Maintains its somewhat unique appeal. Review on Zombieland 2: Double Tap

I had already decided that I would see this film once they first announced it many years back in late 2009. So, it was great to know it was finally released and I decided to check it out. This was also the first time I saw a film in 4D. I must say it has its appeal on occasions.

MAIN CAST:

Jesse Eisenberg. Columbus

Emma Stone. Wichita

Woody Harrelson. Tallahassee

Abigail Breslin. Little Rock

THE ESSENTIAL PLOT:

Columbus is looking to settle down with Wichita. But Wichita isn't so sure and she along with Little Rock, decide to desert their male counterparts in their quest for survival against wild, infected human cannibalistic dead human zombies.

The story then unfolds around Little Rock finding a potential partner and taking off with him. Columbus, who has found a random new partner, Madison in Wichita's absence finds himself torn with the return of Wichita, who wants to apologize for her defection. But they all agree that rescuing Little Rock would be their priority and embark on the road trip involving new ominous zombie adventures, new acquaintances and a supposed idyllic haven called 'Babylon'.

THINGS TO NOTE:

PERFORMANCES: The performances were, as could be expected from this stellar cast. They've probably all gained much more fame since they did the first installment 10 years back.

DIRECTION: I think Ruben Fleischer also does a decent job at directing the story he had to, on his return. I can't really say he did much wrong with his job.

SUSPENSE: The first film probably had more suspense. This one while good, we did have the general idea about where it is heading, with a few surprises here and there.

STORY: The story isn't a bad one and makes for a decent sequel. The screenplay is quite apt for the tone the original installment had set, except maybe a couple of events which are a bit idealistic.

A]I'm not sure that towards the end, when Madison and co. are throwing stuff from the rooftop of Babylon, how likely it would be to land on a zombie every time. That's probably not very realistic, but they were managing, without any practice.

B]Also, a bit ideal and cliched is Tallahassee's new girlfriend arriving just in time to resuscitate proceedings when all seemed lost. But it's clearly not impossible.

HORROR-COMEDY: While the first film worked more like a horror comedy, this one is more of a comedy adventure sort of film, because the zombie killers have become quite good at what they do, nullifying the horror element. Regarding the humour, there is lots of it in this film too.

BEST SCENES AND OTHER NOTABLE ASPECTS:

1]I liked it that the main male protagonist, Columbus, for a change, finds himself in a situation where he has 2 good options in 2 different women as potential partners and neither woman can really fault him for wrongdoing. Otherwise, generally in such a situation, someone has wrongly cheated on someone and there is some acrimony involved which tends to deviate from the main theme. It was ideal for Columbus. There were no hard feelings and it didn't seem implausible or far fetched.

2]The rule based delineation of hybridization of human common sense and an acumen for zombie killing has always been a highlight of this franchise's storytelling. That flourishes unfettered in this installment too, adding to the humour element.

3]We are also introduced to a funny categorization of the existing types of zombies here and also introduced to a new type of zombie, nicknamed T800s, owing to their stubborn resistance like terminators in the terminator franchise.

4]There's also an engaging short turn by Owen Wilson and his aide in this film. Can't really be called a cameo though.

5]There are explicit instances of sarcasm, irony and pun usage for those interested in such.

6]1 thing I did not note is if the rule numbers cited in this film were consistent with the first film. But I feel that the sequence isn't that significant as long as the rules coverage is ok.

7]The title "Double Tap" stems from one of the existing rules and how with the advent of T800s, it may not be a hard and fast rule.

8]"Zombie Kill Of the Year" is another new funny aspect of the film, where people are going to great lengths to score the award, like uprooting the leaning tower of Pisa etc to kill a zombie. It's like a sudden bonus comical ad amidst the film.:D

9]I did agree with most of how things eventually turned out. Not sure if I fully agree with Columbus's statement which was something like, "Home is not a place, but the people." I see how that could be relevant. But not necessarily so. When I say home, I would typically first think about the flat / building / place. Of course the people, environs etc have a role to play in one's happiness.

All in all, it felt like a well made sequel although somewhat predictable, a bit idealistic on select occasions and also losing the horror aspect of it in this depiction. I would probably have rated the first film 8+ / 10. I would give this a 7.5+ / 10.