Five reasons you should see Zombieland

If you read this blog, you already know that I've been looking forward to Zombieland for weeks. If you follow movie reviews, you've probably noted that the film is holding at 89% on RottenTomatoes and that io9's Annalee Newitz gave it glowing coverage. So, rather than pile on the review stack, I'm going to give the undecided among you a handful of reasons--some of them on the edge of being minor spoilers--that you should see this film.

5. Newitz is right: It's a date movie, maybe the first feel-good, zombie date flick ever. Don't you want to be able to say you were in the theater to see this one?

4. It never loses sight of what it wants to be. There's quite a lot I dislike about this film's approach to zombies. For one thing, these zombies run and climb, which to me is just plain wrong; zombies should shamble, period. I also wish the four humans demonstrated better zombie survival skills. Seriously: a double-barreled shotgun? Despite those misgivings, however, I enjoyed the vision of the movie, its not-so-subtle messages, and its relentless focus on both its simple relationship story and gory zombie killing.

3. Twinkies. Tallahassee (Harrelson's character) loves 'em, and he will invade any zombie-infested store to get them. They're the zombies of the packaged food world, after all, because they go down about as well dead (stale) as alive (fresh).

True confession time: I once ate a bite of a twelve-year-old Twinkie. It was no worse than a fresh one. It's a long story.

2. The integration of type with the film. From the titles to the rules that Columbus frequently spouts, type keeps appearing in the movie in consistent and fun ways. Yeah, that's a geek thing to list, but it's a geek movie.

and the number one reason to see Zombieland.

1. Woody Harrelson. The man is amazing in his role as Tallahassee, a guy who finally found the one thing he was good at doing: killing zombies. I've enjoyed a lot of Harrelson's performances, but this was far and away his best.