Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) Review

"You'll be the first to die, but I like your enthusiasm."
-Tallahassee



Several years after the events of the first movie, tension within the group has begun to rise.  With Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Wichita (Emma Stone) having relationship problems, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) goes off on her own.  The gang goes after her, but encounters other survivors and more than a few zombies along the way.


Heads up, I will be spoiling this movie below.  Go see Zombieland: Double Tap before you read on.  It's a fun movie, but nowhere near as good as the original.  Go in with lowered expectations and you'll have a good time.  Spoilers ahead!


What Works:
Like the first movie, Double Tap has an amazing cast with great chemistry.  The writing is not this movie's strong point, but, more often than not, the cast makes it work with their chemistry alone.  All of the original characters do a great job, and the new characters are a lot of fun too.

The best of the new characters is Madison (Zoey Deutch), who I wasn't keen on at first, but as the movie goes on, she gets really funny.  She has some amazing comedic timing and some excellently stupid dialogue.  

The zombie sequences are really solid.  We get an awesome stylized raid on the White House to open the movie, a Kingsman-esque fight in an Elvis-themed motel, and an insane, badass, over-the-top 3rd act.  They're all an absolute blast.

Finally, the mid-credits return of Bill Murray is nothing short of incredible.  Actually getting to see Bill Murray fighting zombies is simply spectacular and a great way to end the film.


What Sucks:

As I said above, the writing in Double Tap is pretty weak.  Right off the bat, the movie tries to shove in relationship issues between Columbus and Wichita and they don't feel natural.  It comes off as sloppy and forced.  Granted, this gives us more Madison, but I think getting us to that point could have been smoother.

There are also way too many direct references to the original film.  They repeat dialogue word-for-word multiple times.  Don't constantly remind me of a superior movie!  Do something new and exciting.

Finally, a lot of the humor falls completely flat.  In fact, the majority of the jokes don't land.  It's really a shame.  You'd think with ten years between films, they'd be able to write a funnier script.


Verdict:

Zombieland: Double Tap is nowhere near as good as the first film due to sloppy writing and unfunny jokes, but it's an entertaining film with a great cast, solid action, and a great new character in Madison.  As long as you lower your expectations, it's got it going on.

 7/10: Good 

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