THE DEAD TIMES
DEAD ARE COMING...
Is Zombieland related to Return of the Living Dead?
In 2009, the cultural phenomenon that is Zombieland was released. This Zombie comedy took the box office by storm, amassing just over 102 million dollars - well surpassing it's 23.6 million dollar development budget. It was kind of a surprise at the time, no one really expected a movie with only a handful of actors, then largely unknown, coming out at a time when the modern Zombie genre was becoming crowded with hits such as Dawn of the Dead (the 2004 remake), 28 Weeks Later and Shaun of the Dead, to not only do well but actually become the highest grossing Zombie movie of its time. Naturally, everyone assumed a sequel would soon follow. Fans waited and waited but news never came. They waited some more but still, silence - there were some hints that possibly, maybe something may be about to explode but… no, it was not to be. Finally, in July 2018, after nine years of wondering, the announcement came; Zombieland 2 was being made, the cast, writers and director of the original were returning, it was sporting the subtitle "Double Tap" - a clever reference to the Zombie apocalypse survival rules of the original - and it would be released on the tenth anniversary of Zombieland.
With the worldwide release of the film on October 18th now fast approaching, we are left in an odd (but welcome) position; we don't actually know that much about Zombieland 2. We do know that it is a direct sequel to the original, the story picking up 10 years after the events of the first film and that, somehow, some of the Zombies have evolved. Apart from that, the trailer has confirmed some new characters will be joining the original four heroes - Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock - as well as the group finding themselves in Washington D.C., holing up in the White House. That really is, about it, which is relatively strange for a movie so eagerly anticipated.
One stand-out point from that brief introduction is the concept of Zombie evolution and, to me, it's difficult to grasp (only being referenced in a handful of Zombie media). Can dead things really evolve? Are the Zombies in the Zombieland universe actually the resurrected ghouls we all know and love or are they living beings infected with some sort of virus, becoming so-called 'Living Zombies' or, more simply, 'Infected'? The director did comment in interviews after the original film that the Zombies were not actually dead people as in George Romero's masterworks but living people, infected by a virus similar to RAGE as seen in the 28 Days Later franchise. However, where did this virus come from? Nowhere, not even in the first movie, does it hint at how the world went down, obviously the Zombies had a major part to play in the later destruction but how did those Zombies come to exist in the first place? In 28 Days Later the virus was clearly manmade (or was it?) and was accidentally set loose upon the world by animal-rights activists thinking they were doing good. Applying this 'manmade virus' theory to Zombieland, I came up with a radical idea; what if it was the US-army created, Trioxin that changed the majority of the humans to Zombies? What if The Return of the Living Dead and Zombieland are linked?
The Similarities
It's not even a completely insane concept as there are bits and pieces to link the two films together.
- They are both comedies and both very funny - this is a no brainer.
- The Zombies are agile and are almost self-aware in both movies. Granted, they do talk in The Return of the Living Dead but, assuming Zombieland takes place a long time after The Return of the Living Dead started the plague, the dim-witted Zombies may have just forgotten how to verbally communicate. Maybe this is just an opening for what new viewers would consider evolution; Zombies learning to speak in English when, in fact, they already possessed this skill, the apparent evolution being nothing more than re-learning a forgotten trick.
- Both films are set in North America. Okay, that's not a major coincidence as North America is the standard setting for most films these days but, remember that title; Zombieland - it's not Zombieworld, the planet has not been completely overrun by this living nightmare, there are still safe areas, whatever turns people into Zombies has not spread across the entire globe yet. This points directly (in my tainted opinion) to a virus that originated in one specific area, and more specifically, the human-made virus from The Return of the Living Dead, Trioxin. A gas-liquid would be able to spread to over continents but it would take time after the initial outbreak, travelling only through atmospheric currents after planes carrying infected people stopped flying around. Maybe this is how the Zombies have evolved, a more location-based evolution, how the Zombies have adapted to different environments as the virus spread. Maybe this is what Zombieland 2 will show, or at least hint at; the colonisation of the entire world by the brainless Zombies.
I may be right
Recently, the director of Zombieland 2 revealed that there would be something very special for cinema-goers who stay until the end of the credits. This announcement was made in reference to the scenes starring Bill Murray's very unexpected, surprise role in the first film; ramping the comedy value up to eleven as a completely uninfected Murray dressed as a Zombie just to "blend in" amongst the hordes.
"I don't know how you could ever top that, but if someone were to stay to the finish of the film, perhaps they might see something a little special…"
Now what could possibly top Bill Murray (or even come close)? A simple barrel of Trioxin, that's what - establishing a direct link to the original Zombie comedy, The Return of the Living Dead.
DESCRIPTION:
Zombieland was a cultural smash-hit and I have no doubt Zombieland 2 will prove just as successful. It has been confirmed that the Zombies will have evolved for the second movie but how, exactly, is this possible? Are the Zombies technically still alive, just infected with a deadly, behaviour-altering virus? If yes, where did this virus come from? Was it man-made? Could it have origins in another legendary Zombie comedy, The Return of the Living Dead?
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DATE UPLOADED:
22/09/2019