ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Release Date: Malaysia, 31 Oct 2019

Genre: Comedy / Horror

Running Length: 1:39

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Screenplay: Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, the sequel to the 2009's Zombieland is more of the same. Really. It's the same movie, just with slightly more humans. And the filmmakers are not shy about repeating the same formula. Hence, if you enjoyed Zombieland, you’ll probably like this sequel, just not as much.

 

It has some clever moments and good laughs (don't miss the opening scene, yes, the one with the Columbia Pictures torch lady!). However not everything lands especially some running gags. 

There are some interesting cameos; some worked, some didn't. 

Double Tap is best enjoyed laughing-out-loud with a friend who also liked the first movie.  

RATING: 7/10

NOW YOU SEE ME 2 (2016)

Genre: Thriller
Running Length: 2.09
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Caine, Jay Chou
Director: Jon M. Chu
Screenplay: Ed Solomon, based on a story by Ed Solomon & Pete Chiarelli

NOW YOU SEE ME 2 is basically more of the same of the first one. Not that I'm complaining because the predecessor was such a guilty pleasure but I reckon the freshness is gone in this sequel. In other words, this second time round it has lost some of its magic. How many times can one get excited to see a woman get sawed into 3 parts, right?

To be fair, the filmmakers added a heist angle into this sequel to raise the stakes for our band of magicians. And the magic tricks are "bigger, better and shinier". Plus the location is more exotic; Macau and London. Somehow it feels like the studio is trying to do what Fast Five did to the Fast and Furious franchise.

Unfortunately, it didn't do it for me as some of the magic tricks are just too "kwa cheong". The scene where they tried to smuggle out a card sized god-like computer circuit board (which incidentally is the main plot of this movie) in a room full of soldiers is so over-the-top I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. Even the twist at the end of this movie feels out of place where else in the first movie, its big reveal gave me the "Wow, that was really smart!" response.

As for the performance of the actors, it felt like they were just spitting out their dialogues and having lots of fun. You would think that such a power cast of Oscar nominees and winners would at least add a touch of class to this sequel but overall, the whole experience just feels cheap. This is evident especially when the actors have to explain how an illusion is done. Mark Ruffalo is probably the only one not phoning in his performance and yes, Jay Chou IS IN the movie in a now you see me, now you don't role.

Rating: 5.5/10

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:34
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,  Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer

BATMAN V SUPERMAN wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. It was just OK.

Snyder has always been a visual and cinematic director for me and this movie really crushes it in this department. It's a visual fest - it looks grim, apocalyptic and big. Even the action sequences are epic (actually, everything is turned up to 11 eg. the close up bullet shell slowly falling on to the ground. Wah...). But when it comes to character development, Snyder is unable to deliver. Both Batman and Superman ends up as avatars rather than fully developed characters.

Granted that the studio is rushing to push out Justice League but there were many missed opportunities in the movie to build these iconic characters. Instead, they chose to spend time on re-telling the origins of Batman (yet again) and dream sequences.

And the narrative is unnecessarily convoluted. Audiences expecting to experience a royal smack down would feel cheated. To be fair, the plot to establish the superheroes as rivals rather than buddies is flawed but interesting nevertheless.

There are two highlights for me. Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman. I would pay to watch Ben Affleck as the brutal detective in a standalone Batman. I thoroughly enjoyed his iteration of Batman and seeing him single handedly take down a group of henchman MMA style. And as for Wonder Woman, her entrance and the accompanying electric guitar riff  was just W.o.W. Yes, I would want to see her too in her own movie.

I definitely credit Snyder for being ambitious in his film. He wants us to see this film as more than a disposable popcorn flick by exploring "what if it happens in the real world" concerns - such as regulating the role of superheroes as protectors. But it's so poorly executed he should have just focused on the battle royale.

Rating: 6/10