If you’re looking for wacky action, hilariously ridiculous set pieces, and some surprisingly good spirited characters considering the apocalypse, Zombieland 2: Double Tap is the movie for you. All four of the original cast members–Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin–reprise their roles for this highly entertaining, if a bit over the top, sequel.
Going into this film, you have to understand something: Zombieland 2 is a goofy parody of the already unrealistic zombie apocalypse genre. It’s not designed to be deep, insightful, or thought provoking; just sit back, turn off your brain, and laugh as this all star comedy cast spouts one liners and doles out undead-carnage in the most ludicrous ways possible.
That being said, Zombieland 2: Double Tap breaks the traditional sequel mold by being just as good—if not better—than the original. The film is somehow even more self-aware than the first, daring to poke fun at even more movie tropes, several historical figures, and even the lack of uniqueness in its own film format. The huge time skip since the original even allows the characters to spend entire sequences making fun of fairly new concepts such as Uber.
Overwhelming comedy and deep familiarity define this film, making all the characters feel like old friends rather than actors. I can’t stress the genius of the time skip enough—it allows the characters to feel closer than we left them in the last film without the need of detailing all of their adventures over the past decade. The relationships amongst the main cast felt genuine, fleshed out, and engaging—not something you’d expect from a zombie parody, huh?
Harrelson, the comic center as always, steals the show with his trademark one liners and tendency for extravagant violence. Eisenberg and Breslin actually portray a compelling and relatable love story, while simultaneously never letting a scene pass without a sarcastic quip. Stone took more of a backseat this film, acting as a vector inciting the plot rather than an actual member in it.
Between our original four protagonists and some new, equally entertaining tag-alongs, Zombieland’s character driven storyline successfully lives on in its sequel.
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