Zombieland

  • Review Date: September 29, 2009
  • R
  • Genre: Horror
  • 2009
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Horror-comedy hybrid is gory, crude ... and not for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that, in keeping with its title, Zombieland is full of zombie violence, whether it's the zombies dispatching humans or being dispatched themselves. Although much of the mayhem is played for laughs and the film's overall tone is lighthearted, there's tons of gore (shootings, bludgeonings, stabbings, flesh eating, and more), as well as scary depictions of the end of the world. Also expect frequent strong language (including "f--k" and then some), some drinking, and one scene of drug use.

  • You could argue that the main character's attempts to form bonds with people and create a family of sorts gives the movie a positive undercurrent, but really it's all about bloody (albeit supposedly comedic) action mayhem.
  • The characters may be very crude and violent, but they also go through noteworthy changes over the course of the movie -- whether it's learning to live without constant terror or embracing relationships with others. Issues of trust, sacrifice, and loss also come up, with the survivors truly working together to survive and thrive.
  • Extraordinary horror- and zombie-themed violence, with zombies devouring humans in bloody fashion, humans dispatching zombies with aplomb, and more. Shootings, bludgeonings, stabbings, falls from great heights, and limb removal, are all featured, plus vehicular mayhem and more. Humans are eaten, assaulted, shot, and hurled from cars; zombies are set aflame, hit with falling objects, and more. The zombie-related violence includes copious amounts of blood, rent flesh, and gore. 
  • Kissing; discussions of sex; discussions of how a character "would hit that" or "at least ... first (base)."  A zombie stripper -- with pasties over her nipples -- is briefly seen.
  • Strong language throughout, including "f--k," "motherf---er," "c--k," "nut," "balls," "hell," "dick," "s--t," "bitch," "crap," "Jesus," "oh my God," "Jesus Christ," "ass," "bastard," and more.
  • Brands mentioned or seen include Cadillac, Hostess snack foods (specifically Snow Balls and Twinkies), Pepsi, Mountain Dew, World of Warcraft, and Lancome.
  • Characters drink alcohol -- including hard liquor and wine. Marijuana is smoked from a hookah.

What's the story?

Two months after the outbreak of a plague that turned the majority of humans into flesh-hungry walking dead, two survivors meet. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a nervy, nerdy loner, while Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is a wild man warrior who's ready to handle any and all zombie attackers. The two soon bump into con-artist sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) -- after some initial clashing, the foursome heads to Los Angeles, with the promised land of a supposedly zombie-free amusement park as their destination.


Is it any good?

 

While violent and crude, ZOMBIELAND is also great fun -- that rare horror-comedy that manages to have its overall senses of excitement and tension supported, not undercut, by the tension-releasing laughs. The cast is uniformly fine, with Harrelson as a real standout, and commercial director Reuben Fleischer jumps to the big screen with verve and intensity. The film's affection for prior zombie movies is clear, but Zombieland never breaks its own rules: The undead are almost always a real threat.

The jokes come as fast and furious as the body count (including a cameo by a celebrity survivor that's too good to spoil); the action is both goofy and exhilarating; and, while the film certainly isn't for kids, it's ultimately a remarkably satisfying genre deconstruction that simultaneously celebrates and makes fun of zombie-film traditions. 


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the film's mocking tone. Can a film
    mix brutal violence and comedy? Horror and humor? How does the comedic tone affect the impact of the violence?

  • Why do you think zombies are such a popular movie subject? What do zombie movies tend to have in common? Why are they so often also about the end of the world?


