Zombieland: Double Tap

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Rosario Dawson, Avan Jogia, Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Catching up with the gang years later, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Wichita (Emma Stone) are still together and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has become the father figure to Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). As the years have progressed, zombies have begun to evolve and have gotten cute nicknames such as the Homer (slow moving and standard zombie), the Hawking (incredibly smart) and the Ninja (incredibly stealthy). Although the gang has set up residence in the White House, the girls feel trapped and find themselves wanting more. After Columbus proposes to Witchita, she and Little Rock suddenly leave in search of a new adventure. A month passes and Columbus is still devastated until he meets Madison (Zoey Deutch), who has been living in a freezer at Pinkberry. They quickly strike up a relationship until Witchita returns, saying Little Rock ran off with a hippie named Berkeley (Avan Jogia) in search of the peaceful commune Babylon. As the threat of a new zombie emerges, the gang heads out to save Little Rock.

Fans of the original will find a lot to enjoy in the sequel. While there is little plot to speak of, the film serves as a platform to show off the amazing chemistry between the leads. Their banter keeps the film entertaining and helps the film start off strong. Unfortunately, instead of searching for new ideas, the script feels the need to fall back on callbacks to the first film.

These callbacks ultimately ends up hurting the film, causing it to drag excruciatingly at points. For an hour and forty minute comedy about zombies, this is unfortunate and shows that there was nothing really exciting to bring to the table. This is becoming an unfortunate trend in sequels, especially comedy sequels, which I hope gets remedied soon.

There are many fun additions to the cast. Putting Rosario Dawson in anything is a delight, although I wish she had turned up sooner. There is a lot more to her character that I wish the movie had explored. Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch show up as doppelgangers for Tallahassee and Columbus for a memorable set piece. Your enjoyment of the film will depend on how you feel about Madison, who walks a fine line between gratingly irritating and chuckle inducing. There is nothing wrong with Deutch's performance, she's very likable in the role, but Madison's only character trait is she is mindbogglingly dumb. For the amount of screen time she has, this is disappointing and a waste of her talent.

For some fun, lighthearted entertainment, this is a pretty good bet. Harrelson looks to be having a blast and no chemistry has been lost between the leads. Expect a lot of the same. Stay for the credits for maybe the funniest scene in the film.

B-