Blu-Ray Review:
Zombieland
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
Current Rottentomatoes.com score 89% Fresh: 179 Rotten: 22
A cowardly shut-in named Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is forced to join up with a seasoned zombie-slayer named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. As Tallahassee sets out on a mission to find the last Twinkie on Earth, the duo meets up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), two young girls who have resorted to some rather unorthodox methods to survive amidst the chaos. Reluctant partners in the battle against the undead, all four soon begin to wonder if it might be better to simply take their chances alone.
This is a great movie! If you're a fan of Zombie flicks with a bunch of comedy thrown in then you have found the holy grail! I found this movie to be so much fun from beginning to end. It has surprises around every corner. There is a cameo in the film that is brilliant and I am totally surprised they got this actor to do it. The movie is definitely gory and you will see many of the undead chewing on people's legs or other body parts. The best part of this film has to be Woody Harrelson. He is classic in this film! His quest to find the last Twinkies on earth is great. Jesse Eisenberg is also quite great as the scared participant with a list of rules that helps him stay alive. One of my favorite scenes is where Tallahassee decides to stop at this native trade shop. He teaches them that you have to enjoy the little moments. So he proceeds to destroy the entire shop. He takes great pleasure in knocking over huge shelves full of glass trinkets. Of course this entire scene plays out in slo-mo so you get the full effect. The movie is not long at 88 minutes but every second of these 88 minutes is a wild ride and should leave you grinning from ear to ear.
9 out of 10
Video
Zombieland arrives on Blu-ray in it's original aspect ratio of 2:40.1. The transfer that we are treated to here is nothing short of spectacular. The colours jump off the screen. The reds, blacks, and greens emanating from zombie mouths splatter the screen and have you expecting it to land in your lap. Detail is another aspect that is well done. Take a look at any of the slow-motion shots and the level of detail here is extraordinary. Burnt cars, rubble, and charred highways all look fantastic. At the opening credit sequence we see tons of zombies up close and the detail in their faces is gut wrenching. The movie was shot digitally and it shows with an exceptionally clean looking picture. Flesh tones are consistent and never look flushed or red. Black levels for the most part are good but I did notice a couple of scenes that could have been better. Overall this is a great looking transfer.
9 out of 10
Audio
For Zombieland Sony has treated us to a Dts-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Just like the video the audio is pretty spectacular. The music in the film ranges from hard rock at the opening title sequence to Willy Nelson in Tallahassee's truck. The DTS track does a great job with the music. The rear channels are always active. The sounds are spread around giving you that immerse quality that you're looking for in a movie such as this. You can hear everything from flies buzzing to the sickening thud as Tallahassee hits one of the zombies in the face with a Banjo. There is a lot of gunfire in the film and the shots from a shotgun are well done. The LFE channel is also in full effect lending weight to gunfire or to the swinging of a baseball bat into the head of a zombie. Dialogue is clear and well defined never having a problem competing with the effects. Overall this is a demo worthy track and one that fans of the movie and audiophiles will love.
9.5 out of 10
Extras
Here is what you get in the way of extras:
Beyond the Graveyard Picture-in-Picture Track
Commentary track with Actors Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg, Director Ruben Fleischer, and Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
In Search of 'Zombieland'
Zombieland is Your Land
deleted scenes
Visual Effects Progression Scenes
Digital Copy
The picture-in-picture track is a good way to get the behind-the-scenes material while watching the film. They show everything from storyboards, cast and crew interviews, and they show scenes at various levels of completion. The 5 man commentary was actually quite good. Usually with this many participants it tends to be hard to follow, but this one actually flows really well and you will want to spend the whole 88 minutes listening to these people discuss the ins and outs of making the film. In Search of 'Zombieland' is a good behind the scenes feature. It looks at the films orgins, combining horror and comedy, and my favorite making the zombie makeup! It's well worth watching! Zombieland is Your Land is another good making up feature that goes into how they shot key scenes in the film. It's another solid extra that I suggest watching. The very short "Visual Effects Progression Scenes" are fun to watch because you see these scenes in various levels of completion. They are only around 30 seconds each but if you want to see how these scenes are created they are worth a look. Overall I think they did a good job with these extras.
8 out of 10
Overall
Zombieland as a movie and as a Blu-ray title come highly recommended. You get awesome video, audio and extras. The movie is a wild ride and one that is worth taking.
9 out of 10