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1New entries at the bottom.
2
3[[foldercontrol]]
4
5[[folder:Girls at the end]]
6
7* Why did Wichita and Little Rock let the guys ride with them? Why not just leave them again?
8** They probably noticed how the guys keep saving their asses and decided to let them stick around. That and for company.
9** Because their characters had developed beyond being selfish people that would do stuff like that? A major aspect of the movie is that everyone undergoes character development. Columbus learns that there are times you have to be a hero, Tallahassee decides that there's things worth fighting for that aren't a twinkie, and Wichita and Little Rock learn to care about someone other than each other.
10** Actually, '''all''' the characters start out as paranoid loners only out for themselves. Everyone's arc, in the end, is about learning that not only are other people not a liability in Zombieland, but a benefit, perhaps even a necessity.
11
12[[/folder]]
13
14[[folder:Zombie Apocalypse]]
15
16* Would somebody care to explain how the hell this happened? Let alone in SIX MONTHS? Okay so the zombies in this movie aren't dead right?, they have no special immunities or abilities, they don't require a headshot, nothing. These Zombies are nothing but people infected with a mutation of vCJD. How is it that the U.S Military (and maybe others, we aren't told if the other nations are infected) wasn't able to contain what amounts to a swarm of pissed off cannibals? And how is it they didn't just bomb the infected areas if they were unable to contain them through conventional means?
17** Well, the military incompetence thing is a flaw most zombie movies have. But the others:
18### The zombies eat people. Food and liquid sources right there.
19### Bombing big cities is not gonna happen until the city is obviously lost and by that time the epidemic has already spread far from the city or origin.
20### Also, the outbreak started with a hamburger, most hamburgers are frozen so the infected meat could have been all across the country by the time the first case surfaced.
21** Did I missed something? The zombies in the movie are clearly dead, the characters say it all the time and is also shown in the fact that they're rotten. Maybe you were watching 28 Days Later.
22*** You missed Columbus saying that the zombie virus is a mutant strain of Mad Cow at the start of the movie. The explanation we're given is that they're basically berserkers, as evidenced by the fact that things other than a blow to the head will put them down, it's just that the brain destruction makes absolutely sure they'd stay down. Anything actually undead-like in their appearance or behavior is because the movie's not taking itself that seriously.
23*** So... the movie says that they are undead, and Columbus even says "You sometimes have to make sure the undead remain dead", and their look and behavior is that of walking corpses... but we have to assume they are living berserkers because...? If the movie clearly says and shows them to be dead then they are, it not the movie not taking itself seriously is FanWank having a weird theory that is never confirm in-universe. Occam's razor also apply to movies. The most logical explanation on why they survive something as destructive as a shotgun's shot in the chest is that they are traditional walking corpses and not supernaturally resistant berserkers. The mad cow disease [disregarging the fact that Columbus is not a scientist and may not even know what he's talking] does not mean the zombies are not of the undead variaty as there is even a trope for that PlagueZombie.
24
25[[/folder]]
26
27[[folder:Bathrooms]]
28
29* There is a rule stating not to use the bathroom as they are often Zombie traps. Then why use them at all? Get a bucket (with an airtight lid) keep it in the backseat. Bathrooms avoided forever.
30** No, you're just turning wherever you're using the bucket into a bathroom. When using an actual bathroom you can at least do your best to secure it first, even if it's not foolproof.
31** The biggest problem with bathrooms would be the fact that you only have one exit, so even if you clear the room first, you could still get penned in easily. Maybe find a shovel instead and crap in open fields.
32** Note that this is a Columbus thing. We never see how the others go to the bathroom. Given his personality, you can see him as the type who can only go in private.
33
34[[/folder]]
35
36[[folder:Hair]]
37
38* Where did the main character get his hair cut? Or how does Tallahassee keep his head shaved?
39** We don't know how long it's been since the apocalypse started, unless I missed something, and all of them appear to have the survival know-how to be able to hide out for a few minutes a week to deal with grooming issues.
40** I believe it was mentioned in the opening that it had been 2-4 months since patient zero got infected.
41** It's not that hard to cut your own hair.
42*** Even easier to shave it. We see fully stocked stores in the movie, so razors, scissors, and shaving cream are pretty easy to get.
43
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Title]]
47
48* If the world has been taken over by the zombie apocalypse, why is the movie called Zombieland?
49** Earth has become Zombieland, or [[{{ShoutOut/Zombieland}} a Land of the Dead]].
50** Actually only America has been shown to be infected meaning that the title would be accurate if only one continent was overrun.
51** Because they are headed to a theme park and, in a manner of speaking, the whole county has become one. Zombieland, ala Tomorrowland or Adventureland.
52
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:Spread of the outbreak]]
56
57* So, given what we've seen of the zombies in the film, it seems very unlikely that they could pilot an airplane. Wouldn't this mean that, since the outbreak started in America, Afro-Eurasia and Australia should be completely unaffected? And if that's the case, why haven't any other countries sent aid to the United States?
58** Ripple effect. If the Americas collapse the economic effects alone would cause unprecedented chaos.
59** Based on 406's situation, it appears TheVirus has a longer incubation time than most zombie viruses. A few hours, perhaps? It seems plausible that infectees may have gotten on planes to one or more of those continents.
60** Since the virus is a mutation of Mad Cow Disease, one must conclude that if a country has had BSE outbreaks, it'd also be affected by the film's virus. Which means [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_mad_cow_cases_map.PNG these areas are affected]].
61** You can bet [[MemeticMutation Madagascar]] [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shut-down-everything isn't infected]], then.
