Zombieland (2009)
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In a world overrun by zombies, a group of survivors must navigate a cross-country journey while following a specific set of rules for survival.
The story
Two months after a mutated strain of mad cow disease turns humans into zombies, survivors are advised to use city names as nicknames to avoid emotional attachments. Columbus, a man who follows a strict set of survival rules, travels from Texas toward Ohio to find his parents. Along the way, he meets Tallahassee, a woman who agrees to drive him in her armored vehicle. The pair eventually encounters two con artist sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, and the group decides to travel together toward a rumored zombie-free sanctuary in Los Angeles.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Two months after a mutation of mad cow disease creates a zombie apocalypse, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) travels from Texas to Ohio following a strict set of survival rules. He meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and together they encounter sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The group travels toward a rumored safe zone in Los Angeles. During the journey, they encounter various dangers and a fictionalized version of Bill Murray, who is disguised as a zombie. After a series of mishaps and a tense standoff, the group reaches the Pacific Playland amusement park. Amidst a chaotic scene where the sisters accidentally draw a horde of zombies, the group fights to survive. Ultimately, the group decides to stick together, and Wichita reveals her real name is Krista.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ruben Fleischer
- Writers
- Rhett Reese · writer; Paul Wernick · writer
- Cast and characters
- Woody Harrelson · Tallahassee; Jesse Eisenberg · Columbus; Emma Stone · Wichita / Krista; Abigail Breslin · Little Rock; Bill Murray · fictionalized version of himself; Amber Heard · 406
- Genres
- post-apocalyptic; zombie comedy; comedy; horror
- Themes
- survival; camaraderie
- Tone and mood
- comedy; action
- Setting
- A post-apocalyptic United States, traveling from Texas to Ohio and eventually to Los Angeles.
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; zombie apocalypse; survival rules
- Source material / true-story basis
- spec script for a television pilot
- Franchise connections
- Zombieland
- Content notes
- gore
- Reception
- The film received positive critical reception, with praise for its screenplay, dialogue, comedy, and cast performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · scale: percentage · review count: 259; Metacritic · score: 73 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Production trivia
- The role of a zombified character was originally written for Patrick Swayze.; The film's rules are a running gag and central theme.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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