And this week's Friday night movie has been...Zombieland Double Tap!
I saw the original Zombieland and thought it was a right laugh. So it is somewhat inevitable that I would approach the sequel. However caution was still exercised: Where can you go from the original? That and a decade is a long time between drinks...
Turns out there is still a lot going for this movie. The jokes are funny, the self-awareness is still on point, Woody and Jessie still make for a fun on-screen partnership and Nevada makes for an interesting addition.
But ultimately, there is no way around the fact that this sequel took a decade to emerge. So it makes me wonder just how many drafts went through because it is clear there are some good ideas here that, for one reason or another, don't reach their full potential.
Firstly, the circumstances surrounding Little Rock's departure seem ....odd. I would accept it if she was a teen but she's not: She's clearly in her early-twenties. In any case, she is then left by the wayside for much of the movie to make way for Madison.
Speaking of which, Madison strikes me as a wasted opportunity. Sure she's a 'dumb blonde' and endearing in an adorable way but only for so long. You want her to contribute something but nothing of the kind comes which makes me wonder if the writers had no idea what to do with her.
And speaking of wasted opportunities, there's no shortage of them here. One of which being the world-building: We see the zombies have evolved but little seen of these new breeds. There are more survivors but no indication of HOW they've survived.
So yeah, it was a fun movie but severely hindered by some unfocused writing. Here's hoping a sequel doesn't take another decade to come.....
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