Wichita, Tallahassee, Columbus and Little Rock are back for more in the sequel to the 2009 breakout action comedy “Zombieland.”
This time titled “Zombieland: Double Tap,” everyone is back from the amazing cast of Emma Stone (Wichita), Woody Harrelson (Tallahassee), Jesse Eisenberg (Columbus) and Abigail Breslin (Little Rock). With the sequel being released a decade later, does it retain the same charm that the original somewhat surprisingly provided?
“Zombieland: Double Tap” follows Wichita, Tallahassee and Columbus as they search for Little Rock, who ran off with a boy, Berkeley (Avan Jogia), during a time in the zombie apocalypse where the zombies have started to evolve.
Honestly, the biggest critique of this movie is that it came out probably eight or so years too late.
When the original “Zombieland” came out, “The Walking Dead” TV series wasn’t around. So before then, the movie was a huge hit due to its unique take on a zombie apocalypse. However, plenty of zombie movies and shows have shown up since then and it’s not as much of a hot commodity.
The sequel also lacked the originality that came from the first movie.
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The biggest plus from the first film was the cast, and that holds true for this one as well. The original cast kills it once again. Their chemistry did not miss a step despite a ten-year break from the characters. The additions of Albuquerque (Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) were also hilarious, as they played doppelgängers of Tallahassee and Columbus, respectively.
When “Zombieland” was released in 2009, Tallahassee was a fan favorite, with him being a no filter, loud-mouth type of character. What I really appreciate from the writers is the fact that they kept him true to how he was in the first film.
With the movie being released 10 years after the original, society has changed a lot since then, and they could’ve changed the character for the worse and made him more reserved. I’m glad they didn’t.
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The resounding message of this movie is very clear, with the emphasis being on family and home. Home is not necessarily a place but the people with you. The dynamic of all the characters is a dysfunctional family, but at the end of the day, they all love each other and that provided some touching and heartwarming moments.
Despite being eight or so years too late, “Zombieland: Double Tap” manages to recapture the same style and charisma that made us fall in love with the first one. Once again, without this cast, it would not be the same. Harrelson stands out above the rest again as Tallahassee, but everyone is great.
This is a very fun and entertaining action comedy that utilizes its stellar cast in the right way. In the end, it was well worth the wait.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” gets a B.
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