Movie Review – ‘ Zombieland: Double Tap’ is Fast-Paced and Loads of Fun

In an age where movies take too long to get to the point or take themselves way too seriously, ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ is a breath of fresh air, as the one-liners fly as fast, if not faster, than the bullets and the characters are still ridiculous and engaging.

We pick up the sequel with the same four survivors/stars from the last film are still front and center. Columbus (Jess Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are still the strange little family unit they were the first time around, just a little more seasoned in terms of killing zombies and identifying just what kind of zombies are roaming around. New zombies, dubbed ‘T-800’s’ by Columbus, are zombies that have evolved and are really hard to kill, unlike the ‘Homer’s’ which are just plain dumb.

Speaking of dumb, we meet Madison (Zoey Deutch) who has somehow survived by locking herself in a freezer at a mall whenever danger approaches and Berkeley (Avan Jogia) a pot-smoking pacifist who has somehow survived by avoiding violence and conflict altogether. While completely ridiculous characters in their own right, they provide a surprisingly humorous foil to the ultra-aggressive swagger of our little family unit of four.

There are even more characters thrown into the mix, in what turns out to be a hilarious Elvis themed action sequence. Albuquerque (Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) provide the fuel to fire this part of the film, with Nevada (Rosario Dawson) providing some more heavy-hitting female interaction. This whole Elvis infused part of the movie, in all its ridiculous glory, pretty much epitomizes the zany we’ll-do-whatever-we-want attitude of the ‘Double Tap’. The movie’s climax takes place at a peaceful sanctuary (of course) called Babylon and suffices to say, it’s a violent and fun way to wrap up the film.

Overall, the movie is really not much different from the original, and honestly, that’s the way it should be. The one-liners come fast and furious and the characters interact and deliver their lines in a way that makes it seem they just did this yesterday. That chemistry and the carefree way they dispose of zombies in every way imaginable make this movie silly at times but the over the top fun is very infectious, pardon the pun.

It is also worth noting that the movie’s run time is a tidy 99 minutes, which was very welcome in a day and age where movies are becoming so bloated intermissions are being discussed on a regular basis. Also, this is a perfect film for a shorter running time as there is little to no filler, leaving the characters free to run amok with both their weapons and mouths.

In reality, ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ is a sequel most would say we didn’t need. While the original was a nice little surprise hit, it hardly warranted another film. That being said, director Ruben Fleischer knew exactly what he had and what he was doing and because of that, created something that was a ton of fun. Grab a friend, some popcorn and enjoy it.

Three and a half stars out of five