When the bigwigs in Hollywood deem a film to be a huge success, they usually don’t take too long to green light a sequel. I mean, it makes sense, right? If the first one made tons of money, you have to cash in one more time, before it’s too late. On the other hand, there are times when fans clamor for more and they just don’t get it. That seemed to be the case here, but we’ve finally got our sequel with Ruben Fleischer’s Zombieland: Double Tap. Read on to see if it was worth the wait.
The Plot
Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock are still going strong as they traverse the now zombie-inundated new world. The crew must now fight their way through hordes of evolved zombies and get along with fellow survivors they find along the way.
My Thoughts
I’m going to be honest with you guys. While I did enjoy the first film a decade ago, I really didn’t think it was as good as everyone else made it out to be. Sure, I had fun with it, but Zombieland really wasn’t the end all be all of zombie comedies.
Fast forward ten years and after all of the hype that had been created, I knew I had to see what Ruben Fleischer could come up with. Was it possible for the man to deliver on what fans had been praying for for so many years? The answer is a profound yes!
Zombieland: Double Tap is everything I could have hoped for and so much more. I am not exaggerating when I say this; this sequel was leaps and bounds better than the 2009 original.
We begin our foray back into Z-land with Columbus’ trademark narration about the current state of the apocalyptic world. What then follows is a gore-filled zombie killing spree with a Metallica “Master of Puppets” soundtrack. This opening sequence does a tremendous job of setting the mood for what is to come in the next 99 minutes.
Zombieland: Double Tap has all of the things we loved about the first film, also directed by Ruben Fleischer. There is the brash not-so-father figure of Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), the dorky rule-having Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), an all-grown-up Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and of course, the emotionally-impenetrable Wichita (Emma Stone).
In addition to these returning favorites are other familiarities. There are Columbus’ rules to surviving the zombie apocalypse, all 73 of them, the always impressive Zombie Kill of the Week, and more. Zombieland: Double Tap does offer some new excitement, too, however.
There is no denying that getting all four of the actors from the first film together again is going to go a long way with the fans. Seeing the family reunited on screen again is definitely something to behold. Some of my favorite moments, though, happen to come from some new faces, not seen before in this zombie-filled Universe.
The likes of Rosario Dawson (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Clerks II), as Nevada, Avan Jogia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Luke Wilson (Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums), and Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”) all provide some pretty memorable scenes and tons of laughs. They fit in quite perfectly with the Zombieland alumni and seeing the exchanges between Eisenberg’s Columbus and his doppelganger, Middleditch’s Flagstaff, as well as Harrelson’s Tallahassee and his doppelganger, Wilson’s Albuquerque, was priceless.
Of course, you can’t have a true Zombieland sequel without tons of zombies running around, right? Rest assured, Zombieland: Double Tap does not disappoint in that regard either.
Not only are their countless hordes of the undead roaming around at every turn, but we are introduced to some newly evolved, much more dangerous ones at that. No matter the type of zombie — whether the slow-moving, less intelligent “Homer” or the more clever “Hawking” — they are all disposed of in very gory fashion.
The effects, both practical and made with VFX means, are always impressive throughout Zombieland: Double Tap‘s entirety. The teams behind all of the effects have done a great job here, which goes a long way with keeping the audience engaged. There are plenty of beautifully heinous zombie kills to last a lifetime here.
Zombieland: Double Tap at Home
After a decade, Zombieland fans can finally take home a copy of the long awaited sequel.
Zombieland: Double Tap is available now on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
On the Blu-ray release, the film is presented in stunning a 1080p HD 2.39:1 format. English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French, English and French descriptive, and Spanish 5.1 Dobly Digital audio tracks are available, as well as optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
There are a whole slew of bonus features, including behind-the-scenes blooper reels, cast and crew interviews, audio commentary with director Ruben Fleischer, and much more.
The Verdict
If you loved Zombieland, chances are you will also love Zombieland: Double Tap. I enjoyed the first film years ago, but with more laugh-out-loud moments, an awesome cast, and impressive gore effects and kills, Zombieland: Double Tap is much better in my opinion.
Be sure to grab yourself a copy today, as I give this one 4.5 pairs of Elvis’ actual shoes out of 5.
