October of 2009 introduced the world to four misfits in the zombie apocalypse so determined to keep from making connections that they just used their destinations as names. Now, a decade later, “Zombieland” is without a doubt a modern cult hit. The wry sense of humor and gory glory kills gave way to fruitful careers for just about everyone involved: the writers have now written both “Deadpool” films, each of the four leads has been nominated for an Oscar at least once, and the director went on to direct the box office smash hit “Venom.”
If rumors are to be believed, this second “Zombieland” film, aptly titled “Double Tap” has been in the pipeline long before the current trend of rebooting and revitalizing old properties. It does have plenty of things that set it apart from the collection of years-later sequels that have come since 2009, and thankfully those differences help set it above those other cash-grabby sequels.
For starters, the entire cast seems completely game and willing to be here. Woody Harrelson (“Natural Born Killers,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network,” “Adventureland”) and Emma Stone (“La La Land,” “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”) all still have great chemistry and comedic timing, as does Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Scream Queens”), though she isn’t given as much screen time as the other three. The main foursome all seem like they’re having a blast, and not one comes across as here simply to collect a paycheck.
Newer characters are smartly balance between existing purely for jokes and serving some plot purpose. Luke Wilson (“Idiocracy,” “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”) and Thomas Middleditch (“Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” “Silicon Valley”) are the subject of some of the film’s best extended gags, and Rosario Dawson (“Top Five,” “Luke Cage”) is equally as badass as Harrleson’s grizzled cowboy type. Even Zoey Dutch’s (“The Year of Spectacular Men,” “Everybody Wants Some!!”) valley-girl-esque supporting role doesn’t come across as completely annoying thanks to her fantastic comedic timing.
This is still Zombieland, and things are still as gory as ever. Blood and flesh spew from every frame of the screen each time zombies arrive, and each time it does feel glorious. While less inventive with its kills than the first, “Double Tap” does swap the cleverness with a sense of the absurd.
Not just with the zombie kills, either. Its almost as if director Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland,” “Venom”) and writers Rhett Reese (“Deadpool,” “Life (2017)”), Paul Wernick (“Deadpool,” “Life (2017)”) and David Callaham (“The Expendables,” “Godzilla (2014)”) knew they wouldn’t be able to recapture the subtle wit of the first film, and instead decided to go for broke into the realm of the absurd. Elvis costumes, monster trucks, the leaning tower of Pisa, and native American bloodlines all come into play here and it’s done in the same delightfully unserious way as before.
However, absurdity might excuse some overarching plot beats, but it doesn’t excuse some rather confusing plot holes or contrivances. A huge part of the plot revolves around a pacifist camp where they melt down any guns that make it through their gate. While this is fine in theory, they are in the zombie apocalypse, and this kind of lapse in judgement comes across more as confusing than amusing.
There are also a handful of scenes that, while they might have great action or jokes, don’t really serve any purpose in the plot, existing just to pad out the runtime. Every film has scenes like this, but a few here seem egregiously obvious.
Still, the humor and comradery are what really make this something special. Just like the first, the themes of family and home set against the backdrop of vicious zombie attacks have an odd charm to them. The little touches throughout also do a great job of making this feel like nothing else out there. While the visual effects detailing rules for surviving and the like were minor elements in the first film, here they’re cranked up to eleven in some really clever ways.
They’re a great example of tiny things that nobody else is doing that help set these films apart. “Double Tap” may not be as inventive or fresh as the first film, but the same great sense of humor and comradery still shine through. That and its sense of increased absurdity help to balance out some blatant padding and plot holes to deliver a film that is just as delightfully silly and gory as before. The flesh might not be as fresh this time around, but its still delicious. 3.5/5
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