I really enjoyed the first Zombieland back in 2009 and was thrilled to hear about the sequel. I was even excited a few years ago, when Amazon Prime did the pilot episode for a Zombieland series, but sadly it just failed in comparison to the original cast.
Luckily, the original gang got back together for this flick and I sat down for some laughs one weekend during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
When Little Rock takes off with a hippie to find a communion, the gang has to put aside their differences and try and rescue her.
What I Liked About It:
-I’m so glad the original cast is back and the film would not have been the same without them. It’s wild to think all four members of the cast have been nominated for Academy Awards.
-The film carries on the legacy of the first film by offering up some great narration, fun zombie kills, and lots of humor.
-The mall scene was phenomenal, and I always love to see recognizable brands in my zombie/apocalypse movies. It adds a layer of relatability and that really works for me.
-The huge horde killing scene at the end of the film was a ton of fun. I’d love to recreate that in a video game. It reminded me of one of the early missions in Dead Rising just amped up to eleven.
-New cast member Zoey Deutch stole the show in almost every scene she was in.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-Zombieland: Double Tap definitely feels like an unnecessary sequel and that crossed my mind a couple times while watching the flick. However, the humor and action plays just as well as it did the first time around so it truly feels like a continuation of the first flick and less like a sequel that tries anything new.
-I would have loved for them to scale back on the CGI a little, especially since they planned to use it in such huge set pieces like the finale.
-I wasn’t a fan of Luke Wilson’s character, Albuquerque. I just feel like he was miscast.
-They copied so much of the original film, but then left out a celebrity cameo. BOOO!
-The story that Tallahassee tells about his Elvis impersonation in high school is actually a true story about how Woody Harrelson got into acting.
-Made 122 million on a 42 million dollar budget. The first film made 102 million on a 24 million dollar budget.
Rating:
Zombieland was a breath of fresh air in 2009, and by 2019 Zombies had been run into the ground, emerged from the grave, and then put back down again. However, if any type of zombie movie could be made and excite me, it would be Zombieland. Luckily, the movie was pretty good. It’s a popcorn flick full of over the top kills, lots of profanity, and fun. No one is going to be inspired to write a Zombieland and Philosophy book from either film, but they are undoubtably fun.
I would rate Zombieland: Double Tap as a three out of five and say it rates about the same as the original film. It’s a fun, romp across a zombie landscape and is probably only second to Shaun of the Dead when it comes to zombie comedy flicks.