A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.
Searching for family. In the early twenty-first century, zombies have taken over America. A shy and college student in Texas has survived by following his 30 rules: like "look in the back seat," "double-tap," "avoid public restrooms." He decides to travel to Ohio to see if his parents are alive. He gets a ride with a savage, brutal zombie-killer headed for Florida, and soon they confront a young woman whose sister has been bitten by a zombie and wants to be put out of her suffering. The sisters were headed to an LA park with atractions they've heard is without a zombie.—<[email protected]>
With America infested with hordes of decomposing zombies from end to end, one of the few zombie-apocalypse survivors, Columbus, manages, somehow, to live to fight another day, while on his way to Ohio to check in on his family. Surrounded by mayhem and destruction, Columbus joins forces with the no-nonsense pro survivalist, Tallahassee, bent on continuing the dangerous road trip through Armageddon. However--as the band of zombie hunters is joined by the stranded girls, Wichita, and her younger sister, Little Rock--an unexpected change of plans will lead them to the last unspoilt place: the Pacific Playland amusement park in Los Angeles. Could the rumours be true, or is the odd team heading toward its demise?—Nick Riganas
The horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world ruled by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss -- but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.—Columbia Pictures
Two months have passed since a strain of mad cow disease mutated into "mad person disease" that became "mad zombie disease", which overran the entire United States (with the infection presumably spreading to the rest of the world), turning many Americans into vicious zombies. Survivors of the zombie epidemic have learned that growing attached to other survivors is not advisable because they could die at any moment, so many have taken to using their city of origin as nicknames.
Unaffected college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) (a young man who lived by himself in a beat-up apartment before becoming one of the few survivors of the zombie apocalypse. He lives by a strict set of rules to stay alive) is making his way from his college dorm in Austin, Texas, to Columbus, Ohio, to see whether his parents are still alive. He encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) (He despises zombies, and enjoys killing and torturing them), another survivor, who is particularly violent in killing zombies. Though he does not appear to be sociable, Tallahassee reluctantly allows Columbus to travel with him. Tallahassee mentions he misses his puppy, "Buck" that was killed by zombies, as well as his affinity for Twinkies, which he actively tries to find.
The pair meets Wichita (Emma Stone) (Little Rock's older sister and Columbus's love interest. She is one of the few survivors of the zombie apocalypse, and overly protective of her little sister. Her real name is Krista) and her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) (Wichita's 12-year-old sister, who is very sweet, but not that innocent and has grown up very quickly because of the apocalypse) in a grocery store. The sisters turn out to be con artists and trick Tallahassee and Columbus into handing over their weapons by pretending that Little Rock is infected by the disease, then stealing their Escalade. The two men find a yellow Hummer H2 loaded with weapons and go after the sisters. However, the girls spring another trap for them and take them hostage. Tallahassee steals his gun back and has a stand-off with Wichita, until Columbus lashes out in anger saying that they have bigger problems to worry about, resulting in an uneasy truce between them.
The sisters reveal that they are going to the Pacific Playland amusement park in Los Angeles, an area supposedly free of zombies. After learning his hometown has been destroyed, and his parents likely killed, Columbus decides to accompany the others to California. Along the trip, Columbus persists in trying to impress and woo Wichita.
When the group reaches Hollywood, Tallahassee directs them to the mansion of Bill Murray. Tallahassee and Wichita meet Murray himself, uninfected but disguised as a zombie so he can walk safely around town. Murray is killed when Columbus shoots him, mistaking him for a real zombie during a practical joke while watching Ghostbusters with Little Rock. Columbus realizes during a game of Monopoly that "Buck" was not Tallahassee's puppy, but his young son, who had become infected and died as a result. Wichita and Columbus become increasingly attracted to each other, and Tallahassee bonds with Little Rock (as father and daughter), with whom he was previously at odds. Despite Wichita's attraction to Columbus, she fears attachment and leaves with Little Rock for Pacific Playland the next morning. Columbus decides to go after Wichita and convinces Tallahassee to join him.
At Pacific Playland, the sisters activate all the rides and lights so they can enjoy the park, only to unwittingly draw the attention of a multitude of zombies in the surrounding area. A chase ensues, and just as the sisters are trapped on a drop tower ride, Tallahassee and Columbus arrive. Tallahassee lures the zombies away, creating a distraction for Columbus to get to the tower ride; both using the attractions to their advantage. Tallahassee eventually locks himself in a game booth, shooting zombies as they arrive. Columbus successfully evades and shoots through several zombies to reach the tower and help the girls down, but not before changing one of his rules for survival to conquer his fear of clowns while facing off against a clown zombie. As a show of thanks, Wichita kisses Columbus and reveals her real name: Krista. As the group leaves Pacific Playland, Columbus realizes that without relating to other people, one might as well be a zombie and that he now has what he has always wanted-a family.
The rulesA running gag (and a central theme throughout the film) is the list of rules Columbus comes up with for surviving in the zombie-infested world. By the end of the film, his list has 33 rules, yet only a few are mentioned. A series of promotional videos starring Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg expanded on the list presented in the film.
"Cardio", "Double tap" ("Ziploc bags" in a deleted scene), "Beware of bathrooms", "Seatbelts", "No Attachments", "Cast iron skillet", "Travel light", "Get a kick-ass partner", "With Your Bare Hands", "Don't Swing Low", "Use Your Feet", "Bounty paper towels", "Bowling ball", "Don't be a hero";Columbus later changes the rule to "Be a hero" at the amusement park, after facing his greatest fear (a clown-zombie) to save Wichita and Little Rock."Limber up", "Ziploc bags" (A deleted scene listed bags as rule 2), "It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint", "Avoid strip clubs", "When in doubt, know your way out", "Double-knot your shoes", "The buddy system", "Check the back seat", "Enjoy the little things", "Swiss army knife", "Clean socks", "Hygiene", "Always have backup".
