Zombieland: Double Tap continues the story of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and Wichita (Emma Stone), as a dysfunctional quasi-family working together to survive the zombie apocalypse. In the past ten years, they’ve mostly grown closer but when things become too routine and comfortable several members of the group begin questioning where they really belong. With the introduction of evolved zombies and new colorful characters in their lives, the four must overcome their internal growing pains and challenges to remain a team.

What works in Zombieland: Double Tap is the tone, chemistry, and the additional cast members (most of them). The obvious concern that arose after the announcement of this project was relevancy. Set and released almost exactly ten years after the first film, many wondered how Double Tap would fair in a media culture now oversaturated with remakes, reboots, and zombification. Double Tap acknowledges this landscape with proper form by leaning all the way into the idea and responding coolly with, “we know this is absurd and ridiculous, but we’re having a LOT of fun. If you join us, you will too.”

RELATED: How Deadpool 2 Helped With Zombieland: Double Tap

It’s hard to remember that back in 2009 these “names” were not yet names. Harrelson’s resume was fairly extensive, but Eisenberg and Stone had their Academy Award nominations (and a win) in front of them. So, it shouldn’t be that surprising that these talents could so easily merge back into their old characters and recreate the original fun, but it somewhat is just given the nature of comedic sequels. Lightning rarely strikes twice when it comes to laughs, because comedies on the second go-round are stuck between giving people something fresh, but also familiar, but not too familiar to the point of simply rehashing jokes where the audience already knows the punchline. Double Tap navigates these waters rather well, mostly thanks to delightful new additions to the cast that consistently create amusing encounters and exchanges. The standout in this category is unequivocally Zoey Deutch as Madison. You’ll have to see the film to fully understand why, but she is the epicenter for many of Double Tap’s laughs.

For those none pleased with colorful language, gross-out humor, and comedic gore as entertainment, Zombieland: Double Tap is likely not for you. The tone of the first movie is alive and well, but this time with an almost excessive amount of vomiting. To casual fans, yes you could just jump into Double Tap without having experienced the first film, but it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable. It’s worth noting at this junction that this sequel is lean, and if one thinks too hard it’ll be easy to recognize that entire plot arcs get abandoned rather quickly—but if you came for a deep plot, you might be in the wrong theater.

Zombieland: Double Tap is a serviceable comedy sequel. It doesn’t really live up to the near genius-level quality of what came before it, but given that the bar was so high to begin with, getting about 70% of the way there means a very entertaining way to pass the time if a zom-com is what you’re seeking.

Recommended if you enjoyed: Zombieland, Warm Bodies, The Dead Don’t Die

FINAL GRADE: B

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