Scouts vs. Zombies - Handbuch zur Zombie-Apokalypse

'Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse' is a fun little movie that has sadly been marketed rather poorly and was probably doomed to fail from the get go. It's been a box office flop but it isn't a fault in the quality of the film. It's a case of the main characters being scouts (most movies about scouts would generally be aimed at a younger audience) and yet the movie being R rated and alienating the people the title would suggest are going to enjoy it.

If they were going to go with the R rating then they needed to take full advantage of it, which they do in certain scenes but certainly not in an overall sense. This had the potential to be a 'Superbad' type movie with lots of clever and yet vulgar dialogue that would keep the audience (an adult audience) entertained throughout. Yet throughout the dialogue constantly feels like it's making its jokes for a younger demographic. The only time they really make use of the R rating is in the violence and the odd bit of graphic nudity. The dialogue was the key let down in this sense and the only way they could have pulled off the R rating to make this a box office success, and even then it would have been far from a sure thing.

Box office failure aside though it's actually a rather enjoyable film for the most part. While most of the humour might be a little bit tame in nature, it is still often funny enough to keep you chuckling if you buy into it. It never really works as a genuine horror movie (I don't think it was ever meant to either) as there never really feels like a genuine threat to any of the characters. Plus I think most people accept slow moving zombies are rarely scary to anyone in this day and age. There's nothing "must see" about it but if you do find yourself in a position to watch it I think you'll be pleased enough with what you see.

Zombie gimmick has become so redundant in recent time, even the mockery of it created another actual subgenre as it has spawned many clones this year alone. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is as juvenile as it sounds, some of the jokes are either downright bizarre or blatantly aggressive. Still, its simple theme and full commitment to awkward crudity are surprisingly effective on creating a few laughs.

Story is incredibly straightforward, it's basically written in the title. Three scouts find themselves in a zombie outbreak, and with the help of a hot chick they form some silly version of A-Team. Characters are not original. Maybe the main lead is pretty likable, but most of the characters are absolutely simple minded and comical or stereotypically comical. Its use of friendship tone is decent, it may be the only working drama angle here.

The entire movie is satire made out of cliché and some freaky stuffs way outside the box. Don't bother with logic or continuity, since they are admittedly flawed, at some points the plot seems shaky at best. As for the jokes, they are simply brash. This is definitely a visual clobbering as well as a jab at genre's silliness. Those wanting maturity or deep psychological study will find themselves lost.

It's similar to humor from gag website or forum comment threads, coupled with mandatory bloody gore and obtuse use of breasts and buttocks for viewer's pleasure. Normally this kind of overwhelming sensory overload can be appalling, yet the movie is unapologetically bizarre that the comedy works more than it falters.

This is a juvenile showing in purest form, using primitive jokes, nudity and even random singing. It should not be this entertaining, yet surprisingly it is.

Simply put, this is a future cult film for a new generation. The zombie sub-genre is one that is so incredibly saturated that it can be hard to find a decent new film as we have to wade through tons of sewage to find anything with some value. Thankfully, after a fair bit of digging, we have one with Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. It's a film that will appeal to the new generations of horror fans who were born into this nutty zombie infested pop culture, and it should also resonate with the well travelled horror fans who grew up on a diet of Evil Dead and Re-Animator. It's not going to be a mainstream success, and it's not going to appeal to everybody but Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a blast of fun from start to finish.

It's clear from the opening scene of the film that aims to be a bucket of bloody fun. As a foolish janitor messes around with some laboratory equipment and comes across a strange looking comatose patient, he accidentally causes the them to flat-line and awkwardly tries provide CPR. His efforts are clearly in vain as he pushes his hands through the patients chest and wakes up the living dead, thus causing the zombie outbreak.

The comedy in the film ranges from hilarious mutilation of corpses, wacky animal zombies to plain stupidity, but it is none the less entertaining every step of the way. Highlights include a scene involving a trampoline, which had my body cringing in disgust and almost laughing hysterically at the same time, and a surreal rendition of a classic Britney Spears song. The climax owes a lot to the gaming franchise Dead Rising as the boys use the scout skills to craft hand- built weapons from a hardware store for maximum zombie killing impact.

Despite the zombies being a primary part of the proceedings, it would have been a shell of a film had it not had the central friendship between the characters of Ben, Carter, and Augie. We can all relate to a group of friends on an adventure, and their dynamic has shades of 80s classics like The Goonies and Stand By Me. It isn't drawing on anything new but it doesn't pretend to either as it feels like a hokey sentimental tribute to cult favourites such as The Monster Squad. The 80s are very much beating in the lively heart of this horror.

I'm a horror fan through and through, and the genre needs feel good films like this, equal parts gore and laughs with a splat of gratuitous nudity for good measure. At the end of the day isn't that what fun horrors are all about?

This is a typical boy's comedy-horror romp. Expect nob gags, cheesy sound tracks, high-fives, innuendos and tall women in tight tops.

I have seen a few of these in my time so I am a little fatigued and jaded with the genre. But as they go this is a pretty good one.

There is a period of build up where the characters are given a bit of depth. The production, acting and effects are all pretty good. The plot is OK but pretty much irrelevant.

There is no real horror, no real nudity (except a few jiggling zombie boobs), and no real violence. This is all pretty tame, good natured fun.

It makes me very sad to admit perhaps I have just grown out of this type of thing (I am outside the target demographic for sure)

This could be a pretty solid watch for a younger audience who is new to the genre.

"Yep, zombie." Ben (Sheridan) and Carter (Miller) are about to graduate high school and are ready to leave the scouts. When they decide to skip their final camp out and go to a senior party instead they think they are in for the night of their lives. What they find when they head back to town is something neither of them could have imagined. It is now up to them to save the town from zombies. This movie is just a ridiculous and fun as it sounds. The movie is mindless but entertaining. That is what makes this one so fun to watch. Gory, comedy, a pretty funny idea and great timing make this one of the better horror comedies to come out in a while. There really isn't a whole lot to say about this movie other than if you are renting this for your teenager I would preview it first. Overall, if you like movies like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Cooties you will love this one as well. A movie you can easily watch over and over. I give this a B+.