Wild Zero
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Movie Reviews of Wild Zero
Movie Review: funny and kooky
Summary: 4 Stars
It's a great zombie movie with a lot of flair and some transgender issues. Really fun and has a drinking game in the special features.Movie Review: Zombies, Punk Rock and Aliens Equals Pure Campy Fun!
Summary: 3 Stars
WILD ZERO (2000) is living proof just how weird, oddly brilliant (at the same time stupid) and outrageously cheesy Japanese films can be. Granted this style of filmmaking is not for everyone. This film pretty much has everything from zombies, aliens, rock & roll, super powered rock stars, zombie and transgender love...There's crowbar brutality, bazooka abuse, razor-sharp laser targeting GUITAR picks, electrical eyebeams and a gun-slinging shower scene...The film is NOT to be taken seriously, as the plot lacks structure, characters look like they're rejects from "Grease" but for some unbelievable reason, it all manages to click together. WHAT THE HECK?!
Synopsis derived from dvd back cover:
ACE (Masashi Endo), a rockabilly fan who really wants to be cool, is on his way to see his favorite rock band; Guitar Wolf, when a strange thing occurs...aliens invade the earth and people start returning to life as flesh-eating zombies! Enlisting the aid of the real-life Japanese punk/rock band Guitar Wolf, Ace and the members of the band get entangled with many misadventures with insane managers in tight shorts, transsexuals, naked women shooting guns in the shower and blood-thirsty zombies ready to tear them apart!
The one thing that stands out in the film are its characters. They are all underdeveloped but in their own way very colorful and interesting. If you pay attention to their mannerisms and costumes, you'll figure out just what they're all about. Seems like everyone has a purpose; from Masao with the butterfly knives, to the woman in the shower, to the Yakuza gang, from Guitar Wolf up to the lead; Ace. It seems like everyone in the film wants their share of screen time and everyone has a subplot. The events linking all the bizarre incidents all share their own credibility.
Now, this is not an action film so don't expect it to be one or you'll be disappointed. The film is slow-paced in the beginning until it reaches its second half. It's no "Versus"; the film is pretty much a satirical horror film that makes fun of itself. It is meant to be different and the film manages to stand on its own with its very unique style. It exaggerates smaller things with the action, acting and the special effects itself is a bit over-the-top. The EFX is cheesy and campy as was its intention. If you saw "SARS WARS Bangkok Zombie Crisis", you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The zombies pretty much look like rejects from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video with a bluish color that is so vibrant to once again exaggerate the stereotypical appearance of the "undead". The zombies also move much like the ones in "Night of the Living Dead" (it was even mentioned), slow-moving, shambling dead "things".
Cool poses, a lot of hair gel and combing, this is a Japanese film so expect another play on philosophy based on courage and Rock and Roll. Love has no boundaries not even death or gender; it has zombies making out and transgender love. The best way to see this film is to approach it without any expectations and do not pay any attention to other reviewers who say that it has non-stop zombie action. There is quite a bit of blood and gore, brains are brutally blown away and innards of the zombies' victims are eaten on camera. Again, the movie tends to exaggerate, so they all end up looking cheesy and stupidly amusing (?). Of course, no film like this would survive without a few "splattering blood" effects.
If you want to see something totally over-the-top with utter silliness and oddball humor; then you may be ready for "Wild Zero". The film isn't going to win any awards but hey, it may be the ultimate Asian Cult film; I'm sure some folks will like it while others will hate it. The film does require a very large suspension of disbelief. Director and writer Tetsuro Takeuchi knew exactly what he wanted to do, film a movie to make fun of itself and to pay tribute to the self-proclaimed coolest rock band in the world; Guitar Wolf...again, it is all a matter of exaggeration.
Recommended timidly to fans of Asian Cult Cinema [3+ Stars]
Note: Alcohol may maximize its viewing experience.
Movie Review: "ACE! Rock and Roll knows no boundaries!"
Summary: 3 Stars
I saw this movie during a "whatever we got" timeslot in a convention video room some time around 2am, which actually is how I think it is probably best viewed.
To quote one of my friends who experienced this with me: "Someday I'm going to either start crying or vomitting and while I might not realize it at the time, subconciously it will be because I watched Wild Zero."
To quote Guitar Wolf: "BLOOD! BLOOD! EXPLODING BLOOD!"
Take from this what you will. I'm not even sure how to try passing a judgment on this. It's one of those rare things that simply "is". You should go into this being informed that it involves rock'n'roll and zombies. For my part, I regret nothing.
Movie Review: Attack of...CGI?
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is definitely cool. The band (Guitar Wolf) is also cool. Fun stuff. Campy cool. But...well there is not exactly as much zombie action as I thought. But that's not my main gripe. What really stopped this from being a total killer movie is the use of CGI! Yes, all (and I mean all) of the gunshots to the zombies are CGI! It especially look bad when the shot is to the zombie's head (about 96% of the shots). Man, why did they do this? Other than the CGI the movie kicks. But it's really distracting because it looks like a rockin' Romaroesque romp one second and a cartoon another. Still, it does not totally kill the movie but man, what a mistake.Movie Review: . . . for hardcore punk and/or zombie fans only . . .
Summary: 2 Stars
In a nutshell: "Dawn of the Dead" by Romero meets "Lola" by the Kinks with a little bit of "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and "The Crying Game" thrown in for good measure.
Plot Summary: A Japanese Rock and Roll Wannabe (Ace), complete with black leather jacket and motorcycle, happens to be in a small town in Japan that just happens to be ground zero for an alien invasion, via zombies. Along the way the band Guitar Wolf, a corrupt manager, an gunrunner/mercenary, and 3 slackers wander through the film. Armed with nothing more than his wits (such as they are) and the "love of rock and roll" Ace has to defend civilization (or at least one cute girl) from the zombies. Over the course of the film the zombies eat people, get shot in the head, show a degree of mobility and intelligence that varies from "potted plant" to "low normal," and generally behave the way anyone who has ever seen a post-Romero zombie film would expect them to. The alien invasion aspect of the film is pretty much just a plot device to explain the zombies and all we ever see of them is their ships flying past.
Review: (Warning, this review contains a "Spoiler") This had the potential to be a nice little zombie movie. Unfortunately, "Wild Zero" decides that we need a "message". Unlike some of the other reviewers, I didn't think that having my horror movie "spiked" with the director's punk rock, free love, down with capitalism, and the power of rock and roll philosophy improved anything.
Bottom Line: This movie is for hardcore zombie move enthusiasts (if you just have to complete your collection and/or you really want to see a bunch of zombie heads exploding - this is the film for you) and fans of Japanese punk rock only. For a much better, albeit still low budget, zombie film check out "Hide and Creep" or if you want big money polish and special effects in your zombie movies check out the Romero classics and the recent remake.