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'Zombieland': this land was made for you and me
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This land is your land
Somebody messed with the zombie canon again. And they rocked it. Ok, the Zombieland zombies do spew bile, live up to the "flesh-eating" moniker and chase you like the dog you are, but in an unexpected turn, some of the zombies are fat; some are lightning fast and act alone--instead of in slow hoards--and in addition to the fact that several other genres--action, road movie, comedy, romance--were added to the rarely-tampered-with zombie movie model to great effect, Zombieland also benefits from something rarely associated with the genre: performances. In casting two Academy Award nominees, Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin, and two equally remarkable performers, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone, Zombieland gets the nuance, subtlety and risk-taking that meatier actors bring.
Finally, instead of trying to improve upon the social commentary found in many zombie movies, like the well-covered "mall-as-microcosm-of-society's-ills" metaphor in 2004's Dawn of the Dead, the filmmakers focus on the personal struggles of the four main characters who are in the midst of a soul-searchy road trip that brings to mind The Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz. In doing so, these guys might just have a classic on their hands. But if you aren't in the mood for a story about four emotional orphans finally learning to trust, even as they confront unspeakable grotesqueness, you can revel in the unspeakable grotesqueness because it is relentless. 
Director Ruben Fleischer recalled becoming so desensitized to the vomit, spit and blood on set, that in post, he dialed up the dangling entrails and spewed bile. The result is a new kind of gross that is still both funny, and if you are so inclined in these troubled times, satisfies the zombie movie fan's need to vicariously tear something limb from limb and watch it ooze. This is a good thing. Clearly the filmmakers knew that some parts of the canon are not to be tampered with, unless, of course, they want to have their own entrails ripped out by a disappointed devotee of the genre. Perhaps in the sequel?
Zombieland opens today. You can find screening times and locations at moviefone.com.
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