ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP: Unnecessary, But Undeniably Funny

2009 seems like a lifetime ago. I was living in a teeny, tiny town in Finland and had just turned 18 and discovered that movies were my passion. One of my favourites was Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland. It was hilarious, gory and edgy, at least I seemed to think so in 2009. It was the perfect mix of horror and comedy and it made me laugh in a very genuine way. All the jokes landed and my laughter came from deep in my belly. I also adopted the word “shitstorm”, spoken by Columbus in his opening monologue. I was very edgy, as you can probably tell.

Ever since Zombieland premiered, there has been talk about a sequel. It doesn’t necessarily set anything up for a sequel specifically, but it also leaves this whole, zombie-ridden world wide open for exploration. So now, 10 years and several Oscar-nominations later, Zombieland: Double Tap finally arrives on our screens with more zombies and gore, but maybe a little less heart.

It’s Time To Nut Up Or Shut Up

We check back in with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, the only one who looks visibly older) who have adjusted to life in Zombieland with relative ease and are now kicking it back at the White House of all places. Columbus and Wichita are in a relationship, which is a little PG, a little boring and is starting to show some cracks. Tallahassee acts like an overbearing father to Little Rock, who really just wants to find companionship in this literally rotting world. When Little Rock meets a Gen Z hippie and takes off, our troubled threesome are forced to find her before she is inevitably consumed by the flesh-eating zombies.

Double Tap does pretty much everything by the book when it comes to making a satisfying sequel. It expands the world of the first film and continues the same jokes, with some upgrades. “Zombie kill of the week” is still very much a thing, but we’re also now treated to a zombie kill of the year. The gag is still funny, if not quite as hilarious as it was the first time around.

A Cast To Die For

The cast, as expected, are impeccable. The chemistry between the four leads feels easy and natural, as if no time at all has passed between the two films. Eisenberg infuses Columbus with his trademark nervous energy and Harrelson is delightfully macho. The chemistry between the two men still works like a charm and they’re different energies complement each other. Stone and Breslin feel a little abandoned in the film, but especially Stone brings sass and snark into every scene she is in, electrifying the screen. I believe I speak for all of us when I say I will pay good money for any film that allows Stone to wield a shotgun and kill some zombies. Ah, cinema.

Breslin is dealt a very different card. She is absent for much of the runtime, not gone per se, but not present as much as the others. Her adventures on her own in Zombieland might have made an even better sequel, but she is mainly used for motivation to get our characters from point A to point B for a big, glorious battle in the end. Her arc still has a lot to say about growing up and finding your own way in life, but it’s not satisfying in any way. It feels like a wasted opportunity and Breslin is a very talented actress, who is reduced to a supporting character when this really could have, should have been her story.

The film also brings in some fresh blood in the form of Zoey Deutsch’s Madison and Rosario Dawson’s Nevada. Deutsch is deliciously irritating as the ditzy Madison, who has survived the zombie virus by living in a freezer. It’s an over the top performance and while it’s easy to read Madison as a dumb blonde, she never actually becomes one. She is resourceful and clearly has a survival instinct of some sort. Dawson is also a welcome addition to the starry cast and her scenes are dynamite, even if she is never quite allowed to become her own person, just a love interest for Tallahassee.

Zombies Everywhere

Double Tap introduces us to some new zombies, much more evolved and deadly. There are your Homers, which are dumb as doornails, your Hawkings, pretty clever and your Ninjas, silent and deadly. The film then introduces us to the T-800s, the deadliest zombies of them all and they pose a real threat to our characters, who have become quite excellent at killing zombies. It’s a smart move to up the threat level and make things interesting again, but the film never really utilises the new T-800s properly. We keep hearing about how deadly they are, but only see them in action once.

The scene in question however, might just be the most glorious scene in Double Tap. It’s a gloriously violent fight scene, filmed in one dizzying shot in an Elvis -themed motel. Just a few minutes earlier we’ve been introduced to Luke Wilson’s Albuquerque and Thomas Middleditch’s Flagstaff who are remarkably similar to Tallahassee and Columbus, creating a unique tension between the characters. In no time, zombies storm in and the film seems to let go off of all inhibitions and just let loose. It’s a brilliant scene, where you really get your money’s worth.

It’s a shame Double Tap can’t quite recreate the same feeling of freedom and fun again. It’s a film that is perfectly fine, but never manages to tap into the zeitgeist the first Zombieland pulled off so easily. As far as sequels go, Double Tap is definitely one of most fun ones we’ve seen, but it’s also completely unnecessary. Even at its funniest, it’s a tad forgettable and completely disposable as a film. Maybe it’s meant to be, nothing wrong with 99 minutes of gory fun that you’re allowed to forget immediately after. Actually, it’s quite a relief a film like Double Tap still exists. So many films reach for the stars, attempting to be so important and so meaningful, only to end up being heavy and exhausting to watch and process. So grab a big tub of popcorn, leave your brains at the door and dig in.

Zombieland: Double Tap: Rotten or To Die For?

Zombieland: Dowuble Tap never feels quite as exciting or fresh as its predecessor, but it’s a lot of laughs and a good time. Why fix something that isn’t broken? Maybe Double Tap doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel it’s trying to run over zombies with, but it can just be a nice stroll down memory lane, revisiting some old friends and kill some more zombies.

In conclusion, it’s a bloody good time.

Did the new Zombieland tickle your fancy? Was it worth waiting for 10 years? Let us know in the comments!

Watch Zombieland: Double Tap