62** Disease mutations do not work that way.
63** [[RuleOfCool No one cares.]]
64** Does anyone find it morbidly amusing that it targets first-world countries?
65** Not really. BSE is the product of industrial farming practices effects on cows. First world countries are the only ones that eat enough beef to make industrial farming of cows necessary. Thus, first world countries are the only ones affected by Mad Cow Disease. QED.
66** You just proved his point.
67** Towards the beginning Columbus is under the impression that there might not be zombies in the East. The film only shows states from Texas to California, so we have no idea if these rumors are true one way or the other. However, we do know that the characters believe that the virus may not have travelled all across America even. So other continents may very well be safe and zombie-free, albeit mourning the loss of good ol' USA.
68** The opening of the movie shows zombies running amok in Washington, DC.
69** Tallahasee outright said something like, "People from the East hear there's no zombies out West, people out West hear there's no zombies back East."
70** Not to mention Wichita says that Columbus is a ghost town. Assuming she's talking about Columbus, Ohio (and I don't see why she wouldn't be as that particular Columbus would follow the character theme naming which uses state capitals) that would suggest that the eastern United States is also overrun.
71*** Um, Kansas' capital city is '''Topeka''', not Wichita.
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Gasoline]]
75
76* So where does all the gasoline that fuels their cars come from?
77** The same place that produces whatever is keeping the power plants running in absence of mining and operators. Plot power.
78** Alternatively, they're siphoning gas from other cars, since there's plenty of mostly-full cars lying abandoned. No clue about where the electricity is coming from, though.
79** There might be survivors living in and keeping some power plants running. It's obvious that at least some people have kept a close-to-"normal" lifestyle going, even during the events of the movie.
80** Since there is actually still power, they could stop at any out-of-the-way gas station and cautiously give themselves gas. At most, they'd have to kill one or two zombies, and one of their members is good at that.
81** In one of the extras on the DVD {{Word of God}} says that the film takes place a few months after the outbreak of the virus. This could explain why things like power are still working.
82** Well, at the very least for the portions of the film that take place near enough to Arizona, the answer is the electricity is coming from the Hoover Dam, which needs no humans around to operate it. (Although, I'm not quite sure that the substations and high-voltage lines in the Southwest have a similar advantage over conventional power plants, but I'll buy it.) Gasoline is basically a non-issue, the amount of gasoline that all of the gas stations in the US have on hand for all of their customers in one day would probably be able to keep a single car going all day each day for hundreds of thousands of years. Sure, there's probably significantly less gas around since a lot of it was purchased by people fleeing the zombies or perhaps sequestered by the military, but still it's basically just sheer abundance.
83** Even Hoover Dam would need people to run it eventually. But in any case there's no way the electricity would still be going. The film seems to indicate that virtually everyone is infected. That means there would be almost no demand for electricity, as zombies don't turn on air conditioning or electric stoves or [=TVs=]. That would lead to lines and generators all over the grid tripping off on high frequency or high voltage, and the whole grid going dark. The driving around is far more realistic, due to the ability to siphon gas from abandoned cars as mentioned above.
84** Zombies don't turn appliances on, but they don't turn them ''off'' either. There could be enough devices that were left running to use up the excess charge for a while, if the evacuations and spreading panic were sufficiently rushed.
85*** Of note, refrigerators are meant to draw power constantly and many appliances such as stoves and microwaves have a clock that draws a little bit of power constantly, as do security systems and hard wired smoke alarms. Also, most devices, if plugged in are drawing some power whether they are being used or not.
86** Actually the film indicates that the characters ''think'' everyone is infected. We know that a few people in D.C. are dead, and they don't run into any survivors between Texas and California ''along the highway''. There could actually be a lot of people left.
87** Didn't we actually ''see'' them siphoning gas? Although the power thing is bugging me now... maybe the park had its own generator?
88** Nuclear, hydro, wind and solar plants might still work, but coal and gas plants need to be refueled too frequently to continue working without people there. Furthermore, with no people to raise the control rods, the nuclear plants would soon shut down, too.
89
90[[/folder]]
91
92[[folder:World of Warcraft]]
93
94* The main character, Columbus, in the flashback, is playing VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft, presumably with a lot of people. Not one of them mentioned a zombie outbreak? Could his town have been the first infected, or was there an incredibly quick, nearly simultaneous mass infection of the entire population?
95** Being a loner, he was probably guildless and had trade chat off. Or it happened during the zombie event that heralded the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, so he misinterpreted all the people talking about zombies! Oh, my - there's a WildMassGuessing...
96** I suggest the latter.
97** Columbus says he is journeying from Garland, Texas, to his parents' house in Ohio. He also says that Patient Zero ate the first infected burger in Garland. So his campus was most likely closer to the initial infection than wherever his online friends were. Plus, do you think hardcore [=WoW=] players would be reliable sources for current events?
98** Just a note, he stated he went to college at The University of Texas, which is in Austin. I've heard complaints that his dorm was way too spacious to be campus living, but some of UT's dorm/apartments are downright palatial if you can afford them.
99** There's a University of Texas in damn near every major city in Texas. There's one in San Antonio and one in Houston as well.
100** But when people say the University of Texas, they usually mean the one in Austin. I live near Arlington, and we all refer to the University of Texas in Arlington as UTA and the one in Austin as just UT.
101** Plus Columbus specifically states he was in Austin.
