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Zombieland: Double Tap Review: Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg's movie is consumable only by diehard fans
Zombieland: Double Tap Review: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are back a decade later, but Zombieland seems exactly the same, and that's the problem! However, Zombieland loyalists will still enjoy the old-school humour mixed with even more zombie-tastic gore.
Zombieland: Double Tap
Zombieland: Double Tap Director: Ruben Fleischer
Zombieland: Double Tap Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Zombieland: Double Tap Stars: 3/5
While watching the trailer of Zombieland: Double Tap for the first time, what amused me was the Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning credentials attached to the Zombieland foursome, who we met a decade ago! It's astonishing to see how far Emma Stone, in particular, has gone since playing characters like Wichita. 20 seconds later, into the trailer, we are taken to a gore fest of epic proportions that could give the original, a run for its zombies. The question to be asked, like in any sequel, is it better or could have been avoided? As a fan of Zombieland, my pick is for the former, even though it may seem like the movie was shot a decade ago and sticks to old-school humour that is part funny and part cheese-fest.
While Zombieland: Double Tap took a decade to make its way on the big screen, the storyline kickstarts where the writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (along with Dave Callaham) last left it. We have Jesse Eisenberg back as the awkward yet lovable narrator, Columbus, as he gets us reacquainted with what the Zombieland vigilantes are up to. In the process, he tries to make his relationship with Wichita (Emma Stone) work. On the other hand, the bat-s**t crazy Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has not changed a dime and strangles Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) with his own version of paternal love (gifting her a Nixon gun for Christmas in November while inside the Oval Office at the White House is a nice touch). A frustrated Little Rock runs away with a 'Namaste' breeding hippie Berkeley (Avan Jogia).
Given how a new breed of zombies, called T-800s, go rampant and refuse to die just like Terminators (we also have the Homers, Hawkings and Ninjas), the remaining trio head out to an adventure along the Elvis Presley road with a stereotypical 90s Valley Girl named Madison (Zoey Deutch), a love interest for Tallahasse, Reno (Rosario Dawson) and a Luke Wilson cameo that doesn't hold a candle to Bill Murray's now-iconic zombie-tastic cameo. What the writers of Zombieland: Double Tap do this time around is stick to the basics and come up with zero originality that made the first movie such an enjoyable watch.
The characters that we fell in love with, do exactly what we would predict of them - Tallahassee is the frustrated middle-aged man done with the youthful and vibrant crowd he's surrounded himself with, Columbus is still an adorable clutz and Wichita is the opposite of the girl-next-door. The only growth we really see is in Little Rock. When it comes to the performances, you can sense just how much Woody loved playing Tallahassee and the second time around, the actor does not disappoint. His dialogues may have gotten tackier with time, but his energy in every frame still remains electric.
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Jesse's narrative act is the perfect calm balance to Harrelson's storm and it's amplified by Zoey's atypical role that Deutch really makes her own. However, before we can really invest ourselves in Madison, it's snatched away from the viewers. Emma seemed less enthusiastic this time around while Abigail is reduced to fodder for the remaining characters to have something to fight about.
While the storyline is anything but Oscar material, there's still a sense of nostalgia to keep the fans on their toes as the gore gets gorier and the writers come up with unique ways to spook us with the creativity of the zombies. The dialogues really don't please this time around and the jokes seem less witty. However, some crazy action sequences in between will satiate your appetite thanks to the fast and furious cinematography by Michael Bonvillain interspersed with the flawless editing by Dirk Westervelt. The soundtrack complements the quick pace of the 100-minute flick but the stereotypical Indian music could have clearly been avoided while referring to the hippies. There's no compromise in making Zombieland feel realistic because, at the end of the day, we watch this kind of cinema for one thing - ZOMBIES! And in Double Tap, there's aplenty.
For a Zombieland loyalist, Double Tap is a roller coaster you want to get on to because it's a nostalgic ride that you will enjoy! It's the last 20 minutes that really justifies why you paid your hard-earned money to watch a movie about zombies. P.S. Stay till the very end 'coz it's Murray-tastic!
However, for non-fans of the zombie genre, I'd suggest a skip!
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