Wild Zero

I love rock'n'roll and I love zombie movies, and 'Wild Zero' combines the two into a fantastically entertaining and energetic movie that I'm certain in years to come will be regarded as a trash classic. I usually like my zombie movies to be serious, but in this case I didn't mind the silliness at all. In fact I absolutely loved every minute of it! Cult Japanese trio Guitar Wolf, who deftly mix punk, rockabilly, garage and surf influences, star in this impossible to categorize fun fun fun romp which jumps genres as fast as Johnny Ramone changes bar chords. Masashi Endo plays Ace, a major Guitar Wolf fan, who helps the band out of a tight spot with a nasty promoter. Guitar Wolf give him a whistle and tell him to use it if he's ever in a jam. Little does Ace know he'll soon be stuck in the middle of a rampaging zombie horde! Believe me, there is has been nothing quite like this movie ever before. It's stupid but GOOD stupid. No, make that GREAT stupid. I thought it was absolutely wonderful and if Ed Wood, Lucio Fulci, Link Wray and The Dickies mean anything to you then this is ESSENTIAL viewing! I'm usually wary of sequels but if 'Wild Zero' ever has one I'll be queueing up to see it!

I've noticed noticed a lot of negative commentary about this movie by people who obviously are totally lacking in rock-n-roll spirit, and their effete reviews should not stop people from going out and watching this movie for themselves.

This movie is for everyone and anyone who: has an interest in B-movies, has an interest in garage rock/punk/rockabilly/rock-n-roll, enjoys drinking and laughing.

Wild Zero is equal parts Rock-N-Roll High School, Plan 9 from Outer Space, and Night of the Living Dead. It boasts an amazing soundtrack (equal parts Japanese and American bands), a cast that is long on "cool" and short on Oscar potential (just like a B-movie should be), and an excellent mix of camp and schlock horror.

Featuring the band Guitar Wolf (a real band by the way, who lack a certain level of musicianship, but more than make up for it with rock-n-roll attitude) and Ace (Masashi Endo, who does have acting talent) the movie takes us on a ride through an Ed Wood/George Romero wasteland that features a hell bent for leather biker attitude. The plot is no thinner than any other B-movie, and actually carries a rather broad minded message about acceptance and values.

If Wild Zero has one flaw, it is the editing (and not the acting as some people have commented. I speak Japanese and live in Japan. The acting is no worse than that presented on typical Japanese television dramas, and indeed Masashi Endo and Makoto Inamiya have certain comedic and manic talents that will perhaps be expanded upon in the future. The movie also features Morishita Yoshiyuki, who looks like the Steve Buscemi of Japan.) The editing is a bit slack at best, and the movie contains about 10 minutes of "dead" footage.

Apart from that, Wild Zero is exactly what you need for an fantastic evening with friends, beer, and perhaps pizza or take-out sushi. The Wild Zero drinking game (do a search) comes highly recommended.

Don't expect to see Citizen Kane, and don't expect to see the Citizen Kane of B-movies, but do expect to see a B-movie that deserves an enshrined spot in the pantheon of cinema for it's unique combination of flavours horror, camp, rock-n-roll, japan, and boundless love.

If you've watched it and didn't get it, watch it again, but this time turn the volume UP! and drink more beer!

This movie is not suitable for fans of Kenny G, Right Wing Republicans, and people who avidly follow the advice of Martha Stewart.

RRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK-NNNN-RRRRRRRRRRRRROLLLLLLLLLLL!!

I was told by some friends of mine, "You have to see this movie. It will rock your face off." They were right.

Wild Zero is without a doubt the most amazing Japanese Rock Zombie flick ever.

If you believe that rock and roll is here to stay, that greasers should roam the streets of Japan, and that extraneous characters should be disposed of as quickly as possible and turned into zombies, then this film is for you.

The exploding zombie head budget is high in this film, but the writing budget seems to have suffered as a result. With zombie flicks, though, you pay your money and you take your chances.

Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf & Drum Wolf are the triumvirate of rock 'n roll cool. They face the greatest foe of rock 'n roll : Squares. Square are best epitomized by the Captain, who dresses in an all white, skin tight outfit at the beginning (also has a nice mop-top). Apparently he enjoys wearing short shorts (BAD THOUGHT ... unclean... unclean). He and those that he represents don't care about rock 'n roll, they only care about money and power.

One might think this is a typical rock 'n roll movie, but it isn't. After our initial showdown between the squares and the Wolf Trio, the movie takes an unexpected twist. This movie then turns into a survival horror movie. It seems that aliens are involved and they are bringing back the dead. So we end up with the Captain versus the Wolf Trio, in the backdrop of a zombie plague/alien invasion. The supporting cast consists of yakuza henchmen, bungling thieves (one of which is a Japanese Steve Buscemi impersonator and another who is a Japanese Margaret Cho impersonator), a female arms dealer, our hero who's trying to be like Guitar Wolf (Ace), Ace's "female" love interest (Tobio) and layer upon layer of various gray zombies.

This movie is a lot of fun and a twist on the zombie movie genre. The music is great. It has a rock n' roll in-your-face feel. I think Guitar Wolf provided the entire soundtrack. Some of the great scenes where the music is blasting and zombies are dropping left and right, you just want to scream and kick down some doors. A funny innovation in this movie is the pee cam (like Miike's turd cam). The finale is quite over the top. Remember watch this movie, kick ass and chew bubble gum. If you need to drink milk, put some cocaine in it first.

RIP Billy.

-Celluloid Rehab

As someone who's been listening to Guitar Wolf since the early 90s and seen them live a dozen times, I near about wet myself when I first saw this many years ago. Having seen them appear in Sore Losers was funny enough but a movie centered around zombies, killer GW tracks, and schlocky FX and acting...who could resist! Certainly it's got its B-movie charm and the US DVD has the drinking game, but on some level, garage rockers and rock and rollers get this movie and rightly so. It's so over the top and nuts, and the characters have such great idiosyncrasies you can't help but love 'em. The plot isn't so great but there are some absurdities here that you'd find in some of Miike's endings (a la the end scene in Dead or Alive. WTF!) and it's enough to hold your interest and give you a wild ride. But, it's Japanese cinema so who cares, it's not always supposed to make sense. I guess the GW guys are looking for Wild Zero 2 sponsors so I hope they make a funnier sequel. ACE!