This review was written by James Rocchi
Teen, 18 years old
October 4, 2009
 
Like zombies? Then this is one trip you (and your teens) don't wanna miss
This film is comic gold. Zombieland is basically a post-apocalyptic zombie-fighting comedy road movie. You'll be scared in some parts, while in others you'll wet your pants laughing. From the opening scene, when Jesse Eisenberg's character lists rules to survive the zombie apocalypse, to a hilarious brawl in a grocery store (Tallahassee just wants some Twinkies, but gets his Caddy and weapons stolen by 2 chicks who later team up with the other guys), to an epic celebrity cameo (I can't spoil it for you), Zombieland delivers. However, I can't recommend this film to anyone under 14. Yes, this is a pretty gory film, and zombies are usually seen bleeding from their mouths, eating human flesh, and basically acting like zombies. Also, there are many inventive zombie kills. Guns are the weapon of choice, but bats, knives, amusement park rides, fire, and cars (you know, the usual stuff) are used to kill zombies as well. And yet, all the violence looks very cartoonish, and the comedy lessens the impact of the violence, as in similar films like Severance, Drag Me To Hell, and Shaun of the Dead. Language is pretty rough, at 32 f-bombs, but it's not as bad as other R-rated fare. There's also a bit of sexual content in the beginning, when a topless zombie stripper (with pasties covering her breasts) is seen. Finally, there's a scene of 2 of the main characters and the celebrity guest smoking pot from a hookah. However, both of these scenes are brief and add to the comedy. Overall, if you want some comedy and lots of zombies with your horror (I know a lot of people do), then get a one-way ticket to Zombieland. Note, however, that you should be over 13.

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Adult
October 3, 2009
 
Horiffically Hilarious! Fun, Funny, and Scary!
This is a great, original comedy. It made me laugh out-loud many times. But it was VERY scary with lots of zombie violence and gore, the type you'd see in 28 Days Later or Dawn of the Dead. If you've seen Shaun of the Dead you'll get an idea of what this is like: hilarious, but scary and graphically gory. PARENTS: kids will be freaked out by some jump scenes and a zombie clown (I'm not even afriad of clowns and it scared the crud out of me)! Very gory, almost gruesomely so, but very funny. If you can handle lots of graphic gore and a zombie clown (who doesn't show up for very long; only one scene, but it's freaky), then you should enjoy this awesome comedy. Thanks for reading - Movie Man.

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Kid, 13 years old
July 22, 2010
 
ZOM-BE-LAND (!you'll be suprised!)
Although this was a bloody horror comedy, i watched it and im a 12 year old boy. I handled it . It was bloody and maybe a few mini-jump scenes. The first time you watch it u might feel scared whether somethings gonna pop-up, but after you've watched it once, other than the blood , its not that bad. But it does swear here-and-there. The good thing is that beside the blood,horror,story-line, the makers fortunately made it funny, so funny that it makes u laugh and it gets a "Horror Comedy" . For me it was less horror, more comedy, yet blood .

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Teen, 15 years old
December 19, 2010
 
Good, but lots of langauge.
Dont take me wrong, its a great movie, but has alot of issues. It was actually my first rated-R movie(I saw it when I was 12) and I see why my parents dont like this stuff. The langauge was the worst part, they say the F-Word at least 10 times along with other crass langauge like b-stard, s--t, b-tch, and probably every word that means "crotch". The violence isnt super scary, but there is alot of shooting and blood. So there isnt really one age for this movie, but you need to know your kid.

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Teen, 15 years old
July 23, 2010
 
Zombieland is probably my favorite movie of all time. Some of it was kind of scary, but most of the scary parts were more surprising than scary (ie: a zombie jumping out from nowhere). Overall, due to the graphic zombie violence, I rate this movie iffy for ages 15-17. Detailed review: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Violence (5/5): Most of the extremely graphic violence is at the beginning, featuring lovely sights such as bone breaking and popping out of skin, and zombies devouring human flesh. I think the most graphic scene would be when a zombie is shown eating a dead human: you see the zombie eating the intestines, and later pulling a bone out of the body, snapping it in half, and drinking the marrow. Much of the violence is sort of from a distance (you see blood splatter but not much gore), and some of the violence happens off-screen. This movie is definitely not for little kids, since we don't want them to get desensitized, but I'm 13 and I watched this movie with no problem. However, due to the excessive violence, I wouldn't recommend it to most people under 15. Also, don't watch if you're squeamish about movie gore. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sex (2/5): A stripper zombie is briefly seen in the opening credits with pasties on her nipples. A man and a woman kiss. Some references to sex. However, there is very little sexual content (and no actual sex), especially for an R rated comedy movie. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language (4/5): The language isn't constant, but there are frequent uses of f*** (some with mother-, some with spit-), some uses of s**t, and also some milder profanity such as b***h, a**, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consumerism (3/5): Some brand names are referenced... but I don't even get was consumerism has to do with whether or not something is appropriate for kids. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drugs, Drinking, & Smoking (3/5): Some alchohal consumption. In one scene, characters are briefly scene smoking marijuana from a hookah. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zombieland was rated R for horror violence/gore and language. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Kid, 12 years old
July 14, 2010
 
