Ali Plumb reviews the Zombieland sequel that has been 10 years in the making

A decade after the events of the original Zombieland, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are living a very comfortable life.

Sure, the world is still swarming with the undead, but they’re holed up in The White House and things are pretty cosy.

The trouble is, they've only had each other for company for quite some time and things are starting to get stale, not to mention the worrying signs of zombies starting to “evolve” into more dangerous versions of their once-easy foe.

So the gang have a fight, split up and swiftly realise that life without each other may not be one they’d like to live.

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Pros

For fans of the first Zombieland, it’s a sincere pleasure to be back in the company of four characters you really care for, brought to life by actors who obviously love what they do. Woody Harrelson continues to have the time of his life as the whisky-swigging, gun-toting, fiercely protective Tallahassee and it’s great to see Jesse Eisenberg back as the nebbish, awkward, needy Columbus. Post-Oscar Emma Stone may be the odd one out here, somehow left to the sidelines as Wichita seems only to serve the others – trying to look after her sister, trying to put up with her boyfriend – but at least Abigail Breslin gets to spend more time with new characters and stretch her wings a bit. They’re a fun gang, and it’s fun to spend time with them. Are they shaking things up that much? No, not really. Is it nice to see them again? Absolutely.

As we come close to 10 years of the Walking Dead’s unrelenting grimness, it’s also a treat for zombie fans to have somewhere to go where the stakes are low, the jokes are frequent and yet there’s still a vague sense of zombieishness to sate your post apocalyptic appetite. Not all of the jokes land as well as they should, but there are plenty of them, and they’re all delivered with enthusiasm. Yes, the “The heroes meet their doppelgangers” gag was done better – and quicker – in [2004's] Shaun Of The Dead, but it’s a bit of a laugh. “A bit of a laugh” seems to be damning the film with faint praise, and… maybe that’s exactly what’s happening.

Is it just me, or is a knockabout horror comedy exactly what we’re in the mood for right now? Doesn’t take itself too seriously, doesn't outstay its welcome, pleases the fans and gets the heck out of there. That’s Zombieland: Double Tap, a film seemingly designed for the phrase “If you liked the first one, well here’s the second one.”

Cons

This film does not answer the question you must ask all sequels: “Why does it exist?” You keep watching expecting there to be a grand idea that kicks the film into gear, but instead it’s just more of what came before, only less fresh. Which is good in its own way, but somewhat disappointing considering the much-loved writers behind it all – Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick – had 10 years to cook something new up. Perhaps the two Deadpool movies they gave us in the meantime distracted them from Double Tap’s script, but honestly whatever the reason, it’s just a bit of a shame.

The characters are mean, cynical, jaded zombie slayers who’ve seen the world go to pieces and have just about smushed together something resembling a family from what’s left. They’re misfit toys trying to make the best of a very bad situation. As such, their humour can be a little… mean, if not out-and-out mean here and there. One new character is called Madison, and she is – without putting too fine a point on it – an archetypal “dumb blonde” character, all ditsy and starry-eyed and dressed up in neon pink. She’s gamely played by the undeniably gifted Zoey Deutch, but the way she’s written and the way the original foursome treat her is properly “off” at times. The many, many ways the film wants to tell you she’s a little lacking in the brain department wears thin, and occasionally puts you off the likes of the otherwise loveable Columbus and Wichita.

They set up the concept of “super zombies” and to be honest, it does not pay off. They also kick off proceedings by outlining a number of specific types of zombie – sneaky ones, clever ones, etc. – and the introductions don’t really amount to anything either. They do underline the new type of “dumb zombie” known as “Homers”, which does come back here and there, but does this movie need any more dumb jokes?

Three word review: More Zombieland, anyone?