Review: THIS IS NOT A TEST is a Middling Mix of Zombies and John Hughes

My hot streak with Adam MacDonald’s directorial features has come to a close. It’s a shame, because MacDonald brings a personal passion to his high school zombie flick, This Is Not a Test. The writer and director queried author Courtney Summers about the rights to her novel because he was so taken by her work, which was enough to win her over. That said, the result lacks a few components: a biting edge, The Breakfast Club magic, and something bigger than run-of-the-mill undead storytelling. He’s done so well weaponizing wildlife in titles like Backcountry and Out Come the Wolves, but here, MacDonald struggles with the human connections in this relationship-driven horror drama.

Olivia Holt stars as Sloane Price, another troubled youth trying to figure out her life at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. She misses her sister, who fled their father’s constant abuse, and wrestles with suicidal thoughts. That all pushes to the back burner when the dead start attacking locals, and she flees with a handful of other students who seek refuge in their barricaded school. Teenagers stealthily hide in the building where they used to learn, trying to keep the dead outside, and some sense of comfort from escaping.

The concept is intriguing. Summers promotes her work as John Hughes meets The Walking Dead. No adults make decisions or maintain order; students are forced to confront real-world problems before they’re even shipped off to college. There are times when MacDonald feeds themes of betrayal, self-doubt, and survival wits with enough engagement to get the most out of his CW-like cast, which is the best of This Is Not a Test. It’s one thing to watch capable soldiers and quick-thinking elders face hordes of zombies, but another to decrease the immaturity levels without adjusting any stakes. It’s almost like Anna and the Apocalypse without the holly-jolly humor, but lacking the chemistry, entertainment, and durable watchability.

MacDonald’s cafeteria-chummy cast are adequate with the expected script material, Holt and others. Froy Gutierrez as Rhys, the bad-ish boy, with whom Sloane finds a softer companionship. Corteon Moore as Cary, the more macho, aggro leader type. Then the twins, irritable Trace (Carson MacCormac) and Miss Popular Grace (Chloe Avakian), complicate socialization yet keep it dynamic. It’s all very after-school sappy, yet there’s nothing really that special about the conflicts and romances that stem from close-quarters living. Everyone’s … fine. Even as Luke Macfarlane’s Mr. Baxter sneaks into their fortress, and presents the unavoidable moral quandary of what to do with a bite-marked civilian.

That’s the bummer about This Is Not a Test, a simple movie that doesn’t elevate beyond forgettable familiarity. There’s nothing eye-catching or outstanding about the film’s approach, nor does it inspire innovation in the zombie genre. It exists in a filler capacity, like a bottle episode of The Walking Dead that doesn’t make a splash in the main canon. It’s there, it’s competent, but there’s never an epiphany that hoists the film out of seen-it-before normality. MacDonald’s striving to find life’s meaning while young adults are surrounded by death is admirable, yet the result is a shallow pond of payoffs.

This Is Not a Test is a middling entry into YA zombie cinema. It’s got moments of fierceness, darkness, and intensity, but they don’t outweigh the film’s otherwise faint pulse. Everything borders on serviceable, without any emphatic punch, blending into a meh-for-days collection of hormonal horror motives. MacDonald chalks up his first miss behind the camera, which is bigger-picture impressive, but still a disappointment as far as the filmmaker’s first flesh-eating picture is concerned.

Movie Score: 2.5/5