The Reel Review
Our zombie-slaying foursome is back in this sequel to 2009’s Zombieland. In the decade that has passed, new breeds of zombies have evolved, leading to new madcap adventures after Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) split from their new home at The White House (yup, THAT White House) and Little Rock meets a stoner boyfriend named Berkeley (Avan Jogia).
Despite a somewhat slower second act, the original film’s writing duo of Rhett Reece and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Deadpool 2) have cranked out a fun, silly and entertaining sequel, thanks to their smart decision to spice things up with additional characters played by Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch. It is Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some!!), however, who steals the show as the wonderfully bubble-headed blonde, Madison. (“Um, is that your dad?”) ✌️
Director Ruben Fleischer (Venom) adds some fun twists while maintaining the goofy spirit of apocalypse-surviving rules and creative zombie kills of his original film, again culminating in an over-the-top finale that even works in a wink to AMC’s The Walking Dead. Stick around during the closing credits for the cute flashback explaining how the entire zombie apocalypse started.
REEL FACTS
• Of the four leads in Zombieland: Double Tap, only Emma Stone (La La Land) has won an Oscar. The other three – Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) – have all been nominated for those respective films, however.
• Zoey Deutch (Beautiful Creatures, Before I Fall) who was in a relationship with Zombieland: Double Tap co-star Avan Jogia (Berkeley) from 2012-2017, is the daughter of actress Lea Thompson (Back to the Future)
• Albuquerque (Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) initially were the names that were going to be given to Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg’s characters in the first Zombieland.
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