The 2019 zombie movie,The Dead Don’t Die, starring Bill Murray, is now trending on Netflix.The Dead Don’t Die’s star-studded cast, includes Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Selena Gomez, and more, who appear alongside Murray in the horror comedy. The film primarily focuses on a small town that begins to experience unusual deaths and eventually realizes that zombies have invaded their town, forcing them to fight for their lives and leading toThe Dead Don’t Die’s unexpected ending.
Director Jim Jarmusch’s zombie movie works so welllargely because of its dry humor and its actors' abilities to pull that style off. Unsurprisingly, Bill Murray is great inThe Dead Don’t Die,and his deadpan reactions contrast perfectly with the absurd events that unfold onscreen. Surprisingly,The Dead Don’t Diewas not Bill Murray’s only zombie movie released in 2019, as he also made a cameo appearance in the equally humorousZombieland: Double Tapthat same year.
Murray Briefly Reprized His Zombieland Role In The 2019 Sequel
Bill Murray’s appearance inZombieland: Double Tapwas only a cameo since his character dies in the 2009Zombielandmovie, but his end credits scenes were still a fun way to bring back the character. As in the original,Murray plays himself, and the scenes present events that occurred at the very beginning of the zombie outbreak. Though he is not the primary focus of the movie, it is funny that Murray would have appeared in two very similar zombie comedy movies in the same year.
Austin Butler’s 2019 Zombie Movie Marked The End Of A Concerning RT Trend
Austin Butler starred in a zombie comedy film in 2019, and the movie was just what the actor needed regarding his Rotten Tomatoes score.
Bill Murray’s 2019 appearances in bothThe Dead Don’t DieandZombieland: Double Tapare a fun addition to his career, since,other thanGhostbustersand the firstZombieland, Murray has not been in many similar horror-comedies. Because of their similar themes and Murray’s performances, the movies pair well together. Additionally,The Dead Don’t Dieincludes a subtle reference to Bill Murray’s character inZombieland, making the connection all the more funny.
Both Movies Clearly State Their Rules
BothThe Dead Don’t Dieand theZombielandmovies state explicitly how to kill zombies and survive in a zombie apocalypse. Additionally,both use equally funny and meta methods of explaining zombies and how to kill them. In particular, several of the characters inThe Dead Don’t Dieseem to know how to kill zombies before any of the characters actually ever see the zombies. Along with references to other films of the genre, particularly thezombie movies directed by George Romero, the primary rule that the characters inThe Dead Don’t Diecite is to"kill the head,“otherwise the zombies will continue coming back.
While not all the rules for survival are actually stated inZombieland, inZombieland: Double TapColumbus reveals that he has a list of 73 rules, up 40 from the 33 rules of the first movie, including seatbelts, sunscreen, Ziploc bags, having a buddy and more.
The characters ofZombielandhave even more methods to survive their zombie outbreak, and they are explicitly stated in the form of numbered rules given by Jesse Eisenberg’s character, Columbus. While the rules cover a variety of topics related to survival in a post-zombie world,the most important rule for killing zombies is hinted at in the title itself. Rule number two is the"double tap,“which means that you always have to shoot a zombie twice to ensure it is really dead. In both movies, it becomes important for the characters to stick to their rules to survive.
The Dead Don’t Dieis a very funny movie and has a great cast, butit was no match forZombieland: Double Tapwith critics and at the box office.The Dead Don’t Diereceived mixed reviews and made $15.3 million at the box office (viaBox Office Mojo). Despite its well-known stars and director, the indie movie was shown in far fewer theaters than its zombie competitor. Additionally, some critics felt thatThe Dead Don’t Die’s deadpan humor did not always land, but now that’s streaming on Netlfix, perhaps the movie can be appreciated by new fans.
Following the financial and critical success of 2009’sZombieland, it makes sense that audiences would be excited to see the second one.
Zombieland: Double Tapalso had the advantage of being a sequel to a well-liked movie from a decade earlier. Following the financial and critical success of 2009’sZombieland, it makes sense that audiences would be excited to see the second one. Upon its theatrical release,Zombieland: Double Tapearned $125.2 million on a budget of approximately $45 million (viaThe Numbers). Furthermore, the sequel received positive reviews citing its humor and performances, makingZombieland: Double Tapnotch aboveThe Dead Don’t Diein Bill Murray’s 2019 zombie movie performances.
The Dead Don’t Die
Cast
The Dead Don’t Die is a horror comedy released in 2019, directed by Jim Jarmusch. The Dead Don’t Die focuses on a small town in Centerville that struggles to battle off hordes of zombies after the dead come back to life. The film has a star-studded cast, including Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, and Danny Glover.
