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Director: Ruben Fleischer Release Date: 2 October 2009 Rhett Reese (written by) & Paul Wernick (written by) Staring: Jesse Eisenberg ... Columbus Woody Harrelson ... Tallahassee Emma Stone ... Wichita Abigail Breslin ... Little Rock Review ------- I like to fasten myself as a Zombie fan... Too light? Zombie aficionado??? To hard? Zombie consumer? Yeah probably in there somewhere. I watch zombie movies, I read zombie books (WWZ, How to survive), and even own 4 hardback graphic novels of Zombie superheroes. So when I go to see a Zombie movie I usually go in skeptical and a little analytical. First of all I will get with the part for those who aren't patient and need to know... I liked this movie. It takes the great parts of zombie movies and puts them together. The catch is that they remove the cliche's. What you think predictable is usually right and what happens onscreen is probably the opposite. I also hate when zombies groan for braiiiiiins. Zombies don't eat brains, they eat everything. Also your zombies in this movie walk and walk faster. A couple runners, but the movie focuses on them being relatively medium pace. Enough to be scared if they start chasing you. I will preface this though that it is not a horror movie and there are not many scares. Not like Resident Evil where they try to scare you every 5 minutes. Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg play two survivors in a land contaminated by zombies. Ill avoid giving away any more than that. The movie is hysterical right out of the gate poking fun at generally the vast majority of people who see zombie movies or populate this forum. The acting could be better, but as far as zombie movies goes this one has my vote for best original screen play, most creative use of comic relief, believable characters, and best comedy. The plot is the same as many previous zombie movies, but you find yourself actually caring about the characters and at the end of the movie you are cheering on and laughing at Woody and all his badassness. Remember when you would be watching a zombie movie and you always wish someone were just a badass zombie killing ninja? Well Woody Harrelson is that guy. Sad to say no samurai sword zombie killing here. The movie is well thought out and the writers kept fans of the genre in mind when they wrote it. If you like zombie movies and comedies, then I am pretty sure you will enjoy this movie. If you don't, it is still a pretty good comedy. Pro's: Zombies, zombie killing, writing, jokes, gags. Cons: absence of plot, but really who needs it? Rating: 5/5 goonies compared to other zombie flicks, 4.5/5 as movies go. Agent019 fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Oct 5, 2009 |
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Oct 4, 2009 05:31
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I thought the film was fairly strong throughout. Personally, I prefer the magical/undead zombies rather than their modern "disease" based counterparts, but this film doesn't generally dwell upon that. The film has significantly more gunplay than your classic zombie movies (Night of the Living Dead, etc.) or even the modern interpretations like Dawn of the Dead (2004). I actually like that. The shaky cam is kept to a tolerable minimum and the characters are generally interesting. Woody Harrelson does an excellent Francis, I mean uh... bald tough guy. I could nitpick if I was in the mood, but the bottom line is that the action, pacing, and character work are all pretty good and the comedy is authentic. You should definitely feel as though your getting you're money's worth with this movie. 4/5
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Oct 5, 2009 18:23
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It is what it is. A zombie romp with a few new gimmicks (and a great cameo). This is the second movie I've seen with Jesse Eisenberg, and the fact that both involved an amusement park (more so with Adventerland, less so with this movie) makes me wonder if he'll pull a trifecta in his next movie. I must say I loved Woody Harrelson because he was made for this role. It's a fun movie, but it's not one I'd want to watch a 2nd time (at least, not right away). 3.5/5
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Oct 8, 2009 14:10
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This film opens up straight into awesome territory. The pacing and directing was top-notch, not what I expected at all. Jesse Eisenberg embodies the latest social craze of the zombie genre with his amazing list of zombie cliche killing rules. The rest of the cast takes on their own approach to living in a zombie infested wasteland. And of course I couldn't leave out Woody "Tallahassee" Harrelson, who takes on the perfect role of a zombie murder machine, leaving a glorious path of corpses in his wake. Go see this. Now. 5/5 - Compared to Other Zombie Movies 4.5/5 - Compared to All Movies
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Oct 8, 2009 18:45