102** Not to mention, what kind of shape are [=WoW=] players going to be in? Remember his diet at the beginning, leaning tower of pizza and soda. And he must be pretty new at the game, he's still in decent shape. Given the film's attitude towards the overweight, the hardcore players never had a chance.
103** Let us never forget [[MemeticMutation Rule #1]].
104** Pizza and soda do not make you overwieght. Many "hardcore" gamers are not fatties. And that's without cardio.
105** 22? Um... check in again in 10 years when your metabolism has slowed down. At 22 the human body is still happily processing almost everything you throw at it as if it is a teenager.
106** That's fantastic and all, but it doesn't change the explanation for how Columbus can be in decent shape.
107** Simple. He's around college age and can't be much more than 22 anyways.
108** 32. Hardcore gamer and an alcoholic. Body is still surprisingly slim. Some people just don't put on the weight like others.
109** In any case, Rule #1 ''is'' Cardio. Presumably in addition to play [=WoW=] and eating junk food, he also hit the treadmill or went for runs some time between hanging out in his apartment or going to classes, especially if that was his ''first'' rule. It could have owed to his survival during the early confusion.
110** When 406 bursts in she doesn't say "Ahhh Zombie!", she says "Ahhh! Crazy homeless guy tried to bite me" - I assumed she was one of the first infected and therefore there probably wasn't anybody who really knew about the Zombies that early and those who did weren't in a rush to jump on [=WoW=] and explain
111** Another possibility is that this is kind of a "no way this can be what it obviously is" scenario, in which the news tries to pass off the steadily increasing zombie population as a string of "violent murders by a cult of cannibals" or something like that
112
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Eating victims and zombies]]
116
117* One aspect of zombie movies like Zombieland I found questionable was the fact that they show zombies killing, and more importantly, eating their victims. It is also suggested that after whatever caused the initial outbreak, infection is spread by bites or other bodily liquid exchange. If a zombie kills their victims to eat them, how can there be that many zombies? One would assume the only completely in-tact "healthy" zombies consist of either the initially infected batch, or the people who were bit just badly enough to be infected, but somehow got away from the zombie, completely in tact, to eventually turn into one in time. In conclusion, there should either be a lot less zombies, or a lot more half-eaten ones.
118** I've thought about this in relation to zombie scenarios before. The best suggestion I can come up with is that it is a form of natural selection. The least athletic people are brought down and devoured completely. The most athletic escape with minimal damage, and are turned over time. So, you end up with more zombies who are capable of chasing down prey in the most effective manner, and reducing the number of zombies whose best pace is "slow waddle."
119** It seems to be pretty easy to be infected, as the girl that Columbus brings in only had a homeless man "try to" bite her IIRC, so only people who are trappedsurrounded get eaten, while those who were just careless (e.g. didn't know about the outbreak) could get the infection but still escape. Most people killed after the first day or so would probably be in the former group, but at that point, the population is mostly infected.
120** It's possible that the virus kills a substantial % of the victims outright, leaving them to be eaten by the zombies. Considering they get menaced by less than a dozen zombies while driving down Hollywood Blvd, one of the biggest streets in one of the biggest cities in the world, its likely that only a small minority actually turned.
121** There are so many different scenarios to consider. You could get grazed while running past a zombie, fall onto a dead zombie and touch an open wound, anything. I'm guessing Big Hoss from the supermarket got a scratch.
122** Remember the killer princess birthday party in the intro? I'm guessing that either more people got infected with the hamburgers, or the virus is transmissible via kiss or some other contact, such that food can be poisoned. It could have gone something like this: Mom gets infected, makes contaminated food, infects partygoers, rampage!
123** Or, initially, when the apocalypse was just starting and meals were regular, zombies just took a bite or two out of the victim, as much as or less than a human eating a snack, and the new zombie's accelerated body processes healed this up quickly. Now, food is running short. Zombies grow ravenous. When they get a meal, they don't snack, they feast.
124** Zombies healing?
125** Zombieland zombies are still alive, just diseased. So yes, they would heal.
126*** They'll need Wolverines healing powers to heal that kind of damage.
127** Alternately, there could be a whole lot ''more'' zombies out there whose bodies were severely mangled by being fed upon, but they're not mobile enough to do more than drag themselves along. The zombies that actually manage to approach the characters on-screen are an intact minority; the ruined ones try to crawl towards any people they hear passing, but by the time they get there, their intended prey have already been eaten or chased off by rivals who still have the use of their legs.
128** Probably that's the reason why you don't see children, senior citizens, fat people or the like as zombies and most of the ones we see are generally average young atletic adults, the rest were eaten.
129
130[[/folder]]
131
132[[folder:Ammo]]
133
134* Similarly to the gasoline question, where does all the ammunition come from?
135** Easy, stop every time you see a gun shop and loot some.
136** They actually don't use that much ammo, that is, until they find the redneck stash of weapons and ammunition. As for where they got it initially, you can probably loot it off some bodies of people who died wielding their own guns, which is where Columbus most likely found his double-barrel shotgun.
137** I think Tallahassee owned the initial gun he used, and Columbus found his while sneaking about, avoiding zombies as much as possible. Besides which, Tallahassee seemed to perfer 'going Hulk' on zombies with melee weapons (and from the cow-catcher on the front of his Caddie, driving through large groups of zombies) while Columbus perferred to run, fighting only when he had too. And as said above, they most likely found enough ammo for their needs easy enough through a little searching. Because until Pacific Playland, the group seemed to prefer to run instead of fighting when there were more than a few zombies at a time.
