Today’s quick review: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Ben (Tye Sheridan), Carter (Logan Miller), and Augie (Joey Morgan) come back from a camping trip to discover that their town has been overrun by zombies. Teaming up with Denise (Sarah Dumont), a savvy cocktail waitress, the boys set out to save the attendees of an underground party who are oblivious to the danger, including Carter’s sister Kendall (Halston Sage).
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a zombie comedy about three high school students who become a town’s last hope during a zombie outbreak. The movie crosses a classic zombie outbreak with a coming-of-age story. Once mocked for being Scouts, Ben, Carter, and Augie get the chance to step up and save everyone. Affable characters, creative comedy, and a decent plot are enough to make the movie a fun time for the right viewer.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse succeeds on the backs of its characters. Ben, Carter, Augie, and Denise have an easy chemistry that makes them easy to root for in spite of their many flaws. There is just enough messing around to keep the tone light without utterly trivializing the conflict, and the movie has a solid progression as the boys gradually figure out how to put their Scouting skills to good use.
The one major catch is that Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a crass film. Ben, Carter, and Augie are all varying degrees of immature, and the movie takes advantage of the zombie outbreak to try some jokes that would be hard to do otherwise. Gory slapstick, zombie-tainted sexual content, and juvenile bickering in the face of death and violence all give the movie a distinct flavor that will not appeal to everyone.
For the right viewer, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a nicely balanced story about friendship, growing up, and finding creative ways to deal with zombies. Anyone who enjoys crude, freewheeling humor and slightly childish characters will get something out of the movie. That said, anyone looking for a cleaner comedy or a zombie movie with a more tightly focused plot may want to give it a pass.
For a horror comedy with a similar blend of wholesome and gruesome, check out Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. For a zombie comedy that makes similar use of a mundane setting, try Shaun of the Dead. For a family-friendly adventure with some of the same spirit, try The Goonies. For a more serious movie about teenagers stepping up to deal with an extraordinary threat, try Attack the Block.
[6.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727776/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for entertaining but hit-or-miss comedy.