Zombieland Double Tap2019-10-20

It's a rare treat when me and my lovely bride get to go to a grown-up movie, so we try to make them count. The last movie we saw together was the excellent Bladerunner 2049. This time out, it was Zombieland: Double Tap.

I'm a huge fan of the first Zombieland film, and may actually be its target audience. I love zombie movies. I love a good horror-commedy (Shawn of the Dead is another in this category). I love old Metallica songs. Yeah, this one was aimed right between my eyes.

Woody, Jesse, Emma and Abigail play so well against each other as Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock. It may be the end of the world, but all that matters is the quest for a twinkie, brushing the hair back over a pretty girl's ear, and zombie kill of the week. Cardio and Beware of Bathrooms are rules to live by, even before the outbreak.

The sequel picks up not too far from where the first left off. We get some new characters, and our zombies learn a few new tricks. Little Rock is all grown up, and Tallahassee isn't at all happy with who she's dating. Madison is my favorite of the new characters, and added a great element of naive bright pink luck to a group of seasoned zombie-blasting veterans.

If you haven't seen the first, I highly recommend watching it before seeing the sequel. These characters have a whole movie of history together, and I'm not sure how easy that would be to follow if you didn't know their quirks and neurosis at the gate. Also, one of the best jokes references Bill Murray in the first movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie the way I might enjoy a really good cheeseburger after a long bike ride. The outside world vanished, and for an hour and 39 minutes, I was in the back seat of a crappy minivan with this unlikely family.

If you go see it, don't leave before the credits are done or you'll miss an epic cameo.