awesome movie
halirious movie!!!! the gore is over the top horror violence such as... zombies bite into people you can see lots of blood and other stuff. a zombie has its leg broken you can see the bone. zombie are shot some not bloody proberly the most graphic is when a zombie is shot in the head with a shot gun. the f-word is said at least 10 times along with the b-word said around 4 times and i think theres a few s-words in there. some sexual jokes and refrences. this moive is not for those that get put off of gore,bad language and those that get scared of zombies(the zombies are quit scary looking). i haven't seen a lot of horror movies but this has to be the best!! looking very forward to zombieland 2!!!

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Adult
October 15, 2009
 
Violent, But Funny
This is a know your kids situation. Yes, it is a bit violent and gory, but it is counterbalanced by its hilarity. Personally, I loved it, but this is not a movie that you can take your kids along to if you can't find a babysitter.

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Adult
October 12, 2009
 
Good, but maturity required.
As you will probably pick up from other reviews, this movie is more of a comedy than anything else. Bottom line, I loved it. Going in I didn't think I would, but I was pleasently surprised. Violence and language are obious concerns in this movie, but in comparison to similar movies, this one is surprisingly tame. Sexual hints and coments are made periodicly throughout, mostly with the humor, and are generaly mild. The only major concern is in the opening sequnce as a topless female zombie chases after her soon-to-be lunch. Aparenly her nipples are covered (I didn't look long enough to tell for sure) but for me, it was more than I wanted to see (especially bowncing in slow motion). It lasts for about ten to twenty seconds, and is part of the opening credits, so you won't miss anything important by simply averting your eyes. The product placement is overt and over the top, but to the point that the movie is making fun of the practice. However, I did feel like finding a twinkie after the movie, so maybe it worked. Anyway, I think the movie does have some positive messages about life dispite all of the rediculousness. One of my favorites was to "Take time to appreciate the small joys in life." All in all, it was a movie I will recomend to my friends and family, but there is a degree of maturity needed to handle some of the material. Solid 4 stars!

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Teen, 17 years old
July 11, 2010
 
ON for 15+
What great one! Yes, it is violent, but rightfully so. It IS a zombie movie, but there is a lot of team-building themes within it as well. The raunch factor is surprisingly low, but the language and violence are considerably high. The dialogue is snappy, and constantly one-upping the previous line. Plus, the violence is very realistic and not overdone. In all, Zomieland should be considered a classic. 4 stars.

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Teen, 17 years old
November 26, 2009
 
THE zombie spoof.
This is the funniest zombie spoof ever created. It is all about a cautious, Michael Cera type young adult named Columbus who meets the tough, southern attitude Tallahassee, and they meet two con sisters named Wichita and Little Rock, and their adventures together and seperated. Though this does front fairly frequent f-bombs, graphic violence (fake though), and some brief drug use, it is really a funny, clever, original comedy that musn't be missed!

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This review was written by James Rocchi
Studio:Sony Pictures
Director:Ruben Fleischer
Cast:Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson
Genre:Horror
Run time:88 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 2, 2009
DVD release date:February 2, 2010
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:horror violence/gore and language

This review was written by James Rocchi
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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