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Well it's no Shaun Of The Dead. You've already seen the storyline, characters and action a thousand times in a thousand fairly crappy movies. The dynamic between the reedy voiced, effeminate nerd and the badass provide many tired hi-jinks while the hot chick, at first stand offish and cold, gradually warms to the nerd. etc. etc. There's also a smartass sidekick. There's only one part which is lifts it out of the ordinary and you'll know it when you see it. Bob Marley is great in this film. 1/5
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Oct 12, 2009 02:18
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SconZ posted:serious business If you are going to a movie expecting some theatrical cliche movie (titanic, 300, etc.) you might not like it. But, this movie is absolutely hilarious. It has the approach of Shoot Em Up. It is obviously not meant to be taken seriously, and is meant to be enjoyed and laughed at. Everyone I know who has seen it has liked it immensely. Go there relaxed and ready to laugh and you won't be disappointed. The only people who don't like this movie are either hardcore zombie critics or people who have no sense of humor. 5/5
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Oct 12, 2009 18:57
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Compo posted:If you are going to a movie expecting some theatrical cliche movie (titanic, 300, etc.) you might not like it. But, this movie is absolutely hilarious. It has the approach of Shoot Em Up. It is obviously not meant to be taken seriously, and is meant to be enjoyed and laughed at. Everyone I know who has seen it has liked it immensely. Go there relaxed and ready to laugh and you won't be disappointed. I'll have to take a middle road approach. It is a really fun movie, but I can't see myself watching it over and over again like Shaun of the Dead. SotD left some really big shoes to fill, and Zombieland did come pretty close to filling them. Also, the BM cameo pretty much made this movie. 3.5/5, almost a 4/5
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Oct 17, 2009 03:38
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I saw this last night. As far as “zombie flicks” go, this is a good one. The pacing was fast, humor at the right times, a little tension and fear at the right times. The movie never got boring for me. My only real complaints were a few predictable scenes and the typical gun issues(like guns only running out of ammo during climactic scenes) that plague almost every movie ever made and bug me only because I am a gun nut. Columbus’s choice of firearm is a bit ridiculous and anyone with half a brain would trade in a side by side coach gun for something that holds more than two shots as soon as they could- yeah I know it was cool for Ash in Evil Dead but really…when you are fending off a zombie attack do you really want to be popping in shells 2 at a time by hand??? Pros- funny! Not ever boring! Good kills!(both of humans and zombies) Cons- predictable at times, at times the gun use made me groan a little(us gun people will just have to roll with it) I also would have liked to see a little more character development out of Wichita All and all a great zombie movie that I would go see again, which I rarely ever do. 3.5/5
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Oct 19, 2009 23:35
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The movie won me over early with rule#1. I think the rules section of the narration did a great job of establishing exposition while poking fun at zombie movies. But now every other movie I watch, I'm screaming "Double Tap! What's wrong with you IDIOTS!?" I hate Woody Harrelson, yet I was able to warm up to his character. Unfortunately I think the girls needed more sympathetic aspects to them. All in all, a fun ride, which is so hard to do with such an over used genre. 4/5
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Oct 30, 2009 17:45
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3.5/10 Fun movie, amusing humour, and a great opening sequence which had me giggling like a little child. However, when it settled down it was not the epic I'd hoped. Much slower pace, fewer jokes than expected and the action set pieces were small except for the ending. Gore was pretty tame, too. Ending: They all survived? Not a true zombie movie! tl;dr: Fun, Bill Murray, Zombies, and Woody Harrelson but no Shaun of the Dead. Jamsta fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Nov 5, 2009 |
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Nov 5, 2009 12:02
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I am not a huge zombie fan in general, but this film spoke to me. The characters were compelling, i love me some Woody Harrelson, but i really hate that Jesse Eisenberg kid. It balanced out though. It didn't take itself too seriously, but didn't abandon the art and charm of a good old fashion zombie flick either. It was nothing special, but then again it was very well done for what it was. Pro's: Easy to watch, you don't have to be a zombie cult fan to enjoy it, didn't drag on. Very watchable. Con's: It didn't have what you might call a lot of twists and turns, but it was still compelling despite it. 4/5
