Zombieland was a highly popular movie among audiences when it first came out. The 2009 film was a vibrant new take on the undead movie genre, intertwining ridiculous humor with intense violence. Ten years later, a sequel was created. However, I was personally unaware that Hollywood was even going to make a sequel, and was ignorant of the movie’s existence until a week before its release. Fortunately, Zombieland 2: Double Tap drew me and other moviegoers in with high expectations developed through an explosive and hilarious trailer.
The film itself is filled with moments that are strongly nostalgic and in reference to the previous movie, with energetic bursts of plot here and there to keep the story moving efficiently with rarely any lull in the action. Personally, I found that there was not a moment that I couldn’t look away from. Whether that was due to my undying love of zombie movies or this movie’s truly engaging content, the world may never know. Although, I like to believe that the movie truly delivered a great experience…. After all, the combination of zombies and humor will always be iconic.
The main plot in this movie was very relaxed and comedic, with snippets of serious moments blended in sparsely. In a refreshing twist, the movie does not hinge on the obvious issue of surviving in this apocalyptic world. Instead, the characters live their lives almost normally and face a variety of conflicts, some gory and some mundane. Without giving anything away: I’ll say that Zombieland 2: Double Tap audiences enter the sequel knowing that the movie has a lot to live up to.
Fortunately, the movie stays true to its comedic genre. It has some hilarious call outs about it’s own version of the apocalypse, in which ended the world in 2009, and is constantly poking fun at both itself and the real world through jokes about modern services, such as Uber.
Plus, new characters immediately establish themselves as fan favorites, giving the movie even more of a refreshing feel and renewing the audiences’ interest in the movie, just in case they’ve forgotten what the Zombieland movies are all about in the last ten years. Rosario Dawnson, Zoey Deutch, Thomas Middleditch, and Luke Wilson grace the screen as engaging new characters. Cameos are even made by quite a few notable figures, but you’ll have to watch the movie to see them all.
My personal favorite new screen presence was Avan Jogia. The actor is a former Nickelodeon star, which makes his screen presence familiar and welcome to younger viewers. In Zombieland 2: Double Tap, his character, Berkeley, is used mainly as a means of comedic relief, but he contributes to some priceless moments in the movie. It would have been intriguing if his character had been more focused on, but thankfully the main four characters keep audiences fully engaged in their own hijinks and adventures. Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock are faced with new struggles, as this time around they’re surviving as a group rather than individuals. Their interpersonal conflicts range from miniscule to monumental, and are driving factors in the movie’s plot.
This movie is definitely worth a watch in my opinion. The overall nostalgic feeling of the film is light and airy, calling back to the original frequently, and easily meets expectations – even if it doesn’t dare to exceed them. Regardless, it delivers a fun experience that builds off of the original movie’s reputation, yet still manages to establish its own as a future zombie movie fan favorite. I’d strongly recommend you see this movie if you enjoyed the original because the sequel delivers and experience ripe with humor and pleasantly nostalgic moments.