138** To add onto the above: In addition to gun stores or abandoned supply caches (crazy rednecks, national guard depots, etc.), you could always be brave enough to go into a Wal Mart and loot the sporting goods section. Either someone else already looted the place, and there will be nothing left, or they died/fled first and you'll find more than you could possibly carry. [[TakeAThirdOption Or you'll be eaten by an elderly zombie at the front door wearing a blue vest.]] You'll only find a "bit" of ammo if you are looting a body.
139** It's America.
140
141[[/folder]]
142
143[[folder:Girls' intro]]
144
145* The introduction scene of Little Rock and Wichita: What was their goal? There were plenty of other weapons, cars, and food all around, and they surely had to use find some to survive for that long anyways. But no, they had to risk Tallahassee holding a gun against someone who he considers a potential menace, and as hopeless to save as a turned zombie. If he would have been a little bit more stoic, he would have pulled the trigger a second earlier, or would have refused to let family emotions interfere, and not risk that Wichita might change her mind. Honestly, this idea was about as retarded as scaring people in a zombie costume for the lulz... Wait! Technically, that's exactly what they did!
146** That's a bizarre choice of cons to pull, admittedly, but they did have a decent reason. They were stuck in a supermarket with large, male zombies and they are young women with no guns. They needed rescue, and when one came they stuck to their own Zombieland rule: Don't trust anybody but each other."
147** What's worse are the [[FreudianExcuse trust issues]]. They have their "Don't trust anybody but each other" rule, but their whole plan revolves around trusting that [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Tallahasse]] won't kill Little Rock. When he gives Wichita the gun, he is showing them that he is trustworthy.
148** Which is Lampshaded by Columbus as they drive off...
149** The reason for the con is simple: as shown in shows like Lost, con jobs shown onscreen in media are rather poorly thought-out because the writers either can't think of a good con idea and/or don't want to show something on screen that could be reasonably used successfully in real life. As bad as that con was, the one involving the broken-down car was worse- the premise was so flawed the con had to happen off-screen to be believable.
150** See the JBG below for a more in-depth discussion re: the con. Also note that the instant Tallahassee takes the gun from Columbus (who obviously won't shoot), Wichita moves to get around behind him and stays there until he turns away from Little Rock to hand her the weapon -- she's visibly prepared to try and sap him from ambush if she has to, or at least buy Little Rock enough time to yell 'Not actually bitten!' and confess to the con and throw themselves on the mercy of the court. (Hey, the worst that happens then is the guys go off and leave them, which means they're no worse off than before except for not being trapped by large fat zombies... win-win!)
151** Also, Wichita doesn't give Tallahassee time to actually shoot. She starts going "Waitwaitwait!" the instant he starts to actually raise the gun.
152** It's also arguable how trapped Wichita & Little Rock really are. While they ''do'' need a car, there is a closed door between them and the fat zombies (who obviously don't know that they're there, given the lack of clawing at the door), and there is a back exit from the supermarket.
153** Wait,the girls already had their two guns. Why did they need to con the men to take their weapons?
154** What guns are you talking about? The only guns we see them use are the ones that they take of the guys or are from the redneck stash.
155** There is also a very uncomfortable, unstated reason that two young women would want to make sure that the two fully-functioning, zombie-killing males are unarmed and not with them. And it has nothing to do with zombies.
156
157[[/folder]]
158
159[[folder:How long in the supermarket]]
160
161* Just how long were the two girls in the back room of the supermarket? There were zombies IN the building.
162
163[[/folder]]
164
165[[folder:Town names]]
166
167* Columbus and Tallahassee start calling each other by the names of the towns they're each trying to get to. So how did they end up calling the girls Wichita and Little Rock?
168** Here's my theory: They are calling each other by their hometown. Wichita, being about 8-10 years older than her sister, lived in Wichita until just before Little Rock was born in Little Rock. So the sisters consider different towns their hometowns.
169** Okay, but why did they introduce themselves to Tallahassee that way? Is the hometown-as-name thing an unspoken rule in Zombieland, or is it just an incredible coincidence, or did Wichita and Tallahassee have an extended conversation about names ''and'' discuss the situation with Little Rock in the thirty seconds or so that Columbus was propping open that door?
170** Remember how before Tallahassee stopped Columbus before he stated his name? I bet they were going to say their names he stopped them, and told him the rule. It wouldn't have taken ''that'' long.
171** Maybe both girls were from Little Rock, but Wichita attended college or moved to in Kansas at some point, as she appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. The outbreak could have happened while Wichita was visiting her family or vice versa, therefore explaining why the sisters were together.
172** Perhaps Wichita is where they were from, and Little Rock is where they told him they were going. And of course, "Little Rock" for the young girl is an appropriate pet name.
173** Why would they tell him they were going to Little Rock when they were heading for California?
174** Because they're professional con artists? Since they weren't intending to kill the guys, telling the guys that they were heading in the exact opposite direction from their actual destination seems like a pretty smart idea.
175** I just assumed that there was no exchange of names at all, and Tallahassee just gave them nominal names on the spot. After all, Little Rock is, you know, the little one. Not quite sure where he got Wichita, though, as he wasn't thinking of her as a witch quite yet. Just minutes later, though....
176** They could simply both be from and / or going to Wichita or Little Rock, but since he can't exactly call them both that, he simply gives one of them another town's name (like, as mentioned above, calling the littlest member of the group "Little Rock" as a cute little play on terms or something) simply to distinguish between them. It's not like "call them the name of the town they're from and / or going to" is an immutable law of the universe or anything.