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Nov 6, 2009 13:07
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"Someone's ear is in danger of having hair brushed over it..." Jesse Eisenberg's character Columbus hopes. While I thought I'd be annoyed by overblown nerdish mannerisms done for maximum cliche effect, his sayings and backstory aren't pushed into unfunny cardboard-character territory. He's played a little bit too primly to be believable, an almost-effeminate dork surviving a zombie apocalypse through near-OCD rules he follows. However, he balances his dorkism with an emphasis on cardio and a readily-available shotgun. Try as I may to dislike him, after a few minutes he absolutely wins me over with well-placed self-depricating zingers and a goofy battle against his neighbor. On the opposite end of the spectrum Woody Harrelson plays Tallahassee as an extreme badass. He absolutely steals every scene he's in. I've always had a soft spot for the Cheers alum, and he's had a knack for picking off-beat roles. This was probably his least off-beat in a while, because he seems to play the Steve Austin style American redneck ninja as though he actually were born into the Kentucky Yakuza. Between Columbus and Tallahassee there is a smorgasbord of semi-normal emotions co-mingling with unrealistic eccentricities. These exceptional traits seem to make the characters that much more likeable, and they fit perfectly in a film with everything dialed up to just short of 11 in a good, tongue-in-cheek way. Short on a ride? Find a hummer loaded with guns. Columbus needs a final obstacle to overcome to win his objet d'amour's heart? Make it a creepy clown zombie (Coincidentally, now out: Left 4 Dead 2 and it's clown zombies! Clown zombies for everyone!) that he has to take out by...well, THAT'S the kind of thing to spoiler. The point of this movie is never really "who live and who dies" or "what happens to the world" or even "what's going on?" The point is "Here are charismatic people giving smile-worthy dialogue and killing zombies in hilarious ways." The movie keeps up its pace fairly well, with Bon Scott's legendary cameo providing an amazing boost to what otherwise should have been a yawn-worthy buildup to the finale. You shouldn't go more than 2 minutes without a solid laugh, chuckle, or smile unless you absolutely cannot stand movies that exist solely to entertain. This movie is the rare comedy that lives up to hype, as it tip-toes the dark comedy edge while retaining enough good-nature to avoid crossing over. I've seen a number of comparisons between this film and Shaun of the Dead, and I must say I don't agree that the two SHOULD be compared as though they set out to do the same thing. Shaun is quite simply the darker film, attempting to balance real relationships and real situations with the absurd backdrop of zombies mucking up everything. It's designed to make you uncomfortable, as you try to balance actual sadness at his mum being killed with the uproarious funny way he has to shoot her when she gets back up, ditto with the dad in the car. Funny scenes, but they also contain actual sadness and loss (emotions far removed from Zombieland). In Zombieland, the zombies aren't the backdrop, they aren't part of an over-arching societal joke, they're the prop for the heroes to abuse and be threatened by. The relationship between Shaun and his girlfriend drive every part of SotD, and the focus of the movie is on how to survive the outbreak. Columbus and Joss Stone's wherever-the-hell is a cute love interest that's given a back seat to Zombieland's message: "Hey let's kill zombies!" While some parallels can be drawn (Shaun faking his way to the pub by acting like a zombie, same as Ben Kingsley does to go play golf), the movies are so dissimilar in tone and purpose that someone rating down Zombieland because they like SotD more should find a better reason for their decision. If its plot is too goofy for you, then so be it. If the action is excessive, the characters too goofy, the zombie kills not enough to entertain, okay. You might have these problems (I certainly don't), but please don't make it about Zombieland vs. SotD. As I just said, I loved the simplicity, the believable-AND-outlandish characters, the well-executed action scenes, and of course, 'all the little things' packed into this movie. I've seen it twice, and found new things to laugh at during the second time through, which bodes well for its lasting appeal. 5/5
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Nov 18, 2009 09:02
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5 / 5 Review: Now I haven't seen that many zombie films in general in part because I don't watch horror movies (but will horror/thriller) but this movie seemed to hit all of its bases hard. The movie was not better than perfect, as the 5.5 rating implies and it does not deserve that but you have to give it some credit for doing so well with actors so ... they are not bad actors mind you, just not the strong point. The absolute bad-rear end Tallahassee, for example, is type-cast and it's a "Shaun of the Dead" perfection. I was compelled to add my 2 cents so there, I have.
