Back in 2009, Zombieland found a decent audience. However, it veered more toward “cult classic” than “box office smash”, a fact that may explain why it took a decade for us to get a sequel, 2019’s Zombieland: Double Tap.

During the first film, zombies ran rampant and a mix of survivors came together as a team. All went by location-based code names and this group includes Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).

10 years later, they remain a makeshift family, one in which Columbus and Wichita became a couple. When he plans to propose, she freaks a bit.

Little Rock feels like she needs to strike out on her own to be with kids in her age group. Coupled with Wichita’s fear of commitment, the two women leave the men behind them.

A month later, Columbus has met – and bedded – ditzy Madison (Zoey Deutch), and the latter fact goes over poorly when Wichita returns. Little Rock went off with Berkeley (Avan Jogia), a pacifist, and Wichita wants to find her.

With Madison in tow, our three returning characters depart on a road trip. They seek to locate Little Rock and deal with a new breed of “super zombie” and other challenges along the way.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Tap comes from its “gang’s all here” factor, given various careers since then. In 2009, only Harrelson could be seen as an actual star.

Eisenberg had been in a few indie movies that didn’t find much of an audience, while Stone was known mainly for a supporting part in Superbad. Breslin had done the best of the three to that point, as she’d even earned an Oscar nod for Little Miss Sunshine, but she wasn’t especially famous.

Obviously this changed over the decade between films, especially for Stone, who turned into an Academy Award-winning “A-list” star. Eisenberg got his own Oscar nom for 2010’s Social Network and starred in hits like Now You See Me.

Throw in director Ruben Fleischer’s commercial success with 2018’s Venom and the hit Deadpool movies penned by writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese as well. That’s a much more high-powered cast and crew circa 2019 versus 2009.

So I like that Tap brought back all the important players from the original. Too bad the movie itself doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor.

I really enjoyed the original Zombieland, as I thought it offered a nice mix of action, parody and comedy. Even then, the zombie genre threatened to grow stale, and it invigorated those themes.

10 years later, zombies seem even more “done”, and Tap finds it hard to develop anything fresh. Really, it comes across more like a rehash of the original and less like a new creative endeavor.

Not that this means Tap fails to muster entertainment value. Indeed, it comes with enough crazed action and goofy comedy to create reasonable fun.

None of the original actors find much different to say, but the new performers can bring a spark to the proceedings. In particular, Deutch provides a good percentage of the movie’s laughs.

This becomes a surprise because she plays such a cliché character. Madison offers nothing more than a rehashed Valley Girl/dumb blonde sort that would’ve seemed stale 30 years ago.

Nonetheless, Deutch approaches the role with such guileless charm that Madison turns into a consistent delight. She’s trite on the page but a lot of fun on the screen.

A few other surprises manifest as well, especially when the gang meets some characters who seem awfully familiar along the way. Granted, this borrows a gag from an episode of Seinfeld, but the movie nonetheless uses the scenario well.

All of this leads to a film that I like but not one I love or appreciate to the degree of the original. Whereas the 2009 flick brought us a fresh spin on the zombie genre, Tap comes across as More of the Same.

Still, that doesn’t make it bad, and as noted, Tap gives us enough nutty shenanigans to keep us with it. While it doesn’t live up to 10 years of expectations, it mostly entertains.

Footnote: stick with the end credits all the way to their conclusion.

Zombieland: Double Tap appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film boasted fine visuals.

Sharpness worked well. While the occasional wide shot betrayed a sliver of softness, the majority of material appeared accurate and concise. No issues with moiré effects or jaggies occurred, and I saw neither edge haloes nor source flaws.

Like most modern action flicks, we got a mainly teal and amber palette here, though not one that went to extremes, as it stayed fairly subdued. Within the stylistic constraints, the Blu-ray reproduced the colors in a favorable manner.

Blacks came across as deep and dense, while shadows – important in such a dark series – appeared smooth and well-developed. The movie offered pleasing picture quality.

Just as good, the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio also satisfied. Music showed nice stereo presence, while effects added immersive material. The action sequences boasted fine use of the side and rear speakers, all of which brought us into the wild story well.

