Zombieland: Double Tap Review

Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast Headliners: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigal Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Rosario Dawson
Original Release Date: October 18th, 2019

     It can be difficult to create any kind of comedy sequel much less a zombie themed one and especially after over a decade has passed. 2009's Zombieland was a quirky unique thing that existed before a decade of zombies revival and the likes of such things as The Walking Dead and Z-Nation on television. Zombieland (2): Double Tap attempts to be a worthy sequel but has some ups and dows. However as with then there's definitely aspects which set it apart. For better(for the fans) or for worse it brings more of that same silly oddness to the present film scene even if it's nothing too deep.
Somehow after a decade the oddball family of  nervous tip/rules-making Columbus(Jesse Eisenberg), ridiculously skilled and powerful Tallahassee(Woody Harrelson), straight to the point realist Wichita(Emma Stone), and her sister in the now young adult Little Rock(Abigail Breslin) are still roaming the post-apocalyptic zombie-afflicted world without a home. Some humorously inane rules declaring voiceovers scenes right out of the 2009 film give some context for the different types of zombies who seemed to have learned such as slow-moving “homers” or intelligent “einsteins”. A new threat eventually arises in the self-healing “T-1800”(think Terminator in one of the film's fun pop culture allusions) complicates their situation further.
Events transpire to where this family does find a home in Washington D.C but for different reasons Little Rock and Wichita split off from the men when it comes to their relationships. They must brave the ever more dangerous wilderness to find them as well deal with potential new survivors as well. Of course things don't go easily and of course too are there many quips and bloody kills along the way.
The film succeeds best at being a funny comedy than anything else. What's decently commendable is how the old cast is able to slip right back into their old characters for the most part. This is particularly true of Eisenberg, Harrelson, and Stone. Columbus weaves between geeky incompetence and a newfound confidence with kills and women. Tallahassee's Twinkie obsession is swapped out for cheesy love of Elvis, big weaponry/equipment, and a  supposed Native American heritage.  Witchita goes for a slightly more dramatic bent as she deals with her boyfriend and sister but has some fun dry comebacks especially to the new situations they find. With so much time passed Little Rock is a little more rebellious than before and feels detached from her family but she has her occasional quips. The humor packs a lot of heart but it's nothing that wasn't done too much the first time however that's not a bad thing.
Some of these new situations show what the movie surprisingly becomes in part: a zombie-romantic comedy. Nearly everyone gets a new potential love interest to deal with that complicates things. Columbus has to contend with the most stereo-typically dumb blonde ever in Madison(Zoey Deutch). Her extremely stark peppy contrast to the dark world around her leads to some great laughs (especially with Tallahassee and Wichita) however in time the joke gets stupidly played out. There's also the mysteriously suave fellow Elvis fan Nevada(Rosario Dawson) and hippie Berkeley(Avan Jogia) who ultimately don't do much more than drive the plot forward along other random strangers.
Like the first film(as has been implied many things are just a parallel) some great even more bit cameo roles show up. Trailers have hinted at Bill Murray's appearance as Bill Murray himself again so be sure to stick around after the credits for that one even if it's pointless. Some rival zombie slayers in Albuquerque(Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff(Thomas Middleditch) surreal-ly resemble Tallahassee and Columbus respectively in their dress and mannerisms. Each gives such a great little comedic performance but unfortunately it's very late into the act and they fall by the way-side of the plot. Keep on the look out for some funny verbal smack-talk battles of the year however.  These remind what makes the Zombieland films so unique in their meta-ness and usage of pop-culture like famous objects and tongue-in-cheek self awareness. One wishes more zombie media took this route when possible but maybe it works more since its a comedy.
Director Ruben Fleischer returns as well from the original. The movie manages to capture that same mix of darkness and slight comic-book color unreality. Some of the CGI effects are even more suspect compared to modern blockbusters but it gets the job done. The rules and “zombie kill of the year” cutaways are some of the best shots since it gives an excuse to glimpse far off lands such as an icy city and Italy. There's actually not that much overall action in the movie but when it does appear it's some bloody silly fun and stakes when they do appear. David Sardy's score isn't anything to write home about but a couple of pop / rock songs are used very well.  It's all what it should be.
That's the film in essence in that it's exactly what one would expect and not much more. Viewers willing to embrace these characters again or for the first time will definitely have some laughs and bloody “ooh” moments. The new elements mix things up just a bit even if it far never reaches the originals. Still the heartwarming is heartwarming and it's not a bad way to spend a spooky autumn afternoon, again. 7.4 out of 10