Zombieland: Double Tap 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
One of the things that makes comedies great is the world they create and the originality of their characters and settings. The problem with comedy sequels is that there’s a shelf life on how long audiences want to revisit those characters. In order for a comedy sequel to find box office success, it really needs to be released quickly after the original in order to capitalize on the hype (see 22 JUMP STREET for a good recent example). If the film is released too late, then it’s going to struggle to match the original’s success (see ANCHORMAN 2 for example), regardless of how funny it is. You see where I’m going with this? ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP is a worthy sequel that captures the fun and excitement of the original, but the fact remains it’s easily six years too late.
We pick up with our gang of four several years after the original. They’ve been having fun living in the White House and have grown comfortable with each other and their world. Columbus (Eisenberg) and Wichita (Stone) are a couple while Tallahassee (Harrelson) and Little Rock (Breslin) have a father-daughter relationship. But Little Rock dreams of more and Wichita isn’t content with settling down, so the two take off in the middle of the night. While coping with their disappearance, Columbus and Tallahassee find Madison (Zoey Deutch). Madison is a traditional dumb blonde in every sense of the word, but her presence in the group makes for a lot of laughs. The two duos eventually meet back up and have to take on an evolving zombie population.
Double Tap fits right in with the original, both in terms of tone and with the comedy. You could watch the two films back to back and they would be seamless. It sounds like a critique, but that’s actually the best part of the film. The original worked really well capitalizing on the fun dynamic between the foursome and the craziness of their world and the sequel does an equally good job. The introduction of some new characters breathed some new life into the film, but their introductions were done very well. Madison is a blast and has some of the most hilarious lines in the film and the entire sequence with Albuquerque (Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch) was a riot. Throw in Rosario Dawson being Rosario Dawson and we had a great mix of new and old characters.
You could cut and paste a review of ZOMBIELAND into a review of ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP and not be far off. With the same cast and crew, this one fits in perfectly. Fans of the original will be pleased with what they get here, but if you’re looking for something new and different, you might be disappointed.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: Presumably upscaled from the 2K master, ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP looks great on 4K with some noticeable upgrades over the Blu-ray. The occasional pops of color come through very well and anytime there’s a bright burst in an otherwise dark scene, you can see the 4K improvements clearly. This isn’t a perfect transfer, however; I found the scenes in the dimly lit Graceland hotel to be disappointing at times. But overall, this is a nice transfer.
Audio: The Dolby Atmos mix booms throughout and utilizes the surround channels appropriately.
Commentary with Ruben Fleischer: Fleischer gives a good commentary, covering the making-of basics and throwing in some funny anecdotes when he can. However, I would have loved to hear him with someone else to give him the chance with some banter and to keep it moving a little smoother.
Alternate and Extended Scenes: Nine scenes in total, some of which are pretty funny and probably should have been left in.
Featurettes: Six featurettes cover the entire making-of gauntlet, including the task of revisiting the original and adding in new characters.