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Laramie Movie Scope:
Zombieland: Double Tap

Another dose of zombie comedy

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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November 14, 2019 – The original Zombieland, along with Warm Bodies, are my favorite zombie comedies. While the sequel, “Zombieland: Double Tap,” is not as good as the original, it is still enjoyable. It has the original cast and characters, plus a number of new characters.

The sequel opens with a brief montage of the four survivors, played by the original cast of Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin, have moved into the White House, where they have formed a not so happy family. Columbus (Eisenberg) wants to marry Wichita (Stone) but she doesn't want to commit. Little Rock (Breslin) wants a man, someone other than Tallahassee (Harrelson). She and Wichita, leave the White House, unannounced.

Tallahassee is also restless, wanting to explore his Native American roots in the west. But he and Columbus are galvanized into action when Wichita returns and announces that Little Rock has vanished, driving off with a stranger named Berkeley (played by Avan Jogia of “Shaft”). Columbus, Tallahassee and Wichita set off in pursuit of Little Rock and Berkeley. They are joined by a ditsy blonde, Madison (Zoey Deutch of “The Disaster Artist”).

Following the trail of Little Rock, they discover a motel near Graceland in Memphis, run by an Elvis fan, Nevada (Rosario Dawson of “Unstoppable”). She and Tallahassee have romantic chemistry. They also meet two men, Albuquerque (Luke Wilson of “Legally Blonde”) and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch of “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”) at the motel. These two seem like clones of Tallahassee and Columbus. They also encounter a new class of zombies, faster and harder to kill.

They finally catch up with Little Rock and Berkeley at a kind of hippie commune called Babylon. Babylon is attacked by a horde of those more dangerous, evolved zombies and everyone makes a last stand, with the aid of an old Native American trick. This movie is over plotted, as you can tell from the above abbreviated description, but the characters are engaging, and that makes them worth following.

The way this movie ends seems to indicate that this is the end of the Zombieland franchise, but movie studios these days are sequel happy, so you never know. But if this the end of the line, it is a very satisfying conclusion to the saga of Columbus, Wichita, Little Rock and Tallahassee. These characters, established in the first film, have lost none of their appeal.

Be sure to stick around for the credits. There is a comic action sequence featuring Bill Murray. As you will recall, Bill Murray also appeared in the first film, as himself. What happened to him then is referenced in the sequel, resulting in possible jeopardy for Columbus at the hands of Nevada. This mid-credits scene doesn't really add much to the film, but it is always a treat to see Bill Murray having fun on screen. This film rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2019 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)

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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at dalek three zero one nine at gmail dot com [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]