Grade: B
Zombieland (2009) was an efficient, self-aware, nerdy-as-hip action comedy. Everything happened quite easily, the stakes weren’t super-high (zombies are historically not that difficult to kill, after all), but with a quick running time and a well-put-together ensemble, it was corny fun. If that movie was like tasting a sample at the grocery store, Zombieland: Double Tap is when you’ve bought that item and taken it home. You’ve had it already, and now the only difference is you have more of it. Sometimes it becomes too much of a good thing.
In 2009, we followed the characters Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock, who team up as some of the few lone survivors in a zombie apocalypse. The best part of Zombieland: Double Tap is seeing those stars (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin) back together after 10 years for more hokey fun, and to think about the successes they’ve had professionally since 2009. Harrelson, Eisenberg, and Stone went on to have Oscar nominations (with Stone winning one), and just-barely-teenage Breslin is all grown up now – a 23-year-old woman with lots of promising potential. These are self-aware movies, to be sure. Narrated by Eisenberg in his usual rat-a-tat tone, he runs us by many of his 73 rules for surviving in a predominant zombie world, and says things like “you might want to put down your Milk Duds for this moment.”
The film begins with the setup that these four have been in Washington DC, living in the White House for quite some time. My immediate thought was that is a safe place to hide out, because the zombies wouldn’t go there looking for brains. Columbus proposes to Wichita, who is taken aback by it, and abruptly leaves with Little Rock. One thing leads to another, and they find themselves on the road again, and it doesn’t really matter. Zombieland: Double Tap is the same movie again, with slightly new dialogue and situations. The zombies conveniently all arrive at the same time, as if they’ve read the script and are patiently waiting in the wings. Many punchlines are predictable, but half of them are clever enough. My favorite line: “It smells like a wet dog…died.” Eisenberg has an incredibly narrow and specific kind of role that he plays over and over. Sometimes it’s exactly what the movie calls for, like with his marvelous work in The Social Network, but most of the time the niche grows thin. Stone is still a cute, strong-willed badass. Harrelson relishes yet another down-home, slimy character he tends to play in his post-Cheers career. There turns out to be enough gas in the tank for some fun to be had, and the filmmakers sure know how to end it with a flourish, and almost make us forget about its sluggish first act.
This will either have to be the last Zombieland movie, or the franchise will need to move in a fresher, more original direction if there is a next time. Remember what I’ve said about giving the higher grade if I’m on the fence between two?
Grade: B
Film Reviews by Mark 
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