Ten years after the release of the original film, “Zombieland: Double Tap” has hit theaters. While the first film, a satirical look at the zombie genre, received praise from audiences and critics alike, does its long-awaited sequel compare?

Sadly, no.

It’s been ten years since the events of the first film, and Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock are still moving through the US as a team. After making a more permanent home in the White House, it seems as if a peaceful life might be in reach for the group. However, when Little Rock goes missing, the remaining three must hit the road once more to find her.

“Zombieland” is a series with so much potential. While many disagree on the quality of the first film’s writing, it had an undeniably fantastic cast and was a ton of fun in my opinion. When a sequel was finally confirmed, I was incredibly excited to see what new story the sequel would tell. Disappointingly, “Zombieland: Double Tap” feels as if it struggles to find a plot for the entirety of its relatively short runtime.

The film simply struggled to get me invested in anything that took place in this movie. Each act of “Zombieland: Double Tap” feels almost completely separate, as if the filmmakers had a few ideas they thought would be funny and tried to glue them together and make a coherent plot. This doesn’t really work, with multiple characters and moments feeling utterly useless.

Even worse yet, the film magically wraps up in the third act with a string of deus ex machinas. Every issue presented to propel the plot forward is magically fixed at the end, with some characters literally saying they changed their minds just because they felt like it.

Seeing as how “Zombieland: Double Tap” is primarily a comedy, one might argue that these issues should be forgiven as long as the film was funny.

This is true in part. I certainly found myself laughing at some of the jokes in the film and having a good time, but this was more due to the charisma and chemistry of Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. The group clearly had a lot of fun making the film, and watching them reprise their respective roles is a great time. I just wish they had something to work with.

Many bits and jokes in the film simply do not hit and left me wondering why they were included in the film at all. Instead of enjoying what felt like more than half of the film, I simply sat there, wondering how long each bad joke would continue. If it wasn’t for some fantastic moments and the outstanding main cast, I could see myself really hating this movie.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first film, chances are you’ll get some sort of enjoyment out of its sequel. This is, of course, if you overlook the films disappointing plot and jokes, which are the two main reasons that one would go and see the film. If you are expecting anything more than an uninteresting zombie flick with a fantastic cast, I’d say this film is worth skipping.

2/5 Stars