This movie is So Bad, it seems they are even trying to 'Hide' the movie by changing the title. While the original title (by Google and Netflix) both list the title as: 'Deadly Scholars' but IMDB has it listed as '#SquadGoals'.
The secondary comes from the fact that it is mentioned several times in the movie.
Now this movie had some potential as a 'Who Done it', but all of a sudden its as if everyone was on a countdown to get it done and get it done Terrible and Fast.
The final 10-15 minutes will make your mouth drop because it is so damn stupid! The killer makes a confession after they were just told by a BBF who they thought was the killer, and instead of agreeing and framing the co called killer, the REAL Killer confesses! To a High School BFF... And...well...omg... I just can't relive how dumb of an ending it was.
Honestly, it did start out out ok, and did have potential but I just don't know what happened at the end.
Now THAT is The Real Mystery.
19 Reviews
Another PG Horror
ammodias1 March 2019
Sarcasm is hostility disguised as humor
nogodnomasters25 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Samantha (Kennedy Lea Slocum) plays a Westbrook High School reporter investigating the deaths of the top scholar contenders. Her mother works as a grief counselor at the same school.
The film gives you a number of suspects and clues. The characters make for a decent teen mystery, but don't expect much more.
No swearing, sex, or nudity.
The film gives you a number of suspects and clues. The characters make for a decent teen mystery, but don't expect much more.
No swearing, sex, or nudity.
No
thepaulwesleyfan25 February 2019
Pretty lame
raken-1007524 February 2019
This had potential. It was going the right way to build up with the deaths, but then on about 5 minutes we suddenly find out the reason for it and who was behind it. It could have been way better and the acting was quite clunky.
High Hopes
nikol-098472 June 2018
I frankly can't believe it, I expected more from this movie, but it just couldn't provide that wow factor. I'm no expert, it seems that the people making the movie could've provided more time and effort. The name of this movie attracts, but the movie is totally ironic. :( -By Will
Cute "who done it"
corvette-4592123 March 2019
This is a really cute who done it type movie based on high school kids, it actually feels like it was more of a film class project done in drama studies. The friends are all close with love interests and future college dreams, however "someone" has other plans and things go sideways. I don't want to say it was really awful, but they did try? and in the end isn't that what really matters.
I liked it
zack_gideon15 February 2019
For a basic 'who done it' I liked it. Has some plot holes and they obvisouly edited for time constraints or something. The lead and co-lead actresses are really great. Definitely not Oscar material but if want to zone out give this one a spin. Thank me later :).
Smart and Sassy!!!
lavatch27 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
At Westbrook High School in L. A., six students are locked into a fierce competition for the World Patron Scholars Award, which will guarantee that his or her college education will be paid for. Two of the members of the list are murdered, and it is up to the dedicated writers for the school paper to solve the mystery. Those young people are preparing #SquadGoals as a work of investigative reporting into the murders.
There was a tongue-in-cheek approach to the serious subject, as apparent in the first death when Justin, the student-actor playing Romeo, dies when there was peanut powder crushed into the lipstick of the actress playing Juliet, and poor Justin dies from an allergic reaction from kissing her. Parting is such sweet sorrow!!!
My favorite character was Rudy, a smart alec with a self-deprecating humor. Rudy's presence was missed when he was taken away in handcuffs after being set up as the murderer.
The most dynamic character was Samantha ("Sam") Hodges, the eventual winner of the award. She was wise beyond her years in conducting razor-sharp interviews and examining evidence better than her mother, who serves as the school counselor. She also makes the school principal look irresponsible by asking the key questions that have not been raised by either the school administration or the police. This is a character who is smart and sassy!
Other reviewers on this site have been way too hard in critiquing this film. The dialogue was crisp and the performances solid. There could even be a sequel (#SquadGoals2) featuring the dynamic reporter Sam, the slick photographer Nick, and the wiseacre Rudy, all of whom deserve an extra curtain call for their efforts!
There was a tongue-in-cheek approach to the serious subject, as apparent in the first death when Justin, the student-actor playing Romeo, dies when there was peanut powder crushed into the lipstick of the actress playing Juliet, and poor Justin dies from an allergic reaction from kissing her. Parting is such sweet sorrow!!!
My favorite character was Rudy, a smart alec with a self-deprecating humor. Rudy's presence was missed when he was taken away in handcuffs after being set up as the murderer.
The most dynamic character was Samantha ("Sam") Hodges, the eventual winner of the award. She was wise beyond her years in conducting razor-sharp interviews and examining evidence better than her mother, who serves as the school counselor. She also makes the school principal look irresponsible by asking the key questions that have not been raised by either the school administration or the police. This is a character who is smart and sassy!
Other reviewers on this site have been way too hard in critiquing this film. The dialogue was crisp and the performances solid. There could even be a sequel (#SquadGoals2) featuring the dynamic reporter Sam, the slick photographer Nick, and the wiseacre Rudy, all of whom deserve an extra curtain call for their efforts!
