After a ten-year hiatus to one of the goofiest and blood-soaked films of the decade, that fans thought was dead on arrival, almost like its zombie-like counterparts comes the long-awaited sequel, “Zombieland: Double Tap.” The movie doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor, but given its many flaws, it can still be a fun treat for fans of the original.
Taking place ten years after the events of the first “Zombieland” film, “Zombieland: Double Tap” follows the ever socially awkward Columbus played by Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”), twinkie-loving cowboy Tallahassee played by Woody Harrelson (“True Detective”), Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) as Little Rock and Emma Stone (“La La Land”) as Wichita as they fight their way through a newly-evolved group of zombies. When Little Rock goes missing on a rebellious teenage path trying to find survivors her own age, Columbus, Tallahassee and Wichita are left to find her whereabouts before she gets herself hurt.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” feels like a step back from its predecessor and suffers from the sophomore sequel slump. The movie doesn’t expand on any of its characters and lacks the funny, quirky humor of the original. The moments of funny dialogue between each of the characters are represented by half-landing jokes that try way too hard and are more cringe-worthy than funny. This uneven humor coupled with performances by Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson feel all too bleak at best, downplaying what could be a great performance from an otherwise star-studded cast. The sequel simply seems like director Ruben Fleischer (“Venom”) wanted a quick cash-in, rather than making a cohesive film for fans of the original.
Though, what “Zombieland: Double Tap” does get right is the blood-splattered kills and the over the top set pieces. In the opening scene of the movie, the gang goes on an all-out zombie killing spree, taking them to the inner rooms of the White House. As slow-motion scenes batter the screen with blood, this group of characters do what they do best – kill zombies.
One of the settings of the films finds the gang at a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere, which lends itself nicely to a barren, zombie-infested world. I couldn’t help but laugh as the gang got inside a monster truck and ran over hundreds of zombies all while Columbus squirmed in the back from motion sickness.
Another part that the film did a good job on was the quirky fourth wall breaks that made fun of other zombie films and even itself. The extraneous “zombie kills of the week” that pop up at random parts of the film especially play nicely to the tone of the film. That being said, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, which helps and hinders the overall tone at times.
That is not to say that “Zombieland: Double Tap” is not a fun time, because it is – it just doesn’t live up to its predecessor and the tonality of the film is all over the place. The film also felt like it was rushed and could have really benefited from an antagonist or a more impending goal that brings the characters together. Though fans of the first film will still have fun, don’t expect the same film that impressed audiences ten years before to sink its infectious humor and characters into movie-goers in the newly released “Zombieland: Double Tap.”
3/5 stars.
