The theater was full on Saturday night, three days after the premiere of the sequel to the beloved “Zombieland,” a film about four individuals who meet each other during a zombie apocalypse. Together, they make their way across the nation while slaying zombies in the most gory, humorous way possible. “Zombieland: Double Tap” stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin — and, in a tribute to the first film, Bill Murray makes an appearance in the after credits.
It’s difficult to critique a film when absolutely nothing is to be taken seriously — each character arch was filled with banter and humor. I will say that the score was great; the rock music meshed perfectly with the gory scenes.
I appreciated the narration style of the film as well as the occasional captions that accompanied certain scenes. For example, Eisenberg’s character, “Columbus,” has a set of rules he follows to survive the apocalypse. Any time these rules had relevance, they appeared on-screen in grotesque fonts.
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The dialogue, while not the greatest, fit perfectly with the characters and ridiculous plot. Often times, it seemed the characters poked fun at their situation. The film introduced a new character — Madison, a survivor who lived in a mall freezer to survive. She was written as a dumb, comedic character who contrasted the rest of the ensemble.
The cinematography was decent — nothing special, yet respectable. It’s obvious that it wasn’t a concern, which is fine because the main component of the film is its comedic method of telling a story about zombies and death.
The story itself was heartwarming. Despite the gore and humor that give the film its uniqueness, it told a sweet story about the characters’ relationships and how they overcame the issues working against them.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” ends in the kindest way: it doesn’t break your heart. Instead, it leaves you energized and relaxed. It doesn’t drag on and none of the scenes were anywhere near boring. The writers knew exactly how to keep the audience’s attention. While I wouldn’t recommend this film for anyone who dislikes violence and gore, it is an entertaining and funny film that incorporates character contrast and relationship building in an attractive way.
Overall, this film is a great watch during midterms season — it will give you a short, much needed break from studying and stress.
Julie Freijat is culture editor for the Collegian and a sophomore in mass communications and biology. The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