177** Thing is though, this continues in the sequel, showing it seems to be widespread, without prompting most people seem to give their names as places, despite the fact that Tallahassee first used it as a way to distance himself from people, which doesn't work as well when it is people he is actively trying to get close to, such as Nevada, it seems to be a recurring thing, that no matter how few people were involved their group seems to set trends, unintended or not, such as the places as names or pulling a Murray.
178
179[[/folder]]
180
181[[folder:Homeless biting]]
182
183* There's a pretty big difference between " a homeless person tried to bite me" and "a homeless person bit me". Why is it 406 didn't outright say she'd been bitten?
184** She probably wasn't bitten, but she might have scraped her knee trying to get away from him, he drooled into her open cut, and she just barely got away without being bitten, but still infected.
185** Another option is that she was such an emotional wreck, the adrenaline kicked in and she didn't notice at all. Seriously, how could she overpower the man if he's freshly dead? He'd still have most of his motor skills and I doubt he'd be stumbling too badly otherwise.
186** Denial? By that time there would be weird reports of bites making people sick. Who would want to admit they are now going to be in lots of trouble because of a crazy homeless guy?
187** Since the outbreak started in Garland (according to Columbus), maybe she just ate the tainted meat and was one of the original carriers.
188** Watched the DVD last night. One of the deleted scenes shows 406's corpse with a wound on the inside of her left arm. It was either a bite or a serious scratch, and like the troper above suggested the adrenaline kicked in and she didn't notice. She was a complete wreck, and by the time it wore off she was passing out in Columbus' apartment.
189
190[[/folder]]
191
192[[folder:Going so far for college]]
193
194* If Columbus was such a wussy shut-in before the zombie apocalypse, then why did he go halfway across the country for college? Even if he wanted to get away from his parents, going to the nearest university and living in the dorms would still be less of a risk. The fact that he spent most of his time playing ''World of Warcraft'' indicates that he wasn't very concerned with academics or sports or anything else to do with school, so what drew him to Texas?
195** Really good, maybe full-ride, scholarship. Same reason I moved crossed country to go to school. Also, Ohio sucks.
196*** Or the school has a very good degree program in the area he wanted to major in.
197** [[HomeSweetHome Hey, now.]]
198** [[HatedHometown No, no. It's true.]]
199** He ''did'' mention that his family was highly dysfunctional. Also, while Columbus was a wussy shut-in, he didn't ''like'' being one, and kept trying (however unsuccessfully) to get over it, make friends, and be "normal". Moving away to go to college sounds like another attempt at that.
200** For some people moving away from college is simply not any more stressful than staying close to home, particularly if you don't have a good relationship with your family. Essentially, being a wussy shut-in has no effect at all on where he goes to college. Also, plenty of people don't get into World of Warcraft ''until'' college, so any of the above reasons could have applied at the time of admission.
201
202[[/folder]]
203
204[[folder:Songs]]
205
206* They listen to music in their car, including the songs "Popular" from Theatre/{{Wicked}}, and a Willie Nelson song. So, either people are still manning radio stations to play a wide variety of music, or the heavily armed redneck they got the Hummer from likes Wicked enough to buy the CD.
207** Or one of the main four had some [=CDs=] or an iPod among the few personal possessions they brought along.
208*** The Willy Nelson CD is justified in that it was probably a possession of the rednecks who previously owned the vehicle.
209** [[WildMassGuessing Perhaps it was satellite radio?]]
210** There are more than a few people who's musical taste include both musicals such as Wicked and the stylings of Willie Nelson.
211** Not to mention, we're ignoring the possibility that the Hummer is the redneck's car, but he or she had a son or daughter or significant other who was into musicals. You telling me a redneck dad wouldn't listen to Wicked if his daughter wanted to?
212[[/folder]]
213
214[[folder:Hannah Montana]]
215
216* Speaking of "Popular", why is Little Rock talking about Series/HannahMontana? Shouldn't a Miley Cyrus song have been playing? Not that I'm complaining. Any excuse to hear Kristen Chenowith singing...
217** In-universe answer: A Miley Cyrus song must have been on right before "Popular". Real answer: Disney probably wouldn't give the rights to a Series/HannahMontana song to an R-rated movie.
218** Real answer, according to the DVD commentary: Abigail Breslin is a big Hannah Montana fan, and that entire scene was improv. The Willie Nelson discussion was Woody Harrelson's reaction to being lectured on Miley Cyrus by a 12-year-old girl.
219
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Six survivors]]
223
224* Did anyone else notice when Tallahassee starts freaking out about [[spoiler:Bill FUCKING Murray being a survivor he says, "6 Survivors in the world and one of them is Bill FUCKING Murray!" So... who is the 6th?]]
225** That nun who killed a zombie by dropping a piano on it.
226** I assumed that was hyperbole, and Tallahassee just meant that there were very few survivors left.
227** I heard a theory somewhere that Tallahassee [[spoiler: was still in denial about his son's death.]]
228** Well, compared to the others, Tallahessee isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He probably just blurted out any low number he could think of.
229** Scripting change that snuck through. Originally the celebrity was to be Patrick Swayze, with several movie references done hilariously wrong (the running jump from Dirty Dancing ending in intestines being eaten, the pottery wheel scene in Ghost, etc) There were originally more survivors for cannon-fodder with the movie ripoffs. Unfortunately Swayze died and they had to rework it.
230** I thought the 6th person was [[spoiler: Bill Murray's friend with special effects expertise who showed Bill how to blend in with the zombies. I would think the friend would be good at blending in as well.]]
