The funny thing about Zombieland

"Zombieland" might seem like a strange choice for a first ever zombie movie since, from the start and possibly even from the title, the comedy predominantly comes from knowing references to generic zombie movies (in what I would assume, had I seen it, is a "Shaun of the Dead" kind of way).

But that's the power of casting.

Working on the basis that a film involving Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin (the girl in "Little Miss Sunshine") and, rather surprisingly, Woody Harrelson must have something going for it, I also gave it a go.

The good news, for those of us not really into the horror half of this unusual genre-combination, is that once you get past the (apparently deliberately cartoonish) gore of the opening sequence, there's not much to trouble those who have come for the comedy.

In fact the film quickly turns into a road movie in which the last few non-zombies in the USA forge an unreliable and unlikely alliance within the confines of a series of very big, and very well armed, cars. The funny thing about Zombieland is that, for much of the film, the zombies themselves become little more than threatening blips on the expansive scenery which surrounds the characters' in-car struggles for control and survival.

However, for me, the funniest part of the film was actually the series of rules which Eisenberg's nervy Columbus character has developed for surviving a world overrun by zombies; rules which, while they are clearly the result of watching too many zombie movies and playing too much World of Warcraft, are funny even if you don't get all the references. My personal favourite was Rule #1 "Cardio"- which simply involved making sure you are fit enough to outrun the zombies (who were generally hampered by their inevitably trailing leg) although the self-explanatory "Seat Belts" rule came a close second.

This film might not have converted me to zombie movies but at least I'd know what to do if I met one.