Plodding and predictable
scheherezhad27 February 2019
Weak script, terrible dialogue, bad costuming, and mediocre acting at the best of times. The identity of the killer was pathetically obvious, and the reveal uninspired. It also took thrice as long to get there as it should have.
I found the main character smarmy and unlikeable. A few of the side characters were okay, but got very little screen time (which is probably why I didn't hate them, too). Not enough good in the movie to salvage it, so give this one a hard pass unless you just want some background noise while you take a nap or something.
I found the main character smarmy and unlikeable. A few of the side characters were okay, but got very little screen time (which is probably why I didn't hate them, too). Not enough good in the movie to salvage it, so give this one a hard pass unless you just want some background noise while you take a nap or something.
Atrocious! Even for the dumbest kid in class!
jhmoondance10 March 2019
Utterly overly bad acting from stiff cardboard cutout wannabe screen idols. It beggers belief that this film was even given funding n it was even worse than any 'assylum' movie I've ever seen n I begrudgingly have to give it one star!
Kids! Go to acting school n the adults were just as bad!
Save your time on this film n watch Mary Poppins cos it's much more fun!
In Hash Veritas?
Angry_Santa7 April 2020
Placing a hash at the head of the title in the hopes of attracting more viewers than would otherwise be stupid enough to sit through this is even worse than including the words "cheerleaders" or "spring break" in a title.
Pathetic script, pathetic acting, pathetic directing, pathetic production. The only possibly redeeming factor for this steaming pile might be if drama teachers decide to use it as a perfect example of how NOT to make a movie.
Pathetic script, pathetic acting, pathetic directing, pathetic production. The only possibly redeeming factor for this steaming pile might be if drama teachers decide to use it as a perfect example of how NOT to make a movie.
Don't Waste Your Time
lukassalay3 December 2020
The plot's premise was okay; I thought it had some merit at the start of the film, but that was before I was really able to understand how awful the writing really is. The acting itself is dry, and the script was was by someone who doesen't understand how people talk, especially people who're supposed to be under the age of 18. If anything, I believe that the best performance came from the actress that played the mother and counselor, though the standards aren't the highest they've ever been.
The writers chose to execute the plot in a way that was very predictable, so it wasn't hard to guess in the first fifteen minutes of movie who the antagonist would turn out to be.
Finally, what should've taken a good quarter of the film, the turn of events that would lead to the reveal of the antagonist, took place in the last five minutes. The climax happened and then the movie was over in the blink of an eye. It's like the producers ran out of money and had to improvise.
All in all, just watch something else.
The writers chose to execute the plot in a way that was very predictable, so it wasn't hard to guess in the first fifteen minutes of movie who the antagonist would turn out to be.
Finally, what should've taken a good quarter of the film, the turn of events that would lead to the reveal of the antagonist, took place in the last five minutes. The climax happened and then the movie was over in the blink of an eye. It's like the producers ran out of money and had to improvise.
All in all, just watch something else.
One of the worst movies I've seen
brambold6 September 2022
Holy moly. Gotta say, the plot could have been fun. Could have. But the acting is so, so, so bad. From pretty much every single character.
I'd say pretty much everything went wrong with this one. And the wig is pretty bad on the one girl. Why do they still use such bad wigs in movies nowadays??!!
This movie actually has an almost 5 star rating on Amazon prime, not sure who the heck voted it to be that high.
Maybe redo the movie, but better acting? Like I said, the plot could be really interesting. Just needs a lot of improvement.
I gave it a 2 star rating because of the possibility of the plot being good. But other than that I privwbly would have given it one star only.
I'd say pretty much everything went wrong with this one. And the wig is pretty bad on the one girl. Why do they still use such bad wigs in movies nowadays??!!
This movie actually has an almost 5 star rating on Amazon prime, not sure who the heck voted it to be that high.
Maybe redo the movie, but better acting? Like I said, the plot could be really interesting. Just needs a lot of improvement.
I gave it a 2 star rating because of the possibility of the plot being good. But other than that I privwbly would have given it one star only.
Acting is so poor
laureneanoh8 August 2019
OMG at the almost end of this movie, I knew how I was so uncomfortable with the whole thing ; it took me three days to watch the entire thing and I don't even know how I made it.
THE ACTING is so bad .. these actors .. are not talented at all. The script is a good idea, but the way it been played and else .. the logical in it .. are extremely bad.
THE ACTING is so bad .. these actors .. are not talented at all. The script is a good idea, but the way it been played and else .. the logical in it .. are extremely bad.
I Finally Figured Who The Main Conflict Really Is
a-3648214 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Gillian Brady (Alexa Mansour) was the hidden main villainess from the 2018 film, Deadly Scholars (alternately titled, #SquadGoals).
