The film is
constructed as a simple story line where a teen aged boy is trying to find his
way safely away from zombies. Silent moments like dialogue between two
characters are added so that the movie can be prolonged. This movie would have
consisted of only zombie killing if it weren't for character backgrounds being
introduced into the story. Without these profiles, the story would be dry.
The film uses a new and
different way of narrating the story. At the beginning of the movie, several
rules are introduced so that as spectators we know what to expect. In a sense
this is a foreshadowing tool. Rules such as 'check the back-seat' come in handy
when the boy looks in the back of a Hummer and finds a bag filled with guns.
Another situation is the rule 'double tap' where you shoot a zombie once and
then one more time for good measure. Throughout the movie, when situations
arise that include these rules the rule pops up on the screen (sort of like a
"i told you so" moment).
The acting
was great because everyone’s body built suited everyone’s character. The shots
do not have deeper meaning because they were simple wide shots and close-ups.
One classic scene reveals itself at the end of the film. All our lives we've
known the train running over a person scene. The same parallel action is
present at the climax of the movie where the main character saves the girl he
likes and his sister from a zombie climbing up at them. We see the boy fighting
a zombie clown and at the same time the director cuts to the helpless girl
being attacked by a zombie and so on.
I agree the story line is simple and only a great movie due to the acting and strong characterization. The Silent moments throughout the film between characters almost give it an akward feel. The Character backrounds are interesting and clearly shown. The stated rules are humerous and it is clever how they apply to specific events in the film. The "I told you so moments" that arise are a spoof of horror movies.
ReplyDeleteThe characters are free to go anywhere considering the towns are for the most part vacant. They explore true freedom and teamwork as they fight off zombies. This action/ comedy is filled with gunfire and swift moves, very suspensful. The director uses short shots and tracking to bring energy. The repeated shots of the main character and the girl foreshadow they will develop feelings for each other. Mostly long and wide shots are used and the scenes are brightly lit. Close ups are frequently used on the main character to show his feelings about her. The music is mostly rock n' roll and is played during action scenes mimmicking the movements and gun play.
I also enjoyed the movie Zombieland and one thing that I noticed about this movie was the way the developed the characters as the movie went on. For the most part the characters started off seeming fairly one dimensional but as the movie went on you began to see more facets to their personalities. Take the main character Columbus for example. He started off being the stereotypical weak nerdy character but by the end he was showing great internal strength by going back and saving the girls from a zombie hoard. Another character that you see develop as the movie goes on is Tallahassee in the beginning he was just your typical macho tough guy character but then you find out that the reason he was that way was because his son had died.
ReplyDeleteZombieland is one of the better zombie-comedy movies out there. This movie uses so many montages that it’s hard to keep track of. The first noticeable montage is the zombie killing montage in which the characters battle the ferocious zombies for a few minutes. The second type of montage in this film is the fleeing montage. This involves the characters running away from a massive mob of zombies and killing a few that get too close. The third type of montage in this movie is the destruction montage. This involves the characters destroying the majority of things in a store to relieve some build up frustrations. There are also a few different example of mis en scene in the movie. The first example of this is when Columbus is in the gas station bathroom and he is attacked by a zombie. This shows his vulnerability as he is caught, literally, with his pants down. Another example of mis en scene is the location of the climax of the movie. The climax takes place in an amusement park, which helps bring more humor into the movie by providing an unlikely setting.
ReplyDeleteZombie land has been one of my favorite movies for a while now. mostly because i like woody Harrelson as an actor as well as the fact that i like the movies that have to do with the end of the world. i like the fact that in this movie how the sound slowly builds up when there is going to be a zombie attack or just one that will pop out and scare you. like in the beginning when he starts explaining when he first noticed zombies. first thing he shows is a long shot to show you that he is in his house alone and the next thing is a girl screaming at his door saying to let her in. this is where it does a fast cut to an extreme close up to his face and then a freeze frame so he can do a voice over . then it do another long shot as he lets the girl in and she walks all over the place and says that she was being chanced by some one who bit her and you see a medium shot of them falling asleep on the couch in the safe apartment. then it does a quick cut to a medium shot of the main character with out the girl in the shot which is where the music starts to build up on you as the viewer then as it starts the girl pops into the screen scaring most people because the sound lead up to it. then she chances him around with a little bit of horror music in the background then as he hits her with the top of his toilet to music just stops and does a close up of he face and the sound just does a quick like loud beat as she jumps a little bit then dies.
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