Zombie movies all share the common underlying theme that proposes the question "If a massive outbreak DID pop off...how would I survive?"
We are all so connected in this modernized society… we all
have social media, and are attached to phones 24/7. But within all of our politics, rules, and
technologies we would be all but helpless to a massive outbreak of
“monsters”…Facebook wouldn’t help us. The laws that our governments have
enacted to protect us would be meaningless in a society with mindless, ration
less beings. This anxiety is portrayed through the 2009 film Zombieland. This
movie is a direct reflection of current cultural anxieties that drive human survival.
When you break down the characters in the plot of Zombieland
you see that there is a quest for acceptance, a struggle between adolescence
and adult hood, tough-guy syndrome and Emma Stone just… being Emma Stone. Of all of the zombie movies that foreshadow
post apocalyptic devastation…Zombieland is the quirkiest. The characters are
randomly thrown together and everything is marked with dark subtle humor.
The movie just doesn’t try THAT hard to be the serious
handbook on how to survive. Mainly to revisit the theme, and “cultural anxiety”
that there is no way to prepare to survive a situation that unpredictable.
Columbus is the main character and the narrator of the tale.
We’re introduced to him in the beginning and he gives us the rundown on the
disgustingness.
America has an insane outbreak of Mad Cow disease (which is
a humorous jab at the crazy cow craze that swept through American media at the
time). This outbreak rendered the majority of the population cannibalistic
zombies.
Columbus is a scrawny college kid who is a self-described
loner. His social isolation gives him an upper hand being extra unattached to
the senseless violence and murder he partakes in daily. The struggle for
survival and the perpetual loneliness drove Columbus to create a set of “rules
for survival” that he refers to throughout the movie. Columbus’ rules give him
a sense of structure in such a catastrophic existence.
Woody Harrelson plays “Tallahasse”…the tough country boy
who’s sole mission in Zombieland is to find TWINKIES...Yeah. He is the walking
paradox. Tallahassee meets Columbus and is immediately ready to shoot him…they
have a Mexican standoff that is ended when Columbus gives him the thumbs up.
From that glimmer of humanity they become partners in crime. He kicks ass, he
shoots guns, and he is questing for Twinkies.
The sisters come into the plot conning the dudes and
stealing their car and guns. They totally represent 21st century
girl power. They are cunning and smart but their sneaky ways eventually make them
damsels in distress.
The universal bonding moment comes when they decide to
destroy a store together. After multiple disagreements and moments of wavering
trust… the group finally develops a sense of compassion for one another.
Bill Murray’s cameo provides a brief moment of clarity since
it seems so random to the viewer. You have a moment where you think, “Why would
this group of strangers end up at Bill Murray’s real house in a post
apocalyptic society?” I feel that his purpose in the movie helps highlight the
theme. Columbus’ has all of these “rules” that govern how he survives but
nothing about a society rampant with bloodthirsty monsters can be controlled in
a logical fashion.
I'm not quite sure yet what cultural anxiety zombies represent in your post. Are we anxious about surviving? If so, why? I have a theory of my own about zombies that has more to do with consumerism than about "monsters" but I'll save that for another day.
ReplyDeleteI think what's so unique about this particular zombie film is the fact that the characters all live a pretty normal life despite their circumstances. They all live life day to day with the occasional zombie run-in, but you can tell that living among cannibalistic zombies is not all they are concerned about. They all still manage to have fun and even form pretty normal relationships despite the circumstances. You can tell that the crazy, dangerous world they live in does not control them. Clearly, Tallahasse doesn't let the zombies keep him from happiness (twinkies). I guess if such a thing happened in real life, we may eventually act as they do. Sure, we'd be scared at first, but sooner or later we'd learn how to deal with zombies and try to focus on the things we enjoy rather than worrying all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe connection you made between the two girls and women today was a good representation of what time period is being discussed. I think you could go into more detail about Emma Stone and all of the characters. I thought it was an interesting point that you brought up how Facebook is no going to help us in a zombie apocalypse. It is scary to think that people lives revolve so much around technology, what would we do if it all of a sudden could not help us. I could not imagine what would happen. The world would be thrown into chaos.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Professor Rowe’s prompt for blog # 4, Zombieland was also the first to come to my mind. Similarly, it is one of my favorite zombie movies because like you said it has dark subtle humor and its quirky. Aside from that, I hold a slightly separate view on what cultural anxieties are demonstrated in Zombieland.
ReplyDeleteMore or less, it appears as if the zombie outbreak in this movie reveals the interdependence of the United States. Since the American Character fully embraces a sense of fervent individualism, the stark realization that a person cannot live without the help others causes much anxiety. In other words, I believe that the cultural anxiety is about the collapse of a supporting social structure. However, I do concede that the anxiety addressed in this movie stems from a greater focus on technology in the present period.
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