Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​I think it is safe to say, that fans of cinema as a whole have resigned themselves to the fact that this is now an era of film dominated by sequels and remakes and reimagining’s. Because studios are churning them out en masse and audiences are eating them up and that makes them a hot commodity in the studios’ eyes. But that doesn’t mean that fans have to accept and embrace every single sequel that comes their way. As evidenced by the recent failure of Terminator: Dark Fate, if a studio is going churn out another entry in a franchise, it better offer us a story that is completely worth our while. Which means that in essence, there is a checklist that the audience has in mind when they see that a sequel to a particular tale is on its way.
 
For example, it needs to feature the characters that we loved the most from an earlier adventure, since they are critical to the story’s success. Plus, we need the story to take us someplace new and exciting so that we’re not just getting a good old-fashioned re-hash of the original story and most important of all; the new chapter in the saga flat out needs to be good. Because often times, part two is a follow-up to a beloved story, one that we hold dear in our hearts for so many reasons and believe it or not, in this age of sequels there are new entries coming out that actually manage to check off every box on this all-important mental list, and recently I had the opportunity to see a sequel that meets these all-important qualifications in Zombieland: Double Tap.
 
Because this is a top-notch entry in this franchise, which comes as a pleasant surprise. For the original Zombieland appeared to be a self-encapsulated story, one that satisfied audiences everywhere with its ending. But this motion picture is able to impress simply based upon the fact that it taps into something that zombie cinema is only now starting to explore, in that, what does the world look like once the survivors of the end find peace and comfort? For that little twist allows for the dead to take a healthy backseat so that we can properly see how our main characters have grown and that’s exactly what this film focuses upon and seeing how our four leads from the original film have adapted to this world and how they lead their lives now, is fascinating.
 
But while it sounds as though this movie is nothing more than a grandiose character study, have no fear, everything that makes the original film so wonderful is present here as well. For there are plenty of zombies to found and tons of guts and gore and most important of all, the movie is downright hilarious. In fact, I would venture to say that Double Tap actually offers up more laughs than the original, and that is thanks in large part to the fact that we are within the confines of an established universe in this tale, allowing for the fun to expand and honestly, I cannot remember the last time I laughed this hard during a horror comedy, and all of these elements make this motion picture a sheer delight and a worthy successor in the franchise.
 
However, what I think I appreciated the most about this particular sequel, is the sheer fact that everyone involved truly took their time in making it. Because not rushing this one and setting it and making it ten years after the original, adds authenticity to the story, to the point where you instantly buy everything this motion picture is selling and that allows for this film to be as special as the original, and everything we’ve talked about today makes this movie a must see for certain. Because it is just a silly and fun ride, one that needs to be celebrated and who knows, if this one is a success at the box office, perhaps we can all reunite for a third entry in say, 2029. 

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