Gillian was the best friend of Samantha Hodges (the main protagonist) and Nate Squires; having known the latter since kindergarten. The three of them were up for an important scholarship, along with Jordan Reynolds, Rudy Kampion, and Brittany Gomez. However, Gillian was also obsessively in love with Nate, and in a twisted plan to attempt to win his affections, she devised a murderous scheme to make sure that he received the scholarship.
Gillian's machination began with killing Jordan, doing so by lacing Angela Dodds' lip gloss with peanut oil--knowing that Jordan had a peanut allergy. It was at the beginning of the film, during rehearsal of the school's play, that Jordan succumbed to the effects after he kissed Angela. Gillian's next target was Brittany, who she went after at Rudy's party at his house, which is where she also made an attempt to flirt with Nate, only to realize that Nate had an eye for Samantha. The villainess publicized a photo of Jordan (who Brittany was dating) making out with Lance Hobart, getting the photo from Nate's computer, and then originally planned to drug her and set her up to be accused of driving drunk. However, the evil Gillian instead decided to kill Brittany, using a knife belonging to Rudy's father to commit the murder.
Angela was accused of Jordan's death due to Gillian's actions, which later included setting up Rudy as a school drug dealer by planting drugs and the knife in his locker. Samantha even believed that Nate was the one behind the leaking of the photo of Jordan and Lance, and informed her suspicions to Gillian. Gillian stated that Nate saved the photo, but revealed that she was the one who publicized it, and it was there that she unleashed a knife and pointed it at Samantha, completing her reveal as the killer. She revealed her affections for Nate, stating that it was the reason why she transferred to the high school six months prior, while also lashing out at Samantha for (in Gillian's mind) stealing Nate from her. She stated that Nate was her best friend and soulmate, and that she did everything for him, while also saying that she killed Brittany because she was angered by her complaining and that she was going to kill her, too.
At that moment, Samantha thanked Gillian for confessing her evil deeds, and then called out Nate, who revealed that he had been recording Gillian's whole confession to reveal to the entire school. Seeing this caused Gillian to become enraged that Samantha and Nate had outwitted her, and that all her attempts to win Nate's love had been for nothing now that Nate knew her true evil self. At that point, Gillian simply decided to eliminate both of them, only for Samantha to throw powdered lye at Gillian to distract her. Nate then clocked Gillian with his camera, which only prompted Gillian to pursue Nate and attempt to kill him, but Gillian's attempt to kill Nate was then permanently stopped when Samantha struck Gillian with a wooden plank, killing her.
Gillian was the best friend of Samantha Hodges (the main protagonist) and Nate Squires; having known the latter since kindergarten. The three of them were up for an important scholarship, along with Jordan Reynolds, Rudy Kampion, and Brittany Gomez. However, Gillian was also obsessively in love with Nate, and in a twisted plan to attempt to win his affections, she devised a murderous scheme to make sure that he received the scholarship.
Gillian's machination began with killing Jordan, doing so by lacing Angela Dodds' lip gloss with peanut oil--knowing that Jordan had a peanut allergy. It was at the beginning of the film, during rehearsal of the school's play, that Jordan succumbed to the effects after he kissed Angela. Gillian's next target was Brittany, who she went after at Rudy's party at his house, which is where she also made an attempt to flirt with Nate, only to realize that Nate had an eye for Samantha. The villainess publicized a photo of Jordan (who Brittany was dating) making out with Lance Hobart, getting the photo from Nate's computer, and then originally planned to drug her and set her up to be accused of driving drunk. However, the evil Gillian instead decided to kill Brittany, using a knife belonging to Rudy's father to commit the murder.
Angela was accused of Jordan's death due to Gillian's actions, which later included setting up Rudy as a school drug dealer by planting drugs and the knife in his locker. Samantha even believed that Nate was the one behind the leaking of the photo of Jordan and Lance, and informed her suspicions to Gillian. Gillian stated that Nate saved the photo, but revealed that she was the one who publicized it, and it was there that she unleashed a knife and pointed it at Samantha, completing her reveal as the killer. She revealed her affections for Nate, stating that it was the reason why she transferred to the high school six months prior, while also lashing out at Samantha for (in Gillian's mind) stealing Nate from her. She stated that Nate was her best friend and soulmate, and that she did everything for him, while also saying that she killed Brittany because she was angered by her complaining and that she was going to kill her, too.
At that moment, Samantha thanked Gillian for confessing her evil deeds, and then called out Nate, who revealed that he had been recording Gillian's whole confession to reveal to the entire school. Seeing this caused Gillian to become enraged that Samantha and Nate had outwitted her, and that all her attempts to win Nate's love had been for nothing now that Nate knew her true evil self. At that point, Gillian simply decided to eliminate both of them, only for Samantha to throw powdered lye at Gillian to distract her. Nate then clocked Gillian with his camera, which only prompted Gillian to pursue Nate and attempt to kill him, but Gillian's attempt to kill Nate was then permanently stopped when Samantha struck Gillian with a wooden plank, killing her.
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