4/5
(PG15) US. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone
Drop a loaded 12-gauge into the trembling mitts of a bubble-permed dweeb (Eisenberg), partner him with a bald Southern wildman (Harrelson), then have them drive stolen cars across the country formerly known as the USA, now a post-apocalyptic wasteland dubbed Zombieland.
An army of the undead attack the pair from all flanks as they spit golden zingers at each other amid a slow-mo cascade of cartridge cases and blood. A mysterious ‘no-names’ policy means all the characters are identified by the places they’re headed to: Eisenberg is Columbus, Harrelson is Tallahassee, and they’re joined by a pair of juvenile siblings called Little Rock and Wichita.
It’s clear director Ruben Fleischer has his eyes trained on the comic jugular, and he attains an astronomical laugh count from a fizzing, pop-savvy script. He also manages to work in a film-stealing A-list cameo which leads to arguably the funniest scene you’re likely to see this year. Plot-wise, it’s little more than a series of loosely connected sketches, but Zombieland is Friday night fodder of the highest order.
