Zombieland (2009)
★★★★ — Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland was the feature debut of Ruben Fleischer, who had spent the previous years directing commercials and music videos before Columbia Pictures handed him a horror-comedy with a $23 million budget and a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (the pair who would later write the Deadpool films). The film arrived in October 2009, landing in a post-28 Days Later landscape where zombie fiction had regained genuine cultural currency, and sitting comfortably alongside the likes of Shaun of the Dead in treating the subgenre as fertile ground for comedy. It proved a significant breakthrough for Emma Stone, then still building her profile following Superbad, and went on to gross over $100 million worldwide, making it one of the more profitable studio horror releases of that year.
One of the best entries in the zombie-comedy genre. Zombieland hits the ground running with a killer intro, a fresh take on the rules of survival, and some of the most satisfying zombie kills in recent memory. Woody Harrelson alone is worth the price of admission. His obsession with Twinkies and unshakable Tallahassee swagger steal every scene he’s in. The chemistry between the cast is great, the action is snappy, and the direction (from Ruben Fleischer) has real style. It does slow down a bit in the middle, every apocalypse road trip has its lulls, and the finale goes full cartoon, throwing logic out the window in favour of explosions and way too much fun. But honestly, you’re not watching this for realism. A smart, funny, adrenaline-fueled ride with one of the best zombie-slaying montages ever put to film.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 2009 | Watched: 2025-07-20
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Netflix · Sky Go · Now TV Cinema · Netflix Standard with Ads
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Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Ruben Fleischer: Venom (2018) · Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
More with Jesse Eisenberg: Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
