Best Road Trip Movies: Zombieland Review
Best Road Trip Movies: Zombieland Review
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/YouTube
There are some people who enjoy zombie movies so full of gore, they make The Texas Chain Saw Massacre look positively tame. Then there are those who prefer funny road trip movies where they get to know the characters as their journey together continues. If you fit into either of these categories, chances are you’ll be a fan of Zombieland, which is equally funny as it is disgusting. Plus, it features Bill Murray, so you know it’s going to be good. If you haven’t seen it, we recommend you fix that right now. If you have seen it, please enjoy our Zombieland review as part of our Best Road Trip Movies series.
The Plot
Zombieland is set in post-apocalyptic America, where a deadly virus has spread to the majority of the population, turning them into brain-munching zombies. Only a few humans are left, and those survivors must fend for themselves. The main protagonist of Zombieland, portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, is a student at the University of Texas who is trying to get back to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to be reunited with his (hopefully not undead) family. He soon teams up with the slightly-insane Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), who is driving his Cadillac Escalade around in hopes of finding a Twinkie. The two meet—and are robbed by—two sisters named Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who take the Escalade and head west towards LA. Columbus and Tallahassee find a Hummer stacked with guns and ammo, and head after Wichita and Little Rock. Upon catching up with the girls and the now-broken Escalade, the four eventually decide to team up, and encounter all kinds of hijinks, such as Bill Murray masquerading as a zombie, and a supposedly zombie-free amusement park that turns out to be—you guessed it—chockablock full of the walking dead.
The Vehicles
Zombieland is, undoubtedly, a road trip movie—although that “road trip” is less about having fun and bonding, and more about avoiding death by zombie. Tallahassee’s Cadillac Escalade is the perfect cross-country road trip tool, especially since part of his mission is to kill zombies as he travels. The Escalade is luxurious yet powerful, and would surely be able to mow zombies out of the way while barely sustaining a scratch. Plus, it’d be nice to be able to relax (as much as one could relax during a zombie apocalypse) in the Escalade’s plush interior while trying to find your zombie-free haven.
Tallahassee uses the door of the Escalade to take out a zombie.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/YouTube
Once Tallahassee’s Escalade is stolen, a Hummer filled with guns seems to be a close runner-up. The Hummer would be great at running over zombies, but with a presumable gas shortage, you might not be able to make it too far behind the wheel of this behemoth. Probably best to stick with the Caddy, which offers the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, in Tallahassee’s case, that’s not an option.
Tallahassee fires off some new guns from the Hummer.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/YouTube
Our Review
When you first glance at Tallahassee, you might not be able to picture him behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade. But, just like his character, the SUV is both surprising and adaptable. Tallahassee manages to be both tough (killing zombies) and sensitive (pining for his Twinkie), much like the Escalade, which caters to families, as well as younger singles who want to show off their hard-earned money. It’s not your typical full-size SUV, just like Tallahassee isn’t your typical tough guy. As we find out, the man has been through the ordeal of losing his son, which humanizes him and makes us more able to relate to him as a character.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/YouTube
Overall, we’re huge fans of Zombieland. Actually, we might have to go and rewatch it now for the 50th time. Here we come, zombie Bill Murray!
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