with various weapons in this scene full of matrix. This scene also shows how they used minimal body horror which worked very effectively.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

Although this film is partly comical it does still include some horror features such as: Body horror- was used with the zombie deaths and the zombie attacks on people. An example of this is when Tallahassee and Columbus are in the car and they see a zombie eating the flesh of a person in the middle of the road. The fear of violence/death when the zombies attack and how they panic when there are large amounts of zombies for example the fair scene. Feeling outside the CDI, Columbus mentions in the voice over near the beginning of the film about how he feels different to everyone else and doesn’t have a close bond with his family. Fast moving monsters, the zombies have been made into quick, sprinting zombies instead of the standard slow, walking zombies. An example of the fast moving zombies is at the start of the film when Columbus was being chased around the car park by two sprinting zombies.

Which aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? Why?

I would like to include the fast paced scenes in my horror trailer and also some of the body horror which was used to a minimum but was very effective.

Which aspects of the film would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Why?

I would like to avoid the overuse of certain things to be comical. For example Tallahassee kept mentioning Twinkie’s, at first this was funny but the joke in my opinion was overused which is what I would like to avoid doing.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The most enjoyable moment in the film is near the end when Wichita and her sister little rock left to go to the theme park and get swarmed by loads of flesh hungry zombies whilst this happening the bad ass (Tallahassee) and the wimpy guy (Columbus) arrive to save the day in an epic fight to survive and save the girls. I hope to recreate the fast paced and thrilling scenes that this film showcased.