By Staff Writer Kira Bruce
America has a fascination with zombie movies, it seems like every year there’s a new film coming out that plays to the same zombie tropes. Zombieland 2: Double Tap came out this past week and brought many audience members back to theaters for more of the late 2000’s fun that they got from the original film.
Zombieland was one of my favorite movies when I was in high school. Seeing Zombieland 2: Double Tap was like a trip down memory lane. It seems like the original Zombieland came out yesterday – not ten years ago.
It felt like everyone grew up since the first movie, though they all looked pretty much the same, with exception to Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who was a child when the first movie released. This speaks to the character development that is peppered throughout the script.
To start with some plot synopsis, the story of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Wichita (Emma Stone) is continued. At the start of Double Tap, Columbus and Wichita are dating in the opening scenes and living up “the domestic life” in the White House which they made their home.
The story starts when Columbus throws Wichita off guard by proposing to her. This propels her to disappear the next day in an attempt to escape being tied down. Her and Little Rock go off on their own, with Columbus and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) stranded without a car.
Wichita and Little Rock find a guy who looks like he plays Wonderwall by Oasis at every party he’s ever been to. He and little rock start dating, which adds a whole new love story to the lore of Zombieland. They break off from Wichita which sends her on a journey to find them, driving the plot and giving Wichita a reason to leave a relatively safe situation.
Wichita has to get help to find her sister and goes to find the boys. When she returns Columbus is in bed with a valley girl they found at the mall, Madison. Madison is incredibly dumb but very sweet and ends up being a well-developed character who is more than the two-dimensional cut-out that she appears to be.
They figure out that there are some zombies that are stronger than the others. This is a development for the Zombieland series because it raises the stakes and builds a more comprehensive lore for the zombies that adds tension and
All in all, I’m happy with it. It was a great comedy and hit all the high marks of the first movie. If you enjoyed the original Zombieland, this movie is a welcome return to form. At times it felt repetitive, but never to the point of annoyance or in a way that was a detriment to the film. Also, if you enjoy the work of Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson this movie will be a hit. Overall, this film is an enjoyable zombie movie, and a wonderful sequel to the Zombieland film.