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Nov 19, 2009 03:20
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i've seen zombi, return of the living dead, re animator, day, night, dawn, land, diary, of the dead, quarantine, shaun of the dead, 28 and weeks later, resident evils, south park halloween, i am legend, and most other zombie movies and this one was a perfect send-off to the genre. With overly-redneck woodie and overly-cera-esque kid who made the style his own before cera and stupid girl from little miss sunshine you;d think this movie was a white persons dream and a normal perosn's piece of trash but im here to say that this movie is great, and definitely one of hte only zombie movies that can hold an audience with awesome and interesting CHARACTERS ALONE, and not just dread or wanting to see the main characters meet their grisly demise. In any Romero flick I find myself waiting for the zombies to overtake the humans just because the only humans still left alive aren't worthy o life in the first place... But i digress, this movie is great.
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Nov 21, 2009 14:59
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5/5 I do not feel the need to try to build-up my opinion more by listing various movies and/or zombie flicks that I have watched in the past. I will just say this movie was exactly what I wanted it to be, and then some. Fake Michael Cera playing a socially awkward teenager? Yeah. Woody Harrelson playing a bad-rear end? Yeah. Emma Stone looking attractive? Yeah. I got those three things from the trailer and that's what I got when I watched the movie. Everything else that I got is why the movie is so good (in my opinion) and why I will be buying the DVD. I loved the Bill Murray cameo. I loved the "rules" that kept popping up on the screen, almost like a video game. I loved that Tallahassee lived through the whole movie. The whole Twinkie subplot was also hilarious. I didn't mind the tact-on love story and in fact welcomed it. The humor of the movie was right up my alley.
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Jan 31, 2010 18:39
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I thought I would like this a lot more than I did - the initial rules list and the little rules popups were great, I was with it all the way till the first scene with the girls. After that it lost me, plain and simple. I'm not sure how much spoiler is allowed here, but suffice it to say in a post-zombie world leaving someone alone is a death sentence and nobody seemed to mind, in fact it just was supposed to reinforce how 'badass' they were. The second scene with them I was groaning. It does get better but the girls could have been written so so much better and it would have helped this movie a lot more, by the time it picked up a little I was already tuned out. Fun film but the 'badass chicks' scenes are so cliche it hurt. 3/5
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Feb 9, 2010 03:23
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Finally a zombie movie even I do not hate. Does not take itself seriously, does not lag much and the characters are likeable. There is no plot but again, it's a movie about zombies. 5/5 Pros: Bill Murray death scene, nice visual effects, the score is not obscenely annoying, no Dakota Fanning/Michael Cera, funny dialogue. Cons: No plot, will suffer because goons will contrast it to Shaun of the Dead forever.
