ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP REVIEW
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, & Emma Stone
Directed By: Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Zombieland)
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
Ten years ago, a small little horror-comedy movie debuted called Zombieland.It made just over a hundred million worldwide which is pretty much the threshold for a sequel nowadays.At the time it premiered, the world was a little different.The Walking Dead hadn’t hit TV screens yet.People were clamoring for zombie content. They were the hot thing in horror.In 2019, that couldn’t be further from the truth.The Walking Dead has lost all but it’s most diehard fans.Zombies feel overdone, almost…done…to…death.
Since the original Zombieland’s debut almost all of its cast members received Academy Award nomination, Emma Stone even winning an Oscar for La La Land.The writing team went on to hone their sarcastic meta humor in movies like Deadpool.Director Ruben Fleischer directed the surprise comic hit last year, Venom.Everyone’s back for Zombieland 2, subtitled Double Tap.One of the rules for killing zombies.
Zombieland: Double Tap could care less about zombies.There are zombies in it.They attack our heroes.But they are not the focal point of this film.The mundane day-to-day lives of our cast members seems to be the focus here.Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone are trying to return to domestic life together.Woody Harrelson plays a loner who goes to great lengths to protect Abigail Breslin, who was 13 when the original was in theaters.She’s now a young adult and looking for people her own age in a barren wasteland.
Fans of the original will be pleased to know that Zombieland: Double Tap is almost identical to the first movie.Playful banter, the occasional zombie kill, with enough plot twists along the way to keep it interesting. It isn’t as much a carbon copy sequel as The Hangover 2, but it is close.The writing is sharp enough to keep this one afloat.
This movie doesn’t take itself seriously and neither should you.It’s a fun romp with some old friends you haven’t seen in a while.It pokes fun at its own existence, the scourge of zombie content, and society at large.But Zombieland is probably most famous for one thing and one thing only.You remember Zombieland a decade later because of one moment in the original movie.The iconic cameo from Bill Murray.It’s the only thing I really cared about going into the sequel.Was Murray going to return?Yes he does.I won’t say anything more than that.Ok, I’ll add this.Stay through the credits to maximize your Bill Murray experience.
New cast members Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, and noted swinger slash Verizon pitchman Thomas Middleditch all make excellent additions to the movie.
I will say the original was less than 90 minutes and it felt perfect.Just breezy enough to warrant its existence.The sequel is about an hour and forty minutes and feels too long.By the time we got to the finale, I was ready to be done.Not that anything soured me on the movie, it just felt like it had done everything it wanted to do, yet there was still an ending that needed to be written.
I can’t see this having enough legs for a third installment, but then again I didn’t think I’d ever see a second chapter to begin with.
On a scale of “See It/Stream It/Skip It” – Stream It – I always like to promote good comedies, because they’re so few and far between.Zombieland: Double Tap doesn’t break new ground, but it’s a nice enough addition to the series
If you liked Zombieland, Night of the Living Dead, or Shaun of the Dead then you might enjoy Zombieland: Double Tap
3 out of 5 stars for Zombieland: Double Tap.Not quite as good as the original, but there’s enough here to enjoy for the most part