There were no pressing questions at the end of the first Zombieland (2009), so the existence of a sequel - like most sequels - is to hopefully recapture the magic of the original and make some more money. In Zombieland: Double Tap, the returning characters are still quite fresh and amusing, and it was fun to visit with them again.
Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are still surviving through the zombie apocalypse, but can they survive one another? Their dysfunctional substitute family must come together when the walking dead start evolving into faster, meaner and smarter zombies.
The filmmakers appear to understand that the zombie kills are getting stale, so they wisely concentrate on the characters and the funny quips they say during intense and/or awkward situations. It's funny when Tallahassee and Columbus meet their doppelgangers (Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch), but some of the biggest laughs come from new character Madison, a dumb valley girl played to the hilt by Zoey Deutch. She's a fun character and that is why it's disappointing when she is moved into the background during the latter half of the movie. If only director Ruben Fleischer and his writers (Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) allowed Madison to participate more and actually have an arc instead of just being a gag. It also would have been nice to have Rosario Dawson's Elvis hotel manager character fleshed out a bit more, because she and Harrelson have great chemistry together.
However, Zombieland: Double Tap is fast and fun and does what it is supposed to do.
