j* Movie Reviews 2019

Zombieland 2: Double Tap (2019)

This celebrates all the little deaths inside in the decade gone.

To say I was unimpressed with the first one is leaning towards understatement. It's been interesting talking to people about it, because there are an awful lot of people who turned the first one off halfway through - which after watching the whole thing, is what I wished I had done.

But this one is better than the first one and actually keeps the story chugging for the whole movie.

No-one loves a bit of end of the era reflection more than me, and this builds firmly from that base. We are talking here about all the age related feels. It explores how our little girl is all grown up, and quite frankly, pissed off with her elders. It digs into the turmoil of older relationships and fears of commitment even in a wanton zombie wasteland where you might be with the only existing other. And it gives the elder-elder hope that they've still got something going on. Because of course they do.

There is a lot of beautifully raw statements. It's kind of like leaving "our" timeline when they did, 2009, they've been able to continue on their merry way with those ideas, letting them evolve in ZombieLand. The film knows who is who, generationally, and it's Gen Z get a pretty big send-up with their pacifist hippy commune. Millennials everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief.

It reincarnates the textbook Paris Hilton-esque bimbo we loved to lampoon in the 2000s, and lets her have at a range of stupid, stupid ideas that make us squirm in our zombie-free seats because... well, as stupid as they sound if you have 2009 sensibilities, they're now real things in existence in our 2019. It's a bit like a comedic telling of one of my favourite books, "Triumph of the Airheads" except we are several levels up on that ride now. They might be dealing with zombies, but we're dealing with the, well... the walking braindead? She's great. Honestly, I loved her a lot. And she brings great tension to the storyline.

The satire flies thick and fast in The White House, you're welcome America. The new characters introduced via Graceland are pretty good. But a note, if I will, the doppelgängers do not get nearly enough airtime. They had only just gotten delicious when they were gone.

I was a little annoyed by the ending - satisfying for everyone but the teenage girl.

Strong, satirical, sweary, and a reminder that times are a changing.

J* gives it 3 stars.