231
232[[/folder]]
233
234[[folder:Shooting Little Rock]]
235
236* I'm curious as to what Wichita's back-up plan would have been if they actually shot her little sister's head off.
237** Con artists generally don't succeed in the profession if they're not good at reading people. If the mark genuinely looked so emotionally detached or hardened that they wouldn't hesitate to shoot a 12-year-old girl, they'd probably make an approach using an entirely different sob story or else just hide and wait for the scary crazy dude to go away. Remember, Wichita revealed herself to them, they didn't find her: presumably she was lurking and observing the two guys before choosing to step out and say hi.
238** Also, while Tallahassee at first glance looks "hard" enough to do it quickly, Columbus obviously wouldn't be able to go through with it without taking a lot of time to nerve himself up first... and you'll notice who Wichita asked to do the shooting first. And when Columbus hands off to Tallahassee, she sticks a ''lot'' closer to him, ready to grab him or shove his aim aside if she has to, and then asks him for the gun.
239
240[[/folder]]
241
242[[folder:Overweight]]
243
244* If Columbus was pretty much a nerdy ''Warcraft'' playing, soft drink guzzling, shut in how did he become such a master at cardio in the first place to survive the ZombieApocalypse? It isn't just the overweight who can be out of shape.
245** Running away from school bullies, maybe?
246** He was a nerd before the ZombieApocalypse. After the encounter with his neighbour, he TookALevelInBadass and eventually evolved into the badass we know as Columbus Ohio.
247** You can get in a LOT of cardio in 6 months.
248** Must have run cross-country. Its a nerd sport. Requires no coordination, nor teamwork, and there's no audience to be embarrassed in front of.
249** Sometimes it's the weedy looking ones who are scary fit.
250** His parents lived on a farm, right? Farm boys grow up in shape, nerds or not.
251** Maybe he didn't have a car, and walked everywhere.
252** The whole theme of the movie is 'Stay on your toes'. The strong survive.
253** Columbus was always a bit paranoid. He probably made an effort to keep himself fit in case he ever needed to run away from someone.
254** He lives in a dorm on-campus. Texas has a really big campus. It's doubtful he drove a car from class-to-class. Rather than implying he's dumb and never went to class, being the nerdy shut-in type would imply that he probably went from class to class, playing World of Warcraft all night and still acing his scores.
255** He's young and may very well have one of those fast metabolisms that skinny people are afflicted with. A more pressing question is when does he find time to maintain a cardio routine when he has to be on the lookout for zombies? Unless he finds himself being chased around parking lots by zombies often enough for it to ''be'' his cardio.
256** He lives in, well, a zombieland -- that's highly likely. In any case, if you lived in a ZombieApocalypse I'd imagine you'd very quickly get into the habit of running from place to place even if there weren't (apparently) any zombies nearby -- getting off the street as quick as possible is a pretty good idea in those circumstances.
257** As a nerdy shut-in, I have experience in this area. Being an introverted dork does not automatically mean neglecting physical health. When I noticed that my sedentary lifestyle was beginning to add inches to my waistline, I added exercise to my daily routines. Video games that encourage activity (Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Fit have been my go-tos) helped a great deal and while I may have eaten poorly I could still control my intake. Columbus may well have had a similar attitude.
258
259[[/folder]]
260
261[[folder:The rides]]
262
263* In Pacific Playland, we see the rides not only operational but actively running. Little Rock and Wichita are even on one of the rides at the same time, having the time of their lives. Now, unless amusement park rides have gotten a lot more advanced since the last time I was on a roller coaster, somebody had to be actually at the controls to start and stop the rides, so... who?
264** It gets even more confusing because they HAD to use controls to operate the ride they got trapped in at the end of the movie.
265** Don't those things run on an automatic cycle, like washing machines? Makes no sense to make a rollercoaster go fulltilt past the platform without stopping, it'll mess with the slow-drag-uphill engine that comes after, if it doesn't crash into the steep incline first.
266** Every coaster I've ever been on has had an operator working a braking lever to stop it. However, newer coasters might be automated, not sure.
267** Unlikely. Fully automatic coasters could be dangrous since you risk having them take off with someone improperly seated or unsecured. Sure, you could put sensors in the seatbelts that prevent the train from leaving while any are unbuckled, but a failed sensor could result in a stalled ride or a massive lawsuit. Hiring a human to press a button is a cheap enough way to reduce liability.
268
269[[/folder]]
270
271[[folder:Wichita and Little Rock birthplaces]]
272
273* Wichita is in Texas, and the closest "Little Rock" is in Arkansas.
274** Just because you're siblings doesn't automatically mean you were born in the same city.
275** It's rare, but it happens.
276*** It's not even all that rare. I was born in PA, while my brother was born in NM, but we grew up in MT...and we're only two years apart. By looks, the age difference between Krista and her little sister has gotta be around a decade, maybe more. A family moving once in a decade is not that rare.
277** They aren't named after their birthplace as I recall it.
278** The most famous Wichita is in Kansas. Wichita Falls is in Texas.
279** And nobody would try to go there on purpose, apocalypse or not.
280** The 'give them the name of the town they're born in / going to' thing isn't exactly an unbreakable law of the universe or anything. Could be they said they were from / going to Wichita, and since Tallahassee obviously can't refer to two people by the same name if he wants things to be clear, for the sake of clarity he just gave Little Rock that name as a little play on the fact that she's, you know, little.
281** This is wild, unfounded speculation, but maybe their parents were con artists, too. That would explain how they got into it at such a young age, how they got so good at it so quickly. It would also mean they probably moved around a lot as kids. Con artists tend to move frequently to avoid being recognized.
