In hindsight, it doesn’t always look like it but Aliens Vs Predator was a good idea. A proving ground for coming of age hunters with the alien xenomorphs as suitably challenging prey; it was completely in keeping with both franchises and should have been one of the all time greats. As we all know, it wasn’t (though it’s a still Schindler’s List compared to its sequel!) but not because of the idea, because the execution was so poor. The story was too short and flimsy, the character base too wide to care for their deaths and the much hyped tagline of “Whoever wins, we lose” not actually delivered upon. Sometimes, you can have an amazing idea for a film but by overlooking key factors squander its potential in the end result. This is the case with latest zombie horror comedy offering, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s a fantastic idea with enough imagination to make it the new Zombieland but it's sadly a slow dragging plot and overly archetypal characters drag it back down to merely average levels. It’s fun but if it just tightened those knots properly everything would have held together better.
While returning from a camping trip the social outcast scouts of Ben (Tye Sheridan – The Tree of Life, X-Men Apocalypse), Carter (Logan Miller – I’m in the Band, Growing Up Fisher) and Augie (Joey Morgan – debut) discover their town is now overrun by zombies. With the help of their vast scout skills and their waitress friend Denise (Sarah Dumont – Don Jon, Oh You Pretty Things!) they try to stay alive and save their fellow classmates.
Like any young guy starting a fire with two sticks, Scouts Guide does take a little time to get going. In fact, much of the first act feels overly generic with many jokes completely missing their mark purely relying unoriginal pop culture plays or Carter being foul-mouthed. In the same way, the story fails to engage as it sets up the atypical teen angst from an all to convenient run in with someone’s not girlfriend/crush to the idea of Ben and Carter wanting to quit scouts for being labeled as losers but don’t want to hurt Augie’s feelings. In fact, much of the male trio’s relationship dynamic feels like poor version of Superbad (it even throws in a booze buying scene). Even the early sparse zombie encounters don’t really impress. However, once the boys get back into town and switches into full zombie survival mode, it almost becomes a different film entirely. The action is fast paced bloody and incredibly satisfying with no shortage of gore and plenty of very creative deaths. The makeup and effects look brilliant as it all goes down too. The main plot still struggles as, like some of its undead counterparts, it just limps from one place to the next but it’s often very fun while doing so. It even climaxes well with the boys getting tooled by A-Team style before talking on a full horde with their nicely imaginative weapons of mass zombie destruction. Though that said the gearing up should have happened much earlier to really deliver on its titular premise.
The most surprising merit badge of this scout’s arm is the award for zombie innovation. Although the first few encounters feel inconsistent in their established physics of just what these walking dead can and can’t do or why (like the first zombie throwing his victim about for ages instead of just biting him), once we understand that they are more physically and mentally capable than we’re traditionally used to the film finds immense creativity in utilize it. This ranges from simple ideas like a cop zombie randomly firing off its gun to an absolutely genius setup involving a large trampoline. There are some great laughs expanding the zombie infection to animals as visiting a crazy cat lady suddenly takes on a whole new dimension (well, they did want some pussy) . This also expands to some excellent background visual gags like a zombie on a mobility scooter and another wearing a (now redundant) “YOLO” t-shirt. Even some cringe-worthy moments of bad taste still feel in keeping with the fun and ridiculous tone. For the most part, Scouts Guide does not take itself in the slightest bit seriously and it's so much better off for it. There’s still the odd miss, like an impromtu karaoke session falling rather flat and even though it’s a teen comedy it could do with less tit gags. Its zombie interpretation may have the classical genre fans choking on their popcorn, but what doesn’t offend them these days?
The cast are a mixture of successes because they’re shackled by being largely very shallow stereotypes: the nice guy, the smart mouth, the chubby loser, the hot chick, the douchebag boyfriend etc. Everyone is just trying to do the best with what their given material, which is why those given more comedy content generally come across better on screen. Tye “the new Cyclops” Sheridan does make some of the drama elements more tolerable (like the inevitable group fallout) but is frequently eclipsed for having to be level headed one. Logan Miller teeters on the edge of being annoying in places but mostly he’s a riot. Joey Morgan is fighting the biggest stereotype on show but still finds plenty of laughs and should hold is head high as the first person to fight a zombie to Dolly Parton. Sarah Dumont runs the risk of being more a “visual” presence but makes good of use Denise’s more conversational scenes to make her feel like a fleshed out character rather than just flesh. Elsewhere, the reliable David Koechner (Anchorman, The Office) chips in some good physical comedy and Halston Sage (Paper Towns) is charming enough as Ben’s love interest despite some heavy screen absence.
The recent years have brought some real success stories in the zom-com genre (Warm Bodies, Life After Beth) and while Scouts Guide doesn’t reach the same level it will entertain those looking to laugh in the moment even if it won’t linger in your mind for too long. It delivers less actual Scouting than its title would imply but paints over the cracks with plenty of carefree humor. It may have the inescapable feeling of lost potential but these Scouts can still raise their flag with at least nervous pride. There may even be grounds for another chapter.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!