Audio quality seemed strong. Music was full and rich, while dialogue seemed natural and distinctive.

Effects offered clear elements, with warm, tight lows. I liked the soundtrack for Tap.

We find a nice array of extras here, and these open with an audio commentary from director Ruben Fleischer. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters and the development of the sequel, sets and locations, cast and performances, photography, effects, stunts and action, music, and some Easter eggs.

Because the first movie’s commentaries included the screenwriters as well as two of the stars, I initially felt disappointed that only Fleischer appears here. However, the end result proves more effective, so perhaps this becomes addition by subtraction.

Fleischer provides a strong look at his movie, as he keeps up a steady stream of information through the whole track. Fleischer brings us an engaging and informative chat that works very well.

With Extended Bloopers and Outtakes, we find a four-minute, 52-second compilation. These tend toward pretty standard goofs and giggles, though a few improv lines add value.

Nine Deleted Scenes occupy a total of 12 minutes, 42 seconds. Expect a few good clips here.

For instance, we get a revelation about Tallahassee’s vehicle-owning past, and we find a glimpse of how various lives might have worked without the zombie apocalypse.

Not all the clips entertain, but most seem pretty good, and we learn a bit more exposition along the way. This turns into an above-average collection of cut scenes.

Featurettes follow, and The Doppelgangers gives us a seven-minute, two-second piece with notes from director Ruben Fleischer and actors Thomas Middleditch, Luke Wilson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Woody Harrelson.

We get notes about some of the movie’s new characters. It lacks depth but it gives us a few fun notes.

A Day With Bill Murray goes for three minutes, 11 seconds and features Fleischer, writer Paul Wernick, and actors Bill Murray, Lili Estefan and Al Roker. We get a few thoughts about the return of the first film’s major cameo in this short but enjoyable reel.

Next comes The Rides of Zombieland, a four-minute, 14-second reel that involves Harrelson, Wilson, Middleditch, Eisenberg, writer Rhett Reese, production designer Martin Whist, and actor Rosario Dawson.

As expected, “Rides” looks at some of the movie’s vehicles. It delivers a decent overview.

Rules for Making a Zombie Filmspans nine minutes, 10 seconds and brings comments from Fleischer, Reese, Wernick, Harrelson, production assistant Jeremy Ward, unit production manager Will Greenfield, assistant on-set greens Deven Bromme, craft service assistant Georgia Belcher, stunts Nancy Thurston, special effects makeup department head Tony Gardner, special makeup effects artist Laura Dandridge, property master Don Miloyevich, and actors Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.

“Rules” brings a general look at the production. Though it feels loose and superficial, it gives us a smattering of useful notes.

After this we find Making Babylon, a five-minute, four-second clip that includes remarks from Whist, Miloyevich, Fleischer, and actors Victoria Hall, Victor Rivera, Avan Jogia, and Devin Mojica.

With “Babylon”, we learn about elements related to one of the movie’s main sets. It turns into a worthwhile reel.

New Blood takes up four minutes, 51 seconds and features Stone, Dawson, Reese, Fleischer, Wernick, Breslin, Jogia, and actor Zoey Deutch. They discuss new characters in this fairly fluffy piece.

Raw footage arrives via the two-minute, 18-second Single Take Doppelganger Fight. We get to see the unedited, pre-effects version of this scene in this fun extra.

Finally, Zombieland Ad Council brings a 32-second promo. It offers a cute promo, albeit one for a government agency.

The disc opens with ads for Spider-Man: Far From Home, Men In Black International, Jumanji: The Next Level, Bad Boys for Life and The Grudge (2020). No trailer for Tap appears here.

Nothing about Zombieland: Double Tap breaks new ground, and it can feel a bit like a rehash of the original. Still, the franchise boasts enough comedic juice to remain mostly entertaining. The Blu-ray comes with very good picture and audio along with a nice set of bonus materials headlined by an informative commentary. Though a bit of a disappointment, Tap still offers a mostly engaging tale.