Zombieland 2, the second installment of Ruben Fleischer’s satisfying take on zombie comedy, introduces four new zombie types to complement the film’s regular runner-type zombies. In the introduction, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) says that zombies are evolving, and that he, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) have given each new zombie type a name.
Also known as Zombieland: Double Tap, the film is named after Columbus’ Rule #2: The Double Tap, which prescribes a final headshot for every felled zombie. This rule comes into question in the face of the film’s most dangerous new zombie type: the T-800, named after the relentless cyborg in James Cameron’s The Terminator.
The T-800 is harder to kill than regular zombies, and the double tap does not apply to it, forcing humans to step up their creativity as well as their cardio (Rule #1). In the film, the other new zombie types do not pose as great a threat as the T-800 but are still worth a look: to that end, here is the full cast of new zombie types in Zombieland 2 in order of appearance.
New Zombie Type 1: The Homer
The most uninteresting new zombie type has to be the Homer: it is dumber than regular zombies and is named after immortal idiot Homer Simpson. Columbus claims early on that the Homer is a good source of post-apocalyptic entertainment, but the rest of the film fails to support that claim.
The few Homers of the film are seen trying to eat a statue, chasing a butterfly, and bringing up the rear in a zombie jump, one of the group’s creative solutions to a mass zombie attack. The Homer is intended to be comic relief, which, for obvious reasons, zombie comedy films don’t need. In a more serious zombie movie, the Homer might be a welcome addition, but here it just falls flat.
New Zombie Type 2: The Hawking
The award for new zombie type of 2019 has to go to the Hawking, which, because of its advanced intelligence, is named after physicist Stephen Hawking. Since Robert Matheson’s I Am Legend, zombies have had or have developed some form of intelligence. The Hawking may not be as intelligent as its namesake, but it is certainly the smartest new zombie type, in direct contrast to the Homer.
The Hawking is seen sucking the eye out of a corpse in order to use an optical scanner to open the door to her next meal. Unfortunately, the film barely explores this new zombie type. It appears only once more in the film and hardly exhibits a fraction of its predecessor’s brain power. If Zombieland 3 is to be based on anything, it should be the Hawking.
New Zombie Type 3: The Ninja
The Ninja makes a few appearances in the film and perhaps ties with the Homer as most uninteresting new zombie type. It is faster, hides in the shadows and takes its meals by surprise. These qualities set it apart from the film’s regular zombies, but in terms of the genre, it is not a significant departure from the jump-scaring zombies audiences are used to. As an advanced threat, the Ninja is a needless stop on the way to the T-800. It is faster and slightly cleverer, but like the Homer, it is a superfluous embellishment for the film’s menacing menagerie of the undead. It would be much more interesting if the Ninja were able to use a katana, more aptly living up to its name.
New Zombie Type 4: The T-800
Since the T-800 is harder to kill, it enables some action scenes and provides a minor source of conflict for the film. However, these film elements could have been achieved more successfully with the Hawking. Despite their shortcomings, the new zombie types in Zombieland 2 prove that zombie evolution can be entertaining and even a necessity in such a widely explored genre. 2019 gave birth to more than a dozen zombie films, including Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die, and Pet Sematary, which means that any fresh take is more than welcome.