Cinematic Releases: Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse

Is the zombie trend getting a little old yet?

"Check out my guns, yo."

If there's one thing for certain, zombies aren't going anywhere, any time soon. From comics to television to books to movies, the undead continue to overpopulate entertainment,eating flesh and monopolizing screen time everywhere. Being such a massively popular cultural phenomenon, its often hard to separate the good from the bad. Fortunately, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a few points better than average, mixing gore and humor into a movie that maneuvers the fine line between satire and tribute, possibly gaining itself future cult status. 

Scouts Guide is a well written blend between Superbad, Warm Bodies, and Zombieland centered on a trio of misfit teenaged boy scouts on the hunt for booze and broads. Somehow the mixture works, giving the undead a new, unfiltered, sexy spin on a genre that's been dying a slow death for years. The silly brain splattering fun is led by three natural geeky male leads and their hardcore female counterpart that takes no prisoners. Scouts Guide may not be the best zombie movie ever made but it's definitely a good comedy rooted in the undead apocalypse that's been overtaking entertainment for decades. 

Scouts Guide will definitely draw comparisons to Zombieland considering its offbeat pop cultural references and similar comedic tones. The only thing lacking here is a powerful lead like Jesse Eisenberg or Woody Harrelson. Although the cast kicks some serious zombie ass, a bigger named actor would have carried some cinematic weight that would have sold more tickets. I was the only person in my theater on opening night, if that says anything. With an obvious chemistry between the three scouts, actress Sarah Dumont is almost needless eye candy for the teenage boys watching this. Her character offers female relief that feels forced and contrived as she plays fourth wheel to the boys, gratuitously bouncing from scene to scene. Her importance to the script is one sided and offers no progression to the story other than one minor romantic interlude. 

"Check out our lighting, yo."

Unique kills and action are the highlights of this movie. Somehow the combination of geeky virginal scouts, teenage parties, perverted sexual scenario with zombies, and great makeup gives Scouts Guide just enough edge to make it pleasing entry in a genre that's on constant repeat. The sound design, graphics work, makeup, and score are just icing on a cake made of goo and body parts. The dialogue between main characters never feels forced, making there team up against the legions of doom even more enjoyable. Whether you love zombies or are getting sick and tired of their antics, this movie has something for everyone. 

Score

-CG

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