Zombieland: Double Tap

Zombieland: Double Tap is a fun, forgettable sequel to a cult classic that deserved a more quirky and clever encore. There are plenty of laughs, but by the time I left the theater, I had forgotten most of them.

What this film trips on from the very first scene is what made the original so entertaining. It is a road trip story, yet the sequel begins with them finding a place to stay for three months. The beginning draaaags to the point where when they get back on the road, it is only a sigh of relief rather than a cheer. I would say the middle hour gets close to the enjoyment of Zombieland, but that hope does not stay long. The ending, unlike the beginning, comes out of nowhere and throws all the remaining rationality off the cliff. The writers wanted this film to end with a bang, and so they ended a road trip with a giant explosion and a barely revealed threat to hinder the characters for only the remaining 20 minutes. What the story really comes down to is a celebration that the first film was even made, and so we should enjoy the fact it was profitable and sit through a run-of-the-mill zombie comedy. The best idea the story has is throwing in a bunch more characters, but only a few stick the landing.

The core cast of characters, the ones we came to love the first film, are washed out by overacting and average line deliveries. The returning actors had more chemistry in their promo-interviews and had more screen time together as a team than they did on screen. The film breaks them apart to create the central conflict, which would work if there was a sense of connection that was actually severed when the team splits. We saw this in the first film, but it only lasted 10 minutes before they collided against each other again. The sense of family the film tries to project is sadly wasted with the weak attempt at character development.

Apart from the story and character elements, the humor of this film is not terrible. Most of the best jokes are found in the background, or through several running gags with the props around the characters. Where the dialogue fails, the supporting cast make up for with fantastic comedic timing. My favorite characters were the one-note bits spliced in between the actual plot points, and the best part about those cartoons was that they reminded me of the joy found in Zombieland more than the actual characters from that first film.

Overall, it is a fun time with a disappointing result for the fans. Some of the jokes are pretty well done, but the whole of the film is weighed down by the shallow attempt at reminding the audience that this is a sequel. It has no weight on its own, and no reason to really have been made apart from the profit.

Story Rating: 5/10

Character Rating: 5/10