{"id":32133,"date":"2019-10-17T21:02:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T01:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=32133"},"modified":"2019-10-17T21:06:37","modified_gmt":"2019-10-18T01:06:37","slug":"zombieland-double-tap-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/17\/zombieland-double-tap-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>2009\u2019s action horror comedy \u201cZombieland\u201d is something of a cult classic, and while not exactly a masterpiece, it\u2019s been admired in its own right for a decade. After many, many years, Columbia brings us a sequel that\u2019s probably way too late. After fans demanded a sequel shortly after the release of the 2009 film, \u201cZombieland: Double Tap\u201d finally graces us with the characters we love\u2014and it does absolutely nothing new with them. It also doesn\u2019t take us in to any kind of new area of Zombieland that we haven\u2019t seen before, which ends in disappointing returns in a follow up with occasional bright spots.<\/p>\n

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A decade after the zombie apocalypse, the foursome of Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock have learned to survive in Zombieland and have taken up residence in the now abandoned White House. The foursome has evolved though with Columbus and Wichita getting in to a rut, while Little Rock has grown and is anxious to find her own boyfriend. After Wichita and Little Rock abandoned the guys, Little Rock ventures off alone and comes across a young pacifist named Berkeley. Tallahassee, and Columbus also meet a young bubbly girl named Madison who takes a strong interest in Columbus. As they learn of a new kind of zombie that\u2019s evolved and poses a bigger threat, they head for a much discussed new safe haven known as Babylon.<\/p>\n

\u201cDouble Tap\u201d has the advantage of casting four big stars at the height of their careers, and yet the writers really don\u2019t do much of anything new with them or this premise. With a bigger budget, director Fleischer could probably open up this world, but everything still feels so small scale. \u201cDouble Tap\u201d is a laughless experience that doesn\u2019t offer up any new imagery or unique rules, it just feels like everyone hasn\u2019t done much growing, save for Columbus and Wichita\u2019s relationship. The narrative occasionally gets meta (a certain popular franchise makes a cameo) with the introduction of fellow survivors that resemble Talahassee and Columbus, but they\u2019re more throwaway gags and goofy cameos rather than anything crucial to the narrative.<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s biggest flaw is that it has absolutely no villain or antagonist. Much like the original four pretty much just wander around aimlessly, looking for some kind of minimal goal that they strive for and nothing else. There is the introduction of a new breed of zombie that is much stronger and smarter than the normal zombies lurking around, but the writers do almost nothing with them. There\u2019s no dread, or impending sense or doom, and the heroes don\u2019t seem very disturbed by their presence nor their ability to withstand major gun fire. They\u2019re merely introduced as a device to set the stage for the finale and never put our heroes in real peril at all.<\/p>\n

If anything the true stand out is Zoey Deutch as Madison, a hopelessly ditzy, but charming individual who miraculously survives just about every skirmish with the zombies. She\u2019s really the only fully fleshed out new character in the line up (and that\u2019s not saying very much), which includes Thomas Middleditch, Rosario Dawson, Avan Jogia, and Luke Wilson, all of whom are poorly developed and pitifully wasted. The writers build up so much all for no real worthwhile execution. It feels like a big race to the finish to close up the film series altogether, but it\u2019s tedious when we realize these heroes are never in any actual danger. \u201cDouble Tap\u201d is a colossal disappointment with a premise that has so many new places to go and wastes every chance.<\/p>\n