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Feb 21, 2010 23:13
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This movie seems to think it's way more clever than it actually is. Starts strong and turns into poop during the second half. I really expected to love this one. 3/5
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Feb 22, 2010 06:48
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Did I watch the same movie as all you did? Because instead of a zombie movie, I got a cardboard, terribly written movie that starts off at least half-heartedly promising and turns into a poorly done romance movie with the background of a zombie movie, between a stock character nerdy dude and some bitchy 1 note girl with too much make-up on the whole time. Never once in the movie is there any degree of tension, excitement, or sense of dread of "who's going to get it." By the time the movie ends, you want them all to die, but you know they won't because the zombies are useless cannon fodder. Woody Harrelson literally ends up spraying bullets randomly half the time. There are numerous other things that come up which are equally stupid the entire girl saga with them "kidnapping"/stealing cars etc... The fact that the lights are all still on, the fact that they're at the amusement park by themselves and riding rides with no one to control them?, but they're minor when you just don't care about any of them. Furthermore, The Bill Murray cameo was terrible and it seemed like he was only in it for the fact that he had to be in it just to keep some executives quiet about some thai ladyboy hooker. I'm going to quote this review on IMDB that sums it up so well: The role the zombies play in this film is as an uninteresting, unthreatening MacGuffin required to cause occasional distractions from what is in essence the lamest love story between two of the least interesting characters in modern film. 1/5 Octopus Magic fucked around with this message at 22:08 on Mar 18, 2010 |
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Mar 18, 2010 21:57
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The last third of the movie is actually pretty good. The kinda bitchy girl has taken her sister to the carnival in the middle of the night and all the lights and sounds from the rides they turn on attract all the zombies in the city. So it's up to the male protagonists to rescue them. Lots of zombie killing and creative carnival ride-related zombie deaths. The main character mentions in the very beginning that he's afraid of clowns so of course the boss fight moment of catharsis is him facing off with a zombie clown. The first two thirds of the movie are total poo poo though and you'll only see like eight zombies until the carnival finale. 3/5
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Jul 11, 2010 18:20
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As far as comedy zombie movies goes, this is a decent flick. I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek style and Woody Harrelson is a natural fit to play the role of a man on a quest to find a Twinkie. I laughed a few times, enjoyed the action scenes, and thought the balance of humor and story was well done. 3/5 No. 6 fucked around with this message at 13:33 on Jul 27, 2010 |
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Jul 27, 2010 13:24
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I enjoyed the new take on characters in a zombie movie. The only character that is actually trying not to die is Columbus. The rest have pretty much given up and just want to live out their fantasies before getting eaten by zombies. It is only after they do so that they decide that they may as well stick together. The rest of the movie was good too. 4/5
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Jul 29, 2010 21:19
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You've got a nerd, a bitch, a sidekick, and a badass zombie hunter. (And some say a plot.) The Nerd is, well, an exact stereotype of a nerd blown to epic proportions. OCD? Check. Mountain Dew? Check. Walked over by anyone and everyone? Check. The Bitch is a ruthless, no-nonsense girl with a troubled past who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to take it by force, if necessary. Except somehow she forgets the cardinal rule of "kill 'em and then take their stuff." The sidekick is a sidekick. And the badass zombie hunter? Well he's the only likable character in this whole farce, simply because he's what every fat, motorized scooter-riding redneck wishes they could be. Plus, he gets all the good lines. So what happens? I'll give you three guesses. The bitch walks all over the nerd, before eventually warming up to him, the nerd becomes slightly closer to normal, the sidekick does nothing, and the zombie hunter kills zombies and undergoes some unnecessary character development in the form of a cliche backstory. And then Bill Murray dies, and everyone lives happily ever after. Oh wait, there were zombies in this movie? 1/5 This is the anti-Shaun of the Dead. Twinkies! corgski fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Aug 7, 2010 |
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Aug 7, 2010 07:53
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I also wanted to like this movie, but between the Michael Cera wannabe and the only occasionally funny dialogue, I couldn't get into it and the movie never really clicked with me. The love story as others have mentioned is pretty awful and when it starts is about when I stopped liking this movie. 2/5
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Aug 10, 2010 17:19
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4/5 - good, but left me wanting. I felt like we were missing a good 10-15 minutes of 'something else' the film needed but can't put my finger on.
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Aug 15, 2010 00:18
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Giving this one a 4/5 based purely on the laughs I got out of it with the Zombie Kill of the Week stuff like the nun that took one out by having a piano dropped on it and mother loving clowns!, the opening credits sequence was unbelievably funny, as well. I should probably mention that I never watched any zombie movies prior to this one (and only did it this time because it was aired on one of those free movie channel weekends a while back and I tivoed it out of curiosity), so take my rating here with a grain of salt.
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Nov 4, 2010 16:11
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 13:21 |
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Behold this, the only zombie movie I have ever enjoyed in my entire 31 year old life. "Zombies are for nerds" I think, "Yes", this movie says to me - "zombies ARE for nerds; but check this poo poo out!" - it continues; and I go along for the ride. This movie knows what it is and what it wants to show me; giving it a sense of clear unobstructed focus. Near technically flawless, and none of the characters annoy me too much. A cool 3.5/5 from me
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Feb 2, 2011 08:29
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