Fanboys Anonymous

Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade—a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.

The next report card is for Zombieland: Double Tap—the sequel to the 2009 zombie comedy that I surprisingly enjoyed quite a bit, despite not being a fan of the zombie genre.

Zombieland: Double Tap
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Written by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick

STARRING: Woody Harrelson (Tallahassee), Jesse Eisenberg (Columbus), Emma Stone (Wichita), Abigail Breslin (Little Rock), Zoey Deutch (Madison), Avan Jogia (Berkeley), Luke Wilson (Albuquerque), Thomas Middleditch (Flagstaff) and Rosario Dawson (Nevada)

STORY: B+

Simple and effective. Let's progress the relationship between Columbus and Wichita, give Little Rock the position of the child Tallahassee lost in a way, and advance the zombies to a more threatening level while still poking fun at how some of them are Homers.

CHARACTERS: A

The four lead characters from the last time are all the same, which is exactly what I (and I'm sure most people) were hoping to see. They didn't deviate from the formula that worked before, which allowed this movie to be a true sequel and not something different.

HUUUUGE fan of Zoey Deutch's Madison. She was such a pleasant surprise for this movie and a great extra character to throw into the group to test their reactions. It was also fun to see her kind of replace Little Rock, as she's the worst part of both movies, and putting her on the sidelines to make room for Madison was a big step in the right direction.

I also loved Flagstaff and Albuquerque as the doppelganger versions of Tallahassee and Columbus. That was a true highlight part of the movie.

TONE / ATMOSPHERE: A

ACTION: Rock solid. The zombie killing scenes were over the top, frenetic and fun.

COMEDY: My girlfriend and I seemed to be the only ones to really seem to get all the jokes in our theater, for whatever reason. I laughed. She laughed. Lots of other people seemed to just sit there. Thumbs up in my book.

ROMANCE: There isn't really "romance" per say, but the love interest aspects of the movie are what they're supposed to be for this type of film.


ACTING: B+

Zoey Deutch kills it. She's the best of the bunch. Everyone else reports and does their job perfectly well for what is fitting. Nobody will get an Oscar nomination, but that's totally okay.

VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): B+

The zombies look realistic and there's a consistent look throughout both movies. All the scenery seems justifiably beaten down. Everyone's grungy enough (minus Madison, which is the point). Solid.

AUDIO (MUSIC / SOUND): Satisfactory

I don't really know how to grade this, as for some reason, I'm drawing a blank on any specifics. I know Elvis was a part of the film with the plot and all, but I'm not a fan of Elvis, although that's not necessary or should weigh into the whole grade. Since I don't remember anything bad nor anything great, I'll just say that this was a satisfactory thing, without an actual grade to tie it down into something more specific.


MARKETING / TRAILERS / POLITICS / SERIES DIRECTION / ETC:

+ Nice choice in naming the film Double Tap.
+ LOVED how Flagstaff had commandments instead of rules. That whole bit was one of my favorite parts of the film.
+ Big fan of how they didn't kill anybody off. Had they done that, I think it would have been a mistake. Who knows if they'll make a third one of these or not, but at least now they have the option.


GRADE: B+ (Pass)

Exactly what I was hoping for. If you're a fan of the first film, you're going to enjoy this one, too. In an era where lots of sequels can be massively disappointing and go in the direct opposite of what they should be, it's nice to see someone wait 10 years and actually deliver.