Zombieland+2014

The film I chose to look at was Zombieland because this film had many similar traits and settings as my final Ib film. All films could be looked at with different theory lens, Zombieland is no different. When the film is looked at through a feminist film-theory, it is obvious that the only two main female characters in the film, Witchita and Little rock are empowering woman. The two females not only did not need assistance from male characters but also tricked male characters into giving them their weapons. The strong personality’s of Witchita and Little Rock makes Zombieland a very interesting film to looked at through the feminist film-theory because unlike traditional zombie movies, women are depicted as people that are weak (such as the girl: 406). When Zombieland is looked at through a Marxist film lens, it can be seen that our four main protagonists are trying to keep their self identity and not conform into something mindless (literally) while the zombies are the mass conformists who lost their way. When the film is looked through the Freudian lens it can be seen that all four of our main characters has a “unconscious mind” and a uncurious motivation. For example a character like Columbus on the surface says that he only wants to survive, in fact he wrote himself a set of rules that keeps himself in check, but what he does realize is that he actually wants to find a mate in this post-apocalyptic world. While a character like Tallahassee states that he just hates zombies while in reality, he is killing zombies as a act for revenge for his son. Witchita and Little rock are trying to get to Pacific Playland to have fun but in reality they want their childhood and innocence back from the zombies. The whole film could be argued as characters trying to find their way and their unconscious motivations that drives them. When the film is looked at through a cognitive film-theory, it can be argued that the whole film is a group of people trying to find their place in a post-apocalyptic world, and in the end they discovered a sense of family. A example that shows this is when the group all gather at Bill Murray’s house, telling stories of their own past to each other. The mimetic response the audience could have about Zombieland is that the movie is simply just a funny take on the classic Zombie genre, with some action and funny lines to it. While a cathartic response to the movie is that even when there is a Zombie apocalypse, there are people who still can find a sense of family and enjoy the things in life.