Netflix R-Rated Zombie Horror Comedy Is A Modern Classic
Hollywood became a little over-obsessed with zombies in the 2000s and 2010s, but it resulted in some solid projects, most notably in the comedy genre with films like Shaun of the Dead and the fantastic 2009 film Zombieland, which is now streaming on Netflix. Part road-trip film, part romance, part action thriller, and part zombie movie, the film is a great time and genuinely hilarious to boot. If you want to check it out, you can head over to Netflix to stream it now.
Cast And Crew
Zombieland is directed by Ruben Fleischer in his theatrical directorial debut (he’s since taken on the Venom franchise and Uncharted) while Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick co-wrote the script.
The film stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as four survivors traveling across the country to find a place that is free from zombies in post-apocalyptic America.
The Rules
The four characters are named Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock after their hometowns so you don’t get too attached to someone by knowing their real name.
This little world-building detail is one of many that Zombieland establishes to help it stand out from the crowded zombie genre. Another is Columbus’ list of rules, which we learn more about throughout the movie.
Along with some interesting post-apocalyptic world-building, Zombieland has also become known as a modern comedy classic thanks to great humor, likable and distinct characters, and some great special effects and action.
A Post-Apocalyptic Hit
Zombieland also has an iconic celebrity cameo that we won’t spoil here in case you’ve somehow missed it, but it only adds to the movie in a way that cheap celebrity cameos rarely do. Fortunately, Zombieland was recognized as the quality film it was when it came out instead of becoming a cult classic.
It grossed $102 million worldwide and earned the title of highest-grossing zombie film in the US until it was passed up by the far inferior Resident Evil: Afterlife in 2010 and the also-inferior World War Z in 2013.
Zombieland: Double Tap
Needless to say, the world-building of Zombieland made fans want more from the franchise, and Reese and Wernick were happy to oblige. They ended up making Zombieland: Double Tap and brought back the original cast in 2019. The sequel featured an expanded cast that included Rosario Dawson,
Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Luke Wilson, and Thomas Middleditch and followed Tallahassee, Columbus, and Wichita as they fight a new breed of zombies and head to Graceland to find Little Rock.
Stream It Now
If you end up loving Zombieland as much as most people who see it, the good news is that the sequel is a worthy follow-up to the original, so there’s more to see when you get done watching the first. As for the future of the series, there are no immediate plans at the moment, but Fleischer has previously stated his desire to make a film led by Zoey Deutch’s Madison character from Double Tap.
Hopefully, we’ll get to return to the land of Zombieland again sometime in the future, but you can stream the fantastic first film on Netflix in the meantime.
