Anthony's Film Review - Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

Bloody and funny just like the first...

Zombieland was a funny horror comedy when it came out in 2009. I enjoyed the idea of strangers coming together as friends in a world where most humans have become bloodthirsty, flesh-eating zombies. After that movie, I never imagined a sequel. I could not imagine how there could be a sequel with new and fresh material. Seriously, can there be anything new that one can do with Zombieland? Well, after seeing Zombieland: Double Tap, I was pleased to see that, yes, it is possible.

So the same four characters from the first Zombieland are back: Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). Other than the fact that Little Rock is now a young adult rather than an adolescent, the characters look pretty much the same as you remember them. There are plenty of new characters here as well, played by a supporting cast that includes Rosario Dawson and Luke Wilson. In addition, some of them are also named after major American cities. So now in addition to the main characters associated with Ohio, Florida, Kansas, and Arkansas, you have characters whose names are related to California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

The plot of the movie is pretty simple. In the beginning, the main quartet come across the White House that has been abandoned since the zombie apocalypse started. They make it their home for a while, and they seem happy at first. But then Little Rock, feeling tired of not being on her own, takes off without notice. Wichita is unsuccessful in finding Little Rock herself, so Columbus and Tallahassee join the search. That means more encounters with zombies, which at this point have evolved such that a few zombie breeds are briefly described in the movie's intro.

There were plenty of scenes in this movie that made laugh. For example, the young woman named after a Wisconsin city is such an airhead, yet she is endearing and upbeat when she says dumb things, like her business idea that indirectly references Uber and Lyft. There's also a scene that provides an interesting purpose for the film's subtitle "Double Tap," by making the audience briefly see double. Perhaps my favorite is the scene that plays shortly after the credits begin. I won't spoil it obviously, but it features a cameo that I think you'll delight in, especially if you saw the first Zombieland movie.

As with the previous movie, this Zombieland movie focuses more on the humans and their relationships than their fights against zombies. It makes sense. One would expect a lot of downtime in between killing zombies. Plus, the human stories can be interesting. Of course, if you love to see zombie killing, you got it here. You'll especially like the climax where fighting back against a horde of zombies will require a lot more creativity than before, because the obvious option isn't available.

With that, Zombieland: Double Tap is an extra dose of good wholesome fun. It's neither better nor worse than the first one, which was still good. These two movies are good enough that a Zombieland 3, if done with equal quality, could still be enjoyable. It's like eating your favorite kind of food more than once. It's satisfying each time. (Yes, this is true whether you're human or zombie.)

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Zombieland: Double Tap, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of Zombieland.