"All right Scouts, let's kick some zombie ass!"
Just when I thought there was nothing more to do with the zombie comedy, along came Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. I have to admit there is something appealing with three dorky boy scouts being their town's best and last hope to defeating a horde of zombies and saving the day, probably because once upon a time I actually was in Scouts. It just happens to also be a really raunchy and frequently very funny movie.
Ben (played by Tye Sheridan) and Carter (played by Logan Miller) are two Scouts at a crossroads in their life. Up until now they had stayed in their local Scout troop to support their other friend, Augie (played by Joey Morgan) since his Dad died a couple years back. But as they are now in high school, they're starting to feel like it's time to leave their Scouting life behind, but are hesitant because they don't want to abandon their friend. They begrudgingly agree to attend one last camp out as Augie achieves the Condor merit badge (the movie's version of becoming an Eagle Scout, I guess. You'll notice there is no mention of the actual Boy Scouts of America anywhere in the film. Given the general raunchy nature of the film, I'm not surprised). They arrive at camp to find their Scout Leader, Rogers (played by David Koechner), is missing. They set up camp anyway and have their cookout. After everyone has gone to bed, Carter and Ben sneak off to secretly attend the Senior Class party that Carter managed to score an invite to. Upon returning to town, they discover that it is strangely deserted for a Friday night. They quickly discover that their town is besieged by a horde of zombies and are quickly saved by the waitress at the local strip joint, Denise (played by Sarah Dumont), a tough as nails gal who is very handy with a shotgun.
Meanwhile, Augie is feeling bad that his friends ditched him to go to a party and decides to go looking for Scout Master Rogers at his house, which he does except Scout Master Rogers is now a zombie himself. Augie is able to fend off the attack by the surprisingly resilient zombie and sets off to find his friends. Carter, Ben and Denise head for the local police station only to discover the town has been evacuated and in a couple hours is going to be bombed to try and contain the zombie plague. After re-connecting with Augie, the quartet discover that no one evacuated the secret Senior Party and among the party's attendees is Carter's older sister Kendall (played by Halston Sage), who Ben has a serious crush on. Realizing they are their only hope, the three Scouts suit up with some impressive improvised weaponry and head for the Party to save the day and hopefully earn some respect from their classmates in the process.
Maybe it's because I have some actual Scouting experience to relate to this film, but I really enjoyed it. There is definitely a heavy dose of humor in the film that outweighs any possible scares dramatically. There is a fair amount of gore though, as one would expect in a zombie film (the Red Band trailer will give you a good idea of what you're in for). The film does have a few novel moments that I wasn't expecting including one that ultimately convinced me I needed to see the movie. The quartet of heroes seek shelter from the zombie hordes in the home of the neighborhood crazy cat lady (played by Cloris Leachman no less). Not only is she a zombie but so is all of her cats. There is just something about a zombie cat trying to take a bite out of Augie before being flung across the room by a skillet wielding Denise that is endlessly amusing to me. The film is really raunchy though, from perpetual horndog Carter, who actually stops to feel up a topless zombie, to various other jokes of the fart, poo or penis related I can see this turning some people off, although I'm not ashamed to admit I laughed at much of it. There is some heart to the film as well, from the bond between the three friends only being strengthened by the ordeal to Denise teaching Ben how to step up and tell Kendall how he really feels and keeps the film more balanced against the cruder or more violent moments. My only real nitpick would be that it does take a bit for the movie to get going and for the zombie apocalypse to arrive in full force, but once it does the movie is nonstop action and mayhem until the end.
Overall, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a well timed Halloween treat for those that a film like this would appeal to. If you've read this far, I imagine you will have a good idea if this is your cup of tea or not. If it is, I think you'll have a blast with it. If not, then why have you read this far already?
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