Almost ten years have passed since the first Zombieland movie. As a preparation I rewatched the first one and it’s still hilarious. Are they able to hold up the hilarity almost a decade later?
The story takes off years later as the gang have taken roots at the White House. Little Rock is not a child anymore and she feels like it’s time to spread her wings. In a zombie apocalyptic hell scape that might not be the best idea. The dysfunctional family has evolved but so has the zombies and now they have to face new fears together!
I was worried that Zombieland Double Tap would take the predictable route of “reboots” and try to be super modern and hip. One of the things that works so well for Zombieland is that the jokes have a timeless feel to them. Enter blonde gen z Madison. She is a character that’s all memes, hip language and kind of annyoing attitude. But they make it work and weaves it into the plot seamlessly.
The humor still works, the character dynamic is still there and the zombie killings are still very funny. Even the introduction of the new characters works without disturbing the beloved “family” dynamic too much.
Zombieland Double Tap also features more zombie gore, more making fun of tropes and a lot more hilarious cameos. It feels fresh and self aware and they continue not to take themselves seriously. A zombie comedy should never try to take itself seriously.
One last thing I loved was that the characters evolved. Even the Clint Eastwood puppet that is Tallahassee made some personal strides. If they could make one more movie out of this I would not mind it one bit.
This review was made possible thanks to our collaborative partner Spegeln.
