Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie Review

...and genre mediocrity.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 4, 2016

The best part of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse begins and ends with its title. It's a mouthful to be sure but it's catchy and promises a unique spin on an increasingly fatigued genre. Unfortunately, it doesn't deliver, at least not with any consistency or novelty. The film, from Director Christopher Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones), intermixes and recycles Teen Comedy and Zombie genre trope and only manages to squeeze out a few laughs from key moments of scouts vs. zombies mayhem. Though decidedly lacking any real, sustained freshness and suffering from an abundantly dull opening half, the film picks up in its second half where it yields a serviceably entertaining, but wholly forgettable, Zombie film that's notable for a few creative kills but little more.

Scout this.

Things aren't going well for the scouts. Recruitment is down, in part due to a process that's stuck in the 80s but also because, well, scouting just isn't all that cool anymore, and particularly not with the high school crowd. But Augie (Joey Morgan), Carter (Logan Miller), and Ben (The Sheridan) are the exception. They've held firm under the guidance of Scout Leader Rogers (David Koechner), and Augie is even set to receive the Condor badge, a scout's highest honor. But little does he know that both Carter and Ben are on the verge of quitting. They believe they've grown past scouting and fear that the uniform is hurting their chances with the opposite sex, particularly when it comes to Ben's crush, Carter's sister Kendall (Halston Sage). But their plans are interrupted when the world comes crashing down around them. They suddenly find themselves battling hordes of undead, armed only with their scouting guile and receiving no help from the outside world. In fact, the only person they meet is a cocktail waitress named Denise (Sarah Dumont) who happens to be handy with a gun. Now, they must work together and fend off the undead while trying to rescue Kendall, who is partying at a secret location.

Though its premise promises more, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is instead a disappointingly straightforward film that doesn't offer much in the way of robust creativity. A few cool kills dot the film; notable is one in which a broken bottle is used to interesting and gory effect, but beyond that most of what the film has on tap falls flat, including a random Dolly Parton-centric sequence. It's lucky to recover from a monotonous first act that nearly kills the movie, and it's only that aching for what the movie promises that will keep butts in seats. As the characters begin their desperate stands against hordes of undead, the film soldiers through the motions with just enough spark and spunk and, yes, even comically over-the-top gore, to keep it interesting, and the movie manages a decent enough ride through a mixture of conventional wares and some unique little bits that add a little bite (or, in one case, no bite) to the movie. A prison cell sequence, a zombified pussy cat, a toothless grandma, a well-endowed grandpa, a trampoline, and a trip to the hardware store for the classic "gear up" montage are amongst the scattered highlights and prove just entertaining enough to cover up the otherwise dull character roster and interactions that define the rest of the movie.

The three scout characters are certainly not in the least bit memorable and the ins-and-outs of their relationships -- whether amongst themselves or with members of the opposite sex -- don't exactly break new ground for human relationships and bonding in cinema. And even as the tongue-in-cheek nature of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse demonstrates that it knows full well that it's not a moody character film, it tends to prioritize throwaway character details a bit more than it should. That might work if they ever ascended to anything beyond "filler" or served a purpose other than to, seemingly, extend the movie's runtime by a few minutes, but various bits of "learn to kiss the girl" only slow down a second half that's forced to work overtime to recover from the monotony of the first. The movie often finds itself on the verge of something special, only to be slowed by its own inefficiency and inability to sort out the lean meat from the stuffing.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse features a technically sound and all-around satisfying 1080p transfer. Image basics are excellent. Scout patches show a healthy amount of texture, crisply ironed scout uniforms are well defined, faces reveal sufficient natural complexities, and the small town environment reveals plenty of tightly defined textures, like pavement, cars, storefronts, and signage. Overall clarity is consistent and there's no sign of soft or smeary backgrounds or even all that much in the way of digital flatness or glossiness. Colors are satisfying. The palette is never striking or bold, but the natural presentation of blood red, environmental green, and multicolored accents around town hold their own. Black levels are consistently deep and true and flesh tones are of no concern. Minor noise sprinkles across some of the darker backdrops, but the image is otherwise free of any unwanted technical anomalies. Overall, this is a solid all-around presentation from Paramount.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse enters the zombie movie-on-Blu-ray fray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Paramount's presentation delights and only finds a few hiccups along the way. Music is muscular and well spaced. The front end dominates, but mild surround and positive supportive bass help give it robust and immersive definition. Some dance and strip club beats, however, never quite push as authentically hard as one might like; though far from subdued, such scenes lack that raw aggressive energy and total surround immersion that define the best such sequences. Action details -- gunshots, an explosion and flying debris, zombie moans -- satisfy requirements, the former two presenting with a nice weighty presence and the latter chillingly detailed and immersive when necessary. Dialogue delivery is largely stable and enjoys consistent front-center placement; it goes mildly tinny in a few places but is otherwise a highlight.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse contains four featurettes and two deleted scenes. A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy is included with purchase.

• Scouts Guide to Filmmaking (1080p, 29:34): A look at the movie's origins, core story details, casting and performances, the film's tone, deciding against a Nickelodeon-style for a more grisly R-rated movie, shooting locations, technical details of the shoot, Cloris Leachman's work in the movie, practical effects and zombie makeup, and more.
• The Zombie Makeup FX Handbook (1080p, 5:37): A closer look at the medically-correct zombie makeup and gore.
• Undead Movement Guidelines: Zombie Choreography (1080p, 5:12): Choreographer Mark Steger's work in bringing the zombies to life.
• Uniforms and You: Costume Design (1080p, 5:11): Costume Designer Marylou Lim discusses the film's attire.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Extended Scouting Video (1:08) and Pharmacy (1:28).

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse works well enough as a mindless entertainer that will remind viewers of films like The Goonies and The Lost Boys. Audiences hoping for a movie that breaks new ground in the Zombie genre will walk away completely disappointed. Though its title promises otherwise, there's precious little freshness here, and most of what the movie does right seems like a case of it throwing everything against the wall and hoping a few bits stick. Fortunately, what bits do stick keep the movie watchable and even entertaining in spurts, almost all of which are exclusive to the second half. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse features solid video and audio. Supplements include several featurettes and a pair of deleted scenes. Rent it.