282** They could also be military brats. It's common for military families to move frequently. Both Little Rock and Wichita have Air Force bases. The con games could be their girls rebelling against military parents who demand order and respect for authority.
283** Or their parents could have just moved around a lot looking for work, and the girls became con artists just to survive a life with parents who struggled to support them.
284
285[[/folder]]
286
287[[folder:Finding a Twinkie]]
288
289* All those abandoned stores they were literally running amok in and it is that difficult to find a Twinkie?
290** I agree. If they couldn't find Twinkies, they weren't looking hard enough.
291** The Twinkies were the first to go. They're famous for being disaster-proof, makes sense people would think to grab them before snowballs.
292** Not to mention, the shops do have twinkies - check out the shelves behind Tallahassee when he's killing the zombies in the supermarket (I think its when Columbus and Tallahassee do the whole "don't swing. swing" conversation), there's a box of twinkies sitting right there.
293
294[[/folder]]
295
296[[folder:Rumors]]
297
298* Everyone said that they had "heard" about the Zombie-free areas. I'd still like to know from ''who'' they heard this.
299** Other survivors they'd happened to come across but not linked up with, media reports before the media went dead, basic rumour-mongering, wishful thinking...
300
301[[/folder]]
302
303[[folder:Spread]]
304
305* How did the zombie virus spread so far? Normally I'd chalk it up to just everyone being infected through the air or food or something before the movie" but in the opening you can actually see various people including riot police fighting the zombies. This is more just a complaint about zombie movies in general, but what exactly was stopping the army from running all the zombies in tanks or shooting them from helicopters? Its shown in the movie that the disease is MCD, so you can't just catch it through the air. On a similar note, what exactly do the survivors eat? Isn't most of the meat infected with the virus? I figure it would, otherwise the virus wouldn't have spread so well in the first place.
306** There's plenty of food in the world that isn't meat. Some of it probably holds up to time better than meat, even.
307** Columbus's narration notes that the disease was started with an infected burger and that the originator contagion was Mad Cow Disease. So it can probably be assumed that the contagious meat would be infected beef. Presumably if the survivors started sticking to chicken and pigs, who do not carry the pathogen, they should be fine. As for your other point, consider that it can take Time to mount a full military assault, and to find the origin of any pathogen. Especially with how fast and vicious the infected are. Some of the soldiers meant to be protecting people may well have eaten tainted beef before they learned that was the source, putting a knife into some of their numbers and command structure. And in the meantime you have helpless civilians fighting for their lives and panicking because the undead are clawing and bashing their way into their homes and workplaces to eat them alive. Panic can do a lot to people in a short amount of time. Especially when its panic over something legitimately frightening.
308
309[[/folder]]
310
311[[folder:Little Rock hostage]]
312
313* When Little Rock is revealed to be in the car, why didn't they take her hostage instead? They had every opportunity to turn her into a bargaining chip.
314** She had a gun; Columbus didn't.
315** She isn't "found in the car," she ''sneaks up on them and holds a gun to Tallahasee's head''.
316** It appeared that both men had guns on them at all times, meaning that it was still two against one. Even if Tallahassee was the only one armed, that's still two grown men against one young girl.
317** Again, it's one young girl who ''already has a gun to their heads''. And do you ''really'' think Columbus is going to shoot a girl?
318** More importantly, is Columbus going to let a girl shoot Tallahassee with abandoned cars all over the place?
319
320[[/folder]]
321
322[[folder:Starvation]]
323
324* It's been six months since the infection, these creatures are supposed to be infected humans, not undead and zombies will not eat other zombies - shouldn't most of them be dying of starvation by now?
325** Many probably have, but there ''are'' other people in the world. Both Columbus and Tallahassee tell stories of other survivors, and no, I don't mean Beverly Hills.
326** Maybe zombies don't have to eat very often.
327** There's a few million people in the United States alone, and not everyone would be infected at exactly the same time.
328** It's seem to be a popular theory that the zombies in the movie are still alive, yet the script refers to them as [[http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/z/zombieland-script-transcript-zombies.html undead]], also some scenes show zombies running around with shotgun wounds in their bodies.
329
330[[/folder]]
331
332[[folder:Zombie animals]]
333
334* What's preventing the [[Franchise/ResidentEvil zombie crows and dogs?]]
335** Why would there be zombie crows and dogs?
336** Crows are carrion feeders and dogs when starving will eat any supply of meat, IE both would be eating infectees. The above troper is probably assuming it's easier for a virus to jump species than it is, probably due to the movie's own thing of "Mad Cow became Mad Person".
337** The infection is stated to be similar to Mad Cow Disease, and there's no (known) Corvid Spongiform Encephalopathy or Canine Spongiform encephalopathy. Zombie cats, sheep, elk, deer, goats, and minks, on the other hand...
338** According to the Left 4 dead wiki the virus in the game kills animals as well as children so maybe its the same here, the crows and dogs eat the dead and then drop dead from the infection.
339
340[[/folder]]
341
342[[folder:Timeline]]
343
344* Wichita and Little Rock supposedly leave for Pacific Playland right as Tallahassee and Columbus wake up so presumably it's morning or early afternoon if we assume they stayed up late and slept in. Yet when they get there the sun is setting. Later when Tallahassee and Columbus go to find the girls it takes like 30 minutes maybe to get there? Which leads to the question what the girls were doing all day.
345** Getting that Twinkie?
