Still killing it
MOVIE REVIEW ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP ★★★
It took a long time to get to that second tap.
The original “Zombieland” was released in theaters 10 years ago, becoming a major hit for the living-dead genre. It wasn’t the first movie to wring laughs out of a viral apocalypse, but it brought a more sitcom-like sensibility to the formula, with big, eccentric characters and killer one-liners alongside the kills.
Although the cast is a decade older, “Zombieland: Double Tap” is no less funny. Thanks to some new additions, it’s even more riotous.
The first film’s perfect quartet — neurotic Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), foulmouthed Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), sarcastic Wichita (Emma Stone) and rebellious Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) — are back to slay the day away. (To drive home the point of how long it’s been since we last saw them in these roles, in the ensuing years Eisenberg got an Oscar nomination, for “The Social Network,” and Stone won for “La La Land.”)
The scrappy squad is still vanquishing the undead, and following Columbus’ strict set of rules to try to survive in what looks like a modern-day Dust Bowl. This time, they choose a pretty lofty place for shelter: the White House. That’s where the movie’s best gags happen.
When Tallahassee hands Little Rock a Christmas gift in the Oval Office, something is off about it. “I couldn’t find any wrapping paper,” he says, acknowledging he used a presidential portrait instead. “It’s just Taft.” When Columbus proposes marriage to Wichita in the Lincoln Bedroom, he does it with the Hope Diamond. “You’ll say yes . I hope.”
A fantastic new character is Madison (Zoey Deutch), a daft, pink-clad girl who constantly rattles off malapropisms. Columbus meets her in a mall, where she’s been living in a walk-in freezer. Deutch gets a laugh on almost every line. Rosario Dawson also pops up to kick some brain-eater butt in an Elvis-themed motel near Graceland.
There’s a plot, I guess, but the film is mostly an excuse to watch crazier-than-ever Harrelson work out his anger on some unlucky zombies.
Running time: 99 minutes. Rated R (bloody violence, language, some drug and sexual content). Now playing. — Johnny Oleksinski