Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

Jess’ Review

Sam made perhaps the den of the century today, and instead of putting him through the intensity of Korean horror, Train to Busan, I decided to reward his efforts with something lighter. Perhaps something funny even. But still, let’s not completely let him off the hook, so we’ll make it a horror. So today we watched greatly-anticipated sequel to the 2009 hit, Zombieland, Zombieland 2: Double Tap. Despite hearing whisperings of how bad the film was, I’d wanted to watch Zombieland 2 for awhile, and personally take the chance to dismiss the haters as sequel-phobics. And I’m glad to say, I did. I loved it! Of course it’s not as good at the first film - name me one case where the sequel ever is?! (Not including Aliens. Be fair.) But it’s damn good fun, and not too far off it’s predecessor’s legacy. The tone is perfect, the zombies frightening, the kills bloody and the film full of humour and creativity. Brimming with pop culture references, Zombieland 2 elicited plenty of laughs and had me grinning the whole way through its action-packed, colourful take on surviving the apocalypse. Woody Harrelson is as brilliant as ever as Tallahassee, cementing his place in my list of top ten actors and flexing his skills in comedy. He’s the real star for me, working well alongside the entire returning cast as well as some new faces. Newcomer Madison, Zoey Deutch, played the ‘dumb blonde’ trope fantastically. Completely irritating, yes, but a great addition nevertheless. The plot is simple and linear. It’s very alike to the first film where the main aim is simply to survive, but with the addition of the gang searching for an older and now restless, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin.) Whilst I enjoyed every minute of the film and had no issue with the pacing, I must confess there wasn’t a lot of movement in the first act. It’s character building, sure, but the plot seems more of a side-thought to the catalogue of jokes, in-jokes and references, and at times Zombieland 2 feels like fan-service. A tasty treat for returning supporters of the original. And fortunately that’s exactly who I identity as, yum yum yum. Though it may lack in depth of story and rehashes themes from the first film, for me Zombieland 2 was brilliant. It makes up for any shortcomings with such a unique brand of meta comedy, propped up further by small things that had me smiling. (Harrelson’s got a good voice!) I thought it was fun, action-packed and above all else, a good laugh.

8/10

Top tip - Don’t forget to watch the credits. You really won’t regret it.

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Sam’s Review

Zombieland: Double Tap doesn’t miss a beat, sticking to the same winning formula as it’s predecessor. The tone is the highlight of the film, revelling in its signature blend of jovial, yet gritty. It is set early and doesn’t waver from it.

The story isn’t riveting. It borrows certain plot points from the original film, and is pretty predictable. It is a bit “same old.” Though that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to a film like this. Never did I intend to finish the film with a new perspective of the world, I simply wanted to watch Woody Harrelson kill zombies. Though the ending felt cheap, and it made a chunk of the plot redundant. That’s as much as I’ll write, for I do not want to spoil it.

The cast is stellar. Harrelson is a gem. He has a presence that personifies smooth. Clearly a tremendous actor (see, True Detective), a film such as Zombieland may seem slightly beneath him, yet his gravitas anchors the film, helping prop it up. The rest of the cast put in great performances, each embodying the characters. Plus there are a few good cameos.

The alternative 2019 world they’ve created is visually stimulating. The overgrown White House was a particularly poignant sight. And there are a few funny references to our world. In fact, I chuckled a fair few times. While it isn’t the funniest of films, there are enough laughs to call it a comedy.

Overall, it’s a good film. It carries the torch of the original, though unfortunately doesn’t take it much further. But the cast are a joy to watch, as you can feel they’re having fun, and you’ll even laugh a few times too. And it’s impressive to get as gory as they do, while still keeping it light.

7/10