346
347[[/folder]]
348
349[[folder:Columbus and Wichita]]
350
351* Columbus' inexplicable fanboy worship of Wichita in the first half of the film. Okay, some random woman pulls a WoundedGazelleGambit so that she can steal your weapons and everything you own, and then leaves you for dead. Then she does it '''again''', taking you hostage. I don't care how attractive she is and I don't care if she's the only person of the opposite gender within fifteen years of my age left alive, I'm not trusting that person ever. And yet Columbus shows her nothing but fawning adoration. And this is pre-CharacterDevelopment on Witchita's end! And later on she never apologizes and Columbus doesn't look for one! She left you for dead, moron! It's like some sort of bizarre Stockholm Syndrome.
352** From what we know about Columbus, pre-apocalypse he doesn't exactly seem to have been the type to attract a lot of female attention. And now, for whatever reason, he is. From a woman who is possibly one of the last remaining women left alive at this point. And she's ''hot'', and about his age. He's letting his dick do the thinking, basically.
353** Smart and rational people — and Columbus seems to generally fit into that category — can appreciate someone else outsmarting them.
354** Also, she didn't leave him for dead. He's still physically capable, and paired with another guy who has ''fun'' killing zombies with whatever he happens to find lying around. And she left him in a grocery store full of food. It's not like she left him in a pit of undead.
355** And to be fair, Columbus and Tallahassee could improvise some blunt objects in the grocery store and use those as weapons. Furthermore, as for food, the canned goods would make great food.
356
357[[/folder]]
358
359[[folder:Gas station con]]
360
361* Why exactly did Wichita and Little Rock's con against that gas station guy work? It's just the guy is out right told that it's her engagement ring she's trying to find and yet seems to give up all that cash for a chance to be with a woman who he believes is going to get married.
362** That's not why he's giving up that money at all. Listen to the first part of the con: Wichita ''promises him cash'', and a lot of it, if she gets the ring back. He's giving Little Rock a couple hundred dollars because he thinks he's going to get a couple thousand for returning the ring.
363** I recently re-watched that scene, and while she does offer him cash he turns her down. The main problem with that scene is that while Wichita does offer a 3,000 cash reward the guy just seems more interest in trying to hook up with a woman he believes is getting married.
364** I chalk it up to the same reason most successful scams work: some people are just ''that'' stupid.
365** And as with the headscratcher immediately above, this guy believes he has a chance with an incredibly attractive young woman, engaged or not. Once again, his dick is doing the thinking.
366** It's pretty clear he has no intention of contacting her. His plan is to sell the ring and get the full value, not the reward. He even mentions on the phone that the best thing is she's on a plane. It's similar to the con Hooker, Luther, and Erie play at the beginning of ''Film/TheSting''. They are expecting the mark to make off with the fake money/ring.
367** Exactly. Wichita implies, or outright states, the ring is very expensive, her (fictional) rich fiancé spent a lot of money on it. The guy's expecting to sell a ring worth four figures, parting with three figures as "reward" for the little girl who finds it is no sweat. Wichita shaking her booty at the guy looking for the ring is A) to get his attention to come offer assistance B) get his mind occupied with other thoughts so he's less likely to think through the con and see it for what it is. Misdirection.
368
369[[/folder]]
370
371[[folder:Are Little Rock and Wichita supposed to be dumb?]]
372
373* Little Rock and Wichita do a lot of stupid things.
374
375- They hide in a supermarket (which is full of Zombies), waiting for someone to show up. Given that North America is basically a big desert now, it could take days or weeks or more. For what purpose? Stealing a car? They can just take one of the abandoned cars on the road. Finding weapons should not be that difficult either.
376
377- The second time, they hide on the side of the road. For what purpose? Stealing a car? They already have one! They ran out of gas? Gas stations are still working and, again, there are plenty of abandoned cars on the road.
378
379- Then, they let Columbus and Tallahassee ride with them. Wichita and Little Rock would have been safe, both on the back seat of the car. But no: Wichita is driving, her two hands on the wheel, and Little Rock, a 12 y.o. girl, is on the back seat with Tallahassee. Of course, Tallahassee overpowers the girl and grabs her rifle. What was their plan, anyway? Keep them hostages for several days?
380
381- They activate the rides and the lights of an amusement park, at night. Seriously??? Of course it attracts hordes of Zombies!
382They have zombies on the roof of their car: instead of accelerating and braking hard to make them fall off, they jump out of the car!
383They run to the tower ride, as if it were a brilliant idea, but of course that's a really, really bad one.
384
385I understand that Tallahassee is not a smart guy and can make some pretty bad decisions. That's part of his character.
386But Little Rock and Wichita? Are they supposed to be dumb characters?
387
388[[/folder]]
389
390[[folder: Why take hostages?]]
391* The first time the sisters rob Columbus and Tallahassee they take their car and stuff. The second time they take their car again (even tough they already had one?) but decide to being the two along for the ride. Why wouldn't they just leave the two again? They have zero interest in making friends, they don't need help, and they can hardly keep a gun in them forever.
392** Brought up in the Fridge section, but it may be that they weren't willing to leave the guys to die in a hay field with no weapons, food, or water. The last time when they sped off and left them, the guys were in a mostly fully stocked grocery store where all the resident zombies had just been cleared. If I recall correctly, they even handed them off their luggage before leaving them. Even if they sped off with the guys' car and all their guns, they'd have left them in a decently safe location to survive and fortify, with materials to make bludgeoning weapons. They're con artists, but even that may have been a bridge too far for them to have on their consciences if they were to just leave them somewhere without anything.
393[[/folder]]

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