Grade: B- “Zombieland: Double Tap” is back for more fun!
I am not a zombie movie fan or a horror movie fan and usually avoid most of the movies in those genres like the plague. Just a few weeks ago, I branched out and watched the first “Zombieland” movie from 2009. Everyone I talked to before seeing the movie loved it and I skipped it earlier because of my lack of interest in the genre. I thought it was going to be another zombie killing movie that has been done over many times. It proved me wrong and I really enjoyed my time with the movie. It surprised me with a good time and a good amount of laughs. Right after finishing “Zombieland,” I was eager to see the sequel “Zombieland: Double Tap.”
The sequel, “Zombieland: Double Tap” delivered exactly what I was expecting. It had the laughs, the action, and a few of the pop culture references just like the first movie. “Zombieland: Double Tap” picks up right where the first movie left off, only ten years later. Tallahassee (played by Woody Harrelson) and Columbus (played by Jesse Eisenberg) are still navigating through Zombieland with the two girls, Wichita (played by Emma Stone) and Little Rock (played by Abigail Breslin). “Zombieland: Double Tap” dives a little deeper into the lives of Columbus and Wichita as well as focusing more on the “buddy cop-like” relationship between Tallahassee and Columbus. Other than a few new characters and surprises, that I will not spoil, it is basically the same movie as the first one. This is not a bad thing, considering that the first movie was just tons of fun. I was laughing pretty hard along with other members of the audience. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Eisenberg and Harrelson steal the show with their smart banter. They are both gifted actors that know how to deliver a good performance. Stone and Breslin do a good job as well, but the movie kind of puts them in the back seat during the hour and thirty-nine minute drive through Zombieland. Breslin’s character is missing for a good chunk of the movie because she ends up in a hippie commune that is free of guns. Stone’s character, while more prevalent than Breslin, pops in and out of the movie. Some of her disappearances make for some good comedic setups, but I would have preferred to have her on screen more. When the entire gang attempts to work together as a whole, the movie really shines and delivers laughs because not all of them get along. It is quite fun to watch them slay zombies in their own way.
There is not much more to be said about “Zombieland: Double Tap” other than it is a fun movie and worthy of your time. It is simple, good, bloody, fun. I hope that there is a third installment. I will be in the theater ready to laugh with the gang again! Grab your friends and run out to see “Zombieland: Double Tap.” You will have a great time!