Rated R

Rule #1: Your movie better be entertaining or it’s not worth watching. Your movie or perhaps your “film” can be as profoundly high brow and thought provoking as all heck, but if audiences are falling asleep in the theatre, then it frankly isn’t worth watching. This is what makes Zombieland: Double Tap so great. Above all, the movie is entertaining. 

Zombieland: Double Tap does its due diligence as any sequel should: it maintains the same whit, gore, and fun factor as the first film. In the same vein, you could knock the movie for not taking too many leaps beyond the first, but with a movie like this I really don’t expect or even want much more. It’s a hilarious comedy about a bloody zombie apocalypse. I don’t want romance or political commentary hamfisted into the mix. Fair warning, there is a tinge of romance, but it’s handled with a slew of quips and funny moments. Not to mention these are some good actors who know their way around the big screen. This translates to jokes that land, and somehow believable dynamics despite the movie’s absurdity. 

Zombieland understands what it is, and that’s refreshing these days. It excels at what it does; it makes you laugh. The movie is absurd and the characters are caricaturistic, while the blood is flowing and the jokes are too. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and nor should you. None of it is thought provoking, or profoundly intelligent, but it’s a well built film that accomplishes its goal of entertaining you. Certainly worth seeing for $5 on a Tuesday, but not a movie that you need to rush to the theatre before it inevitably makes it to some streaming service.