Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Rule #1 - Cardio
Rule #2 - Beware of Bathrooms
Rule #3 - Seatbelts
Rule #4 - The Double Tap

Those are but a few of the rules you'll need to follow if you have any hope of surviving "Zombieland," the blood-stained landscape formerly known as the old U.S. of A. After a viral plague turns most of the world's citizens into flesh-eating evildoers, nerdy shut-in "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) discovers that he can stay alive as long as he follows his rules to the letter. After believing for weeks that he may just be the last human on Earth who'd rather eat Snowballs than eyeballs, you can imagine his surprise when he comes across "Tallahassee," (Woody Harrelson)  "Wichita" (Emma Stone) and "Little Rock" (Abigail Breslin).

The manner in which this foursome comes to be together is best left unsaid, but suffice to say that Zombieland is full of surprises and it routinely zigs when you expect a zag. And on the subject of surprises, it should be noted that Zombieland features an absolutely brilliant and hilarious cameo from a major A-List actor. If you know what's good for you, stay away from IMDb until you've seen the film.

Getting back to the film's cast, it is, in a word, superb. Each of these four actors adds a unique and welcome dynamic to this twisted, de facto family. Woody Harrselson looks like he's having the time of his life as a gun-toting, alligator skin-wearing nut job; Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) continues to impress as the geeky-but-charming leading man; the lovely Emma Stone strikes a delightful balance as the girl next door who can also kick your ass; and Abigail Breslin wisely shows us that Little Miss Sunshine isn't afraid to get her hands dirty - or bloody, as the case may be.

It's a testament to first-time Director Ruben Fleischer that Zombieland gives Shaun of the Dead a serious run for its money as the king of the Zombie Comedy genre. (Yes, it's that good.) Part road movie, part horror flick and part action/adventure, Zombieland is an unexpectedly delicious treat best enjoyed with a bunch of friends and a box of Twinkies.   

The Picture

Sony brings Zombieland to Blu-ray Disc featuring an exceptional AVC MPEG-4 transfer. The film's 1080p image is rife with fine detail everywhere you look while skin tones (on our four heroes at least) appear to be spot-on. Colors are bold and punchy - especially on the yellow Hummer - while shadow delineation is extremely solid with sufficiently deep blacks.

It should also be pointed out that unlike the recent deluge of graduates from Paul Greengrass' Shaky-Cam College, Zombieland's visuals are blissfully coherent. On-screen action is expertly-staged and smartly-framed so as to allow the viewer to, you know, actually see what's happening. My hat's off to Director Ruben Fleischer and his Director of Photography (DP) Michael Bonvillain (the Emmy-winning DP on TV's "Alias.")

The Sound

Equally strong is Zombieland's 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. From its music-filled opening montage to its bullet-riddled grand finale, this lossless track shows a good deal of dynamic range with crisp highs and guttural lows whenever the 12-gauge is doing the talking. Dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout and there are quite a few scenes featuring effective use of the surround channels. The haunted house sequence in particular will have you peeking over your shoulder once or twice. Drawing attention to the rear channels isn't usually a desirable thing, but it's used to good effect here.

The Extras

Bonus material is the one department where this disc comes up a bit short. We do get two HD featurettes on the making of the film as well as its casting and set design, but unlike so many movies where the film is crap and it's inundated with extras, here I couldn't get enough of Zombieland and Sony's Blu-ray left me wanting more.

"Beyond the Graveyard" is a Picture-in-Picture track which features most of the disc's bonus material diced up and served as the film plays out.  There's not much new here so you'll probably find it easier to watch these pieces separately after you've watched the film. Sony also includes their BD LIVE-based movieIQ feature as well as a Digital Copy of the film on Disc Two.

Final Thoughts

In case you couldn't tell, I loved Zombieland. From a sheer entertainment perspective, Zombieland delivers in spades. The film is funny, scary (but not TOO scary), unpredictable and best of all, it's fun.  Sony's Blu-ray Disc may be somewhat lacking in the extras department, but its nearly reference-grade picture and sound make it an easy recommendation.

Product Details

• Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
  
• Director: Ruben Fleischer
  
• Audio Format/Languages: English, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: R
  
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  
• Release Date: Feburary 2, 2010
  
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• List Price: $39.95
• Extras:
  • Audio commentary with Director Ruben Fleischer, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
    
  • Featurette: In Search of Zombieland (HD)
    
  • Featurette: Zombieland is Your Land (HD)
    
  • Visual Effects Progression
  • Theatrical Trailers Promo
    
  • movieIQ and BD-LIVE capability
    
  • Digital Copy