Some notable names return to ‘Zombieland’
If there was going to be a sequel to “Zombieland” 10 years later, the Halloween period certainly was the season for it.
Though 2019’s “Zombieland: Double Tap” (which FX presents Thursday, Oct. 28) has a definite feel of “been there, done that” – not only thanks to its own forerunner, but also to numerous other tales of survivors fighting the undead – there’s still fun in seeing such “A-list” stars as Oscar winner Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg being willing to return to the genre, considering how much else they accomplished in vastly different kinds of projects after the first “Zombieland.”
Along with fellow returnees Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin, their characters’ situation remains just what it was. They’re certainly more experienced in vanquishing zombies, but they’re still crossing a ravaged America after finding temporary shelter in (of all places) the White House.
As they take their quest back on the road, they encounter characters played Rosario Dawson and Zoey Deutch. The daughter of actress Lea Thompson and filmmaker Howard Deutch (“Pretty in Pink”), Deutch is especially good here, getting plenty of mileage out of applying what she’s established as her offbeat sensibility to the now-quite-familiar scenario of a zombie invasion.
Still, that’s not to dismiss others whose connection to “Zombieland” franchise has been long established. After her notable turns in “La La Land” (which brought her an Academy Award) and “The Favourite,” to name just two, Stone is marvelously game to play tough again as she takes on otherworldly opponents once more.
Perhaps the distance doesn’t seem as great for Eisenberg and Harrelson, who frequently play characters on the edge, but they enjoyably keep their “Zombieland” mojo here. And Breslin carries with her the experience she’s gotten from being in other horror tales.
One has to figure they all had a good time together the first time around, since reassembling a central cast in full after a decade isn’t necessarily a simple proposition. To use Stone as an example, opportunities had to have been plentiful for her, so for her to say “yes” to “Zombieland” again says a lot.
The original director and writers also returned, which gave “Zombieland: Double Tap” a nice sense of creative continuity even after so long. Those who know the first film aren’t necessarily in for a lot of surprises here, but if you’re going to fight the undead, it doesn’t hurt to have familiar allies to do that with.