Big Picture Big Sound

Zombie Flick Has Some Life

"Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse" is a stupid, stupid movie. We know it's stupid. I think the filmmakers know it's stupid and the movie knows it's stupid - and that's why it kind of works.

The movie never tries to transcend or subvert the genre but it never wallows in zombie movie trappings. Instead, it takes hold of everything we have seen done in movies like this before and has fun with them. You can't really fault a movie for that, can you?

Ben (Tye Sheridan, the wonderful young actor from "Mud" and "The Tree of Life"), Carter (Logan Miller) and Augie (Joey Morgan) are three best friends. They are also scouts with varying degrees of interest in remaining in the scouting program. Ben and Carter are a little more apathetic towards scouting, where Augie loves everything about it. Augie is earning an important badge on a campout over the weekend and Ben and Carter must attend to show their support.

The same night of their campout, there is a secret senior party being held and Carter is desperate to attend. Carter schemes to ditch Augie after he falls asleep but Ben is reluctant. Eventually, they end up leaving the campsite but things around town seem quiet - a little too quiet. Before making it to the party, Ben and Carter stumble into a strip club at Carter's behest. He just wants to see some naked girls but ends up realizing there is something very wrong with the stripper.

There has been a zombie outbreak throughout the entire town and Ben and Carter reteam with Augie and a tough stripper named Denise (Sarah Dumont) to try and save everyone from getting infected by the zombies. They have to find their way to the secret senior party, where no one knows what is happening on the outside, before the zombies attack the entire senior class.

Nothing about "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse" is new or original. Each of the characters are types we've seen before. Ben is the good guy, who wants to get the girl, which happens to be Carter's sister, played by Halston Sage. Carter is the wise-cracking guy who just wants to get any girl. Augie is the outlier of the trio, always playing by the rules. We know what these characters are going to do or say before it even happens.

It takes about 30 minutes for things to really get going but once they do, director Christopher Landon keeps the energy high for the duration of the film. There are some jokes and gags that work and a lot that do not (including one about their scout leader, played by David Koechner, having a strong affection for Dolly Parton.) There is gross out humor and gore galore throughout and "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse" cheerfully revels in all of the blood and guts.

There are better movies you could stay home and watch this Halloween weekend. If zombie comedies ("zomedies?") are your thing, "Zombieland" and "Shaun of the Dead" - two movies that I love - are always worth seeing again and again. If you happen to stumble into "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse," it wouldn't be the worst thing you've seen.