Genre Character of the Week: Columbus

Deep down I think everyone would like to believe that in a crisis we would act like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. While all hell was breaking loose we would steadily and methodically take care of the problem and save the day. To be fair, I do love Die Hard, it's one of my favourite Christmas movies, but at the same time, lets be honest, I'm no Bruce Willis. When looking around at characters in these kind of terrible scenarios, I think the one I come closest to is Columbus from Zombieland.

Part of what really appeals to me about the character, despite his inherent awkward sweetness, is his collection of rules. Very much in tune with the attitude of my very first post, he has decided to be the very best Zombie apocalypse survivor he can be, and to do so he follows a pretty specific list of rules. These rules have allowed him to survive far longer than many others in his terrible new world, and in the end, they rarely let him down.

As a character (played very well by Jessie Eisenberg, pictured right), Columbus starts out as a University student with very few actual social connections. He lives in the comfortable bubble of his apartment and does most of his social interactions through the computer. In fact it is only after the world has been overrun by zombies that he is willing to step out of his door.

As with most other Genre Characters of the Week, I love the fact that the character has a story arc, that he changes throughout the film, and even in a world where mankind has lost, he begins to find hope, friendship and the ability to change into a better person.