Christopher Landon (director)
Paramount (studio)
93 min (length)
06 November 2015 (released)
03 November 2015
You might think that A Scouts’ Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is yet another zombie movie, seeing a bunch of teenagers saving the world. And you might have read the reviews that bring the movie down. Don’t trust anyone’s opinion: if you like a laugh, if you enjoy zombie slaying and if you can take a step back to appreciate all the references to the zombie culture, then you are in for a treat.
The story is quite straightforward: three teenage boys are sticking together in a scouts troop led by scout leader Rogers (David Koechner). Ben and Carter want to quit scouting. They stayed in the troop to support their friend Augie, who lost his dad a couple of years ago. On the night where Augie is due to receive is Condor badge (mind you, it is the most important badge a scout could ever receive), the scouts set camp in the woods. Coincidently, it is on that very night that a zombie infection spreads amongst their town. Helped by Denise “WhatsHerFace”, the three boys will embark on a bloody zombi-esque journey!
The zombie genre has long lived and it is hard to make a film that will feel different from all the others, a film that will renew the craze, a film that people will talk about for years. Zombieland did it: stuffed with survival rules, jokes, zombies and a dash of love, the movie has become a classic that is easy to watch and rewatch.
A Scouts’ Guide is like a collection of all those references that are now part of the pop culture: that bag of crisps that is stuck in the vending machine, the horny teenage boy, the sexy but surprisingly strong stripper, the fart scene, the first kiss scene, etc.
As a good zombie film, it will make you jump out of surprise a few times and it is very gore. Just a little spoiler: the badge of the most resilient zombie goes to scout leader Rogers! It is a very decent film and made the audience laugh a lot. The characters are also representative of today’s youth and are relatable in many ways.
A Scouts’ Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a must-see for every fan of the genre. If you are after a good laugh, go and see it. Watch out for the Britney Spears sing-a-long and for the zombie cats…you have been warned!