'Zombieland: Double Tap' Review: A hilarious horror comedy, but lacking in originality
While the jokes and gore are there in this Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson vehicle, it is too close to the 2009 predecessor
Zombieland is a great zombie movie, but it's still a zombie movie. It’s been 10 years since we’ve seen a horror comedy quite like Zombieland (2009), which made waves by cleverly combining gore with humor. A decade later, the zombie apocalypse is back, with more zombie kills and survival rules than ever with its sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019).
The original cast returns as Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) joins forces with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) to embark on another adventure in zombie-littered America.
The story starts with them claiming the White House as their new home, living the best life possible in a post-apocalyptic world. However, the restless Little Rock craves for adventure and wants to meet someone her own age to hang out with. This leads to Little Rock and her sister Wichita abandoning the group and venturing out to find new people or a new home. Along the way, Little Rock meets someone her age and decides to run off with him instead of her sister. Wichita, worrying about her safety, returns to the White House and teams up with Tallahassee and Columbus to find her.
The successful formula of combining gore and comedy is back. The movie is packed with over the top zombie kills and cutting one-liners, perfect for fans of the first movie. Columbus’s survival rules also make a return, with new and funny rules to abide by for surviving Zombieland. However, it gets repetitive, as the movie’s style and themes feel like an exact replica of its 2009 prequel, just with a different storyline and the addition of some extra characters.
Speaking of new characters, the zombies got an upgrade, too. The zombies are split into different types, depending on their characteristics, and are named with pop culture references, from Homer Simpson to T-800 from the Terminator series. This shows how the writers try to pack the movie with references and jokes about what might be seen as gory and disgusting creatures.
Woody Harrelson’s performance as Tallahassee, a violet alpha male zombie killer, is great. The character's design also lets him have all the best zombie kills, making him stand out more from the rest.
Horror comedy fans would enjoy Zombieland: Double Tap, while getting a good laugh at zombies getting killed in the most ridiculous ways possible. If zombies and gore are not really your thing, then wait for its release on Netflix for a lazy Sunday afternoon.