How not to earn your zombie-fighting badge
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
(out of 4) Starring Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont and David Koechner. Directed by Christopher Landon. Opens Friday at GTA theatres. 92 minutes. 18A
Zombies have become the Hamburger Helper of modern moviemaking.
Is your Hollywood pantry short on supplies for a teen flick? Just add zombies, for a meal that fills without fully satisfying.
So we get the horror laugher Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, wherein Hicksville boy scouts Ben (Tye Sheridan), Carter (Logan Miller) and Augie (Joey Morgan) are obliged to man up fast and spill undead gore.
A lab accident, shown in a scary/ funny prologue, has turned people and animals into ravenous flesh eaters, giving the scouts a chance to earn a whole new merit badge, or die in the attempt.
There’s actually some promise in this premise, especially with Sheridan in the lead role of the shy but steadfast zombie fighter. Since his breakthrough in The Tree of Life, he’s proven himself as one of America’s best young actors, smouldering like a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
He’s not exactly wasting his time here, despite the best efforts of director Christopher Landon, a Paranormal Activity franchise writer, to vul- garly earn every bit of the film’s American “R” rating (it’s18A in Ontario). There’s good camaraderie between Ben, Carter and Augie, and a side story of tested friendship that partially redeems the pack-written screenplay.
But there’s the director to contend with, and there’s no gross-out gag, breast grab or penis yank too low or stupid for Landon to stoop to, which he does with obvious glee. It might be hard to imagine somebody being a horn dog or even having romantic intentions in the midst of a full-on zombie attack, but Landon certainly can.
This gets tiresome, really fast, as an amusing concept turns into yet another crotch-grabbing comedy. But Landon shows some flair for casting, assuming he had some say in selection of this crew.
Anchorman’s David Koechner gives good stumble as hapless scout leader Rogers and Sarah Dumont is both hot and heroic as Denise, a cocktail waitress who really knows how to use a shotgun.
The film falls prey to the zombie curse of excessive laddishness, but at least it finds room for a strong female character.