New Flix: Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

It is long after Halloween, but just in time for this one.  Today's Film is Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, a 2015 Horror-Comedy that came out in October.  I didn't see it then, but I'm seeing it now.  Big whoop- wanna fight about it?!?  Anyhow, the Film is all about 3 teenage Scouts who's skills suddenly become more important when all hell breaks loose.  They say that when there is no room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.  Will the be able to stop someone with a shirt full of Merit Badges though?  The Film is notable for having no real big Stars in it and just being marketed purely for the gimmick.  It is from the Director of Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (the one where being marked by a Demon gives you super powers), but thankfully he didn't write it.  Interesting (to me) note: one of our leads is going to be the new (young) Cyclops this year, while the other is the voice of Nova in Marvel's Cartoons.  What a weird way for Marvel to cross over.  Throw in the fact that the female lead was a random person in the Agents of SHIELD Pilot and you've got some randomness.  In addition, those two aforementioned leads were also in The Stanford Prison Experiment- the Film, that is.  Will this Horror-Comedy have teeth or just plain stink?  To find out, read on...

This dumb-ass Janitor starts a small-scale Zombie Apocalypse.  Damn...um...Americans.

Side-note: this is the 2nd Horror Comedy I've seen now with a Cast Member from Workahaulics.  Will I get the final person to complete the set?

These two are teenage Scouts, but want out.  They just feel like they have to stay because of their friend.  It was quite handy of them to remind each other of that stuff they knew in order for us to also know it!

Meanwhile, remnants of the initial outbreak make it to the Woods and start infect.  First to go- Champ Kind.

Incidentally, the Film jumps ahead quite a bit later and we never see the Janitor again.  Was he killed during the later outbreak or just only available for the one day of the Shoot?

Out in the Woods, our Heroes go to ditch their friend...but he catches them.  Cue Conflict!

They go back to Town and discover what is going on.  The dead are rising, which probably means that Frank West is in a TV Station doing jack shit.  Call back!

Now aligned with the Stripper...I mean, Cocktail Waitress from earlier, our Heroes get trapped.  Will they escape?

More importantly, can these Scouts put their personal issues aside to save the Town?  Relying on hormonal Teens- you're doomed.

Are even their skills and ingenuity enough?  To find out, watch the Film.  The End.

Surprisingly-fun and entertaining.  While the Previews looked alright, the Film didn't look like anything special.  As it turned out, it was pretty good.  To get the negatives out of the way, the conflict wasn't all that unique and the Soundtrack- the Instrumental stuff, that is- was pretty uninspired.  It was appropriate for each Scene, but felt like they took it from a Stock Music Catalog.  That said, their use of eidetic Music was quite fut.  With that said, let me focus on the positive.  The Characters are all pretty likable, the Story was good overall and the Make-Up work was good.  They also used blatant CG pretty sparingly and it was mostly for stuff that is alot harder to replicate practically (like below).  They got to play a little with the idea of who would become a Zombie and how they'd act, which was fun.  The Comedy set pieces were pretty funny and only ventured into the really gross a few times.  It also walked an interesting line by having some explicit content- like Zombie boobs- while also having teen Characters.  There's a lesson in Marketing that kind of thing, right Fun Size?  While it doesn't reinvent the Genre or anything, Scouts Guide is fun, original at times and not disappointing.  Ain't that a shot to the face?

Next, my favorite target continues to make Films...so I must watch them.  It is the best Jason Statham Film to Star...ugh...Steven Seagal.  Stay tuned...