Let's face it: We can't relate to a zombie apocalypse. Sure, if you've seen a zombie movie or two, you may find some connections between the movies, but what really makes this film ring so clearly to audiences is the real, human connections shared by the main characters. For example, Columbus first encounters a zombie by letting his hot neighbor come into his apartment, where she then proceeds to sleep on his shoulder. This notion--almost like a dream--for an attractive girl to literally come walking (or in this, running) into the room is something any girl-sheltered guy hopes for. Columbus even says he's always dreamed of brushing a girl's hair over her ear. Then for this dream girl to turn into a zombie not only scares the audience, but it's also a rather humorous notion. This scene is what Zombieland is all about: horror and comedy.
In fact, much of the decisions Columbus makes throughout the film are made because of his feelings for Wichita. He chooses to remain in the car instead of hopping out and driving to his home because he realizes the person he wants to stay with is Wichita. Columbus is an underdog; it's only natural that we root for him as he and Wichita share their pasts and almost kiss. Columbus then decides to go rescue Wichita, even though he can't ride a motorcycle. He finally changes rule number 17 from "Don't be a hero" to "Be a hero" as he saves Wichita and Little Rock from the attacking zombies. Zombieland succeeds as a film because at its heart, it's a love story and a story about humans sticking together.
Another interesting side note is the scene where Bill Murray makes his cameo. Fans have clamored for a Ghostbusters III ever since the second one released in 1989, but the film has been in production hell for years. These fans have been increasingly teased with two television shows and seven videogames, the newest of which released this year, making it the newest Ghostbusters film since 1993's The Real Ghostbusters for Game Boy. Interestingly enough, the project has been moving again, leading many fans to speculate that the latest videogame is being used to drum up interest in the upcoming film. This cameo of Bill Murray could also be a form of Columbia Pictures (the studio responsible for both Zombieland and the Ghostbusters films) advertising the long-awaited Ghostbusters III, to which Bill Murray recently has become attached to. This scene also serves as a bit of a joke: Since Bill Murray was killed in the film, there's no way that world can ever witness Ghostbusters III.
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I agree with what Chris is saying here about human connections as a very relevant factor in the movie. But I do think that the concept of a zombie apocalypse can be considered, at least metaphorically, relevant to today as well. For those that fight society's pressures and codes of conformity, zombies may be exactly how they would describe those that don't fight it and ultimately become "slaves to the machine." But the view of conformists and followers of the trends of society as zombies is very much a viewpoint of someone outside looking in. That is I don't think that most of us would view society as such. I know I certainly don't. Also I am not sure exactly what in society right now is considered apocalyptic.
ReplyDeleteBut this idea of loners fighting against what has become society, as we described it in class, relates to two movies we have watched in this class: Easy Rider and Thelma and Louise. In all three of these movies, the protagonists are outsiders and there is blatant criticism of the world they are surrounded by, whether through the depiction of zombies, rednecks or sexist male pigs. As Austin pointed out, this theme actually transcends just the movies we have watched and can be used to describe a lot of the literature we have discussed in this class as well. For instance, Whitman, while not necessarily standing up against the dormant, static world that surrounds him, urges the reader not to become part of it, to leave everything material and established and live on the outside, for the road. Thus the theme, while it may be expressed differently, is quite universal and can apply to many times and many places and, in a sense, any time and any place. And in all of these sources the protagonists of the story seem to be ever more intriguing because of their stance.
What is it about these kinds of outsider personalities that draws us to them? Are they possibly where we would like to be?