Movie Review – Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Crude, brash, and graphic; this film had the entire theatre bellowing out hardy laughs from the very first scene. Our story begins with three loveable dorks who have been scouts since they were young, but two of them are ready to grow up and move on. They feel obligated to stay in Scouts for one friend, but feel their social life is taking a hit because of it. That’s the premise, which doesn’t actually matter in terms of the enjoyment of the film, in fact the best friends drifting apart/romance and high school jock/bully storyline actually detracted from the laughs for me personally. I just did not care. It was a regurgitated plot that I’ve heard one too many times.
The storyline felt out of obligation more than anything, but the cliché plot was certainly not what made this movie an instant classic. They cast some wonderful albeit, unknown actors to play the three leading scouts, and they actually looked like high school students (and dorks) which is better than Hollywood’s usual ability in only hiring 27 year old models to play 16 year old characters. The visuals were gory but the humor countered the blood and guts, so even your biggest horror genre hater will be laughing more and cowering less.
The scout aspect hit very close to home as I am currently a Girl Scout Troop Leader and found the way they incorporated the patches they’ve earned and applied that achievement to build weapons, wholly hilarious.
Think Zombieland meets This is the End. My favorite line in the film was when the boys entered a very pink and girly room and Augie proclaimed that it “smelled like “pixie sticks and hope” in here.” The lines were delivered effortlessly and did not feel forced.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse definitely catered to a particular audience with the hot girls, sex jokes and zombie strippers, crazy cat ladies, as well as Scout Leaders. This zombie flick really “goes there.” With the added vulgar language, not even the coming of age plot makes this something I would take the little ones to, but maybe in a few years. With the loud club songs and nerdy scouts using their skills to slay zombies, be prepared to encounter a lot of teen boys in the audience cackling extra hard with their counterparts, but luckily you won’t be able to hear them because you will be laughing just as hard as well.