So good.

I love zombie movies, so I’m an easy mark.  I like fast zombies, slow zombies, rage virus zombies – I am a pushover for undead cinema. This means you’re free to take some of what I’m saying here with a grain of salt.  That said, “Zombieland” is a home run for me.

It’s a zombie comedy that mines the same earth as “Sean of the Dead” to similarly great effect. The gags are funny, the characters are easy to root for and the zombies are an interesting mix of stupid and fast. Lest you think that the comedy means the zombies get shortchanged, fear not. This movie’s tongue is so firmly in cheek that there’s even a “Zombie Kill of the Week” segment.

I don’t imagine for a minute that it’s easy to balance post-apocalyptic terror with humor, and I marvel a little at the effortless way this coming-of-age-at-the-end-of-the-world story manages to be warm and hopeful without completely blunting its edge. Woody Harrelson is used to great effect here – it’s easy to forget how droll he can be in the right hands. Jesse Eisenberg, who I enjoyed immensely in Roger Dodger and Adventureland, is the movie’s center and he is more than up to the task. If I have anything in the way of criticism, it’s that I think Jesse has been playing almost-men in the movies for about as long as is reasonable, and I hope he’s on the way to getting more adult roles in major films.

I don’t want to ruin too much, since it’s not out for a week or two – but it’s worth paying full price and seeing on opening night. If you like zombie movies, you must see it. If you don’t, this might be the film that changes your mind. I’ve included a link to the trailer so that you can see what I mean.