Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Rating: R

Woody Harrelson stars in Zombieland.(Courtesy photo)

Everything about Zombieland seems to suggest “straight-to-DVD.” It’s a horror comedy, which is one of the poorest-performing genres. The cast, which includes Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men), Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Emma Stone (Superbad), and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) is intriguing, but hardly a varsity squad. And the idea itself feels a few years, or even decades, beyond its expiration date.

Low and behold, Zombieland is a surprise hit, and deservedly so. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and director Ruben Fleischer have made sure to fulfill the expectations of a good old freaky zombie movie, while exceeding them in terms of character depth and creativity. Most strange and appealing of all, Zombieland, for all it’s gruesome carnage, is almost uplifting.

Eisenberg plays the last nebbish on Earth, one of the handful of survivors of a devastating virus that began with mad cow disease. He has endured the rampant zombie attacks thanks to a carefully compiled list of rules (wear seatbelts, avoid public restrooms, maintain strong cardio, etc). He leads us through the story in a neutral narration that lets us know early on we can go ahead and be scared without having to worry too much. Soon he meets Harrelson, who likes to dispatch zombies as spectacularly as he can. Since nobody shares names, they go by their hometowns. Eisenberg is Columbus and Harrelson is Tallahassee. Journeying across the decimated country, they run across sister con artists Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin). Can these four, all of whom are determined to avoid attachments, bond with each other while not getting eaten by the rest of America?

The broad strokes are the only uninteresting part of Zombieland, which proves yet again that formula plots are not what make or break movies. It’s how you get from plot-point A to plot-point B. Zombieland is full of small surprises, shocks offset by charming character moments, and vice versa.

This creative team doesn’t have a whole lot to show for itself. The writers were behind the moderately successful Joe Schmo Show and a contributed to a few animated films. Fleischer has done little beyond working with skateboarder and entrepreneur Rob Dyrdek. Given their breakout opportunity, these three came up with a genuinely delightful addition to the zombie genre. I’m very impressed by how little mean-spiritedness there is. They create a leading man whose normal arc would be to turn from a sniveling wimp into a fearless zombie killer. But Columbus stays appropriately and appealingly wimpy right to the end.

And somehow Jesse Eisenberg builds on his unlikely stardom. Seriously, this is the kind of guy who usually shows up long enough to be made fun of and shoved into a trashcan. But with the modestly seen Adventureland and this surprise hit, Eisenberg takes his place firmly as the backup plan when you can’t get Michael Cera. It’s great to see Woody Harrelson back in a big, scene-chewing role. He’s never been a guy I went out of my way to see, but he reminds us how incredibly charismatic and offbeat he is. That he and Eisenberg manage to build such chemistry is astonishing. Emma Stone mugged her way through her roles in Superbad, The House Bunny, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Here she tones it down nicely, and a real leading lady has emerged. Abigail Breslin takes a step toward the next phase of her career, making Little Rock neither too tough nor too cute. My guess is you won’t see her playing any more cute waifs. There’s really no one else significant in the cast, beyond a cameo that’s worth the price of admission.

When we look back on this era of end-of-the-world entertainment, Zombieland should stand out as one of the most appealing, and perhaps the most optimistic movies of its genre. Beyond the fun cast, hilarious shocks, and genuine chills, that may be the true secret to its success: we have now reached a point where we want our post-apocalypses with a cup-half-full attitude.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard readers for many years.