Zombie self-defense force - Armata mortale

Remember Todd Sheets? no? well... the zombie bloodbath trilogy? Never heard of it...OK. Well, Todd sheets was(is?) a bottom of the barrel zombie movie maker, his movies were cheap, shot on video, with lots of gore, no plot and stupid jokes. This is like a Japanesse version of those movies, improved because this was made 20 years after those movies so we have better camera equipment and better fx, but the soul of this is similar to those. We have some awful cgi(some blood looks like it was made with paintbrush...thats the worst of the worst) and the space ships and all the cgi is horrible, but the non-cgi fx is cool, good zombie make up and gore. The movie is entertaining for the fans of no budget pictures like me.

Well Japan is fairly well-known for some of the really obscure, grotesque and outrageous movies within recent years. And "Zombie Self-Defense Force" or "Zonbi Jieitai" is one of those movies.

I sat down to watch it because it is a zombie movie and also because it was from Japan. I like all things zombie, so that was the main reason for watching it. Plus, I like Japanese movies as well.

The story in "Zonbi Jieitai" is fairly out there. A UFO crashes in Japan and turns dead people into ravenous zombies hungry for human flesh. In the middle of this zombie crisis, is a small group of soldier who end up fighting the zombies. Trapped at a small inn, the soldiers are facing certain doom, and not everyone in the platoon is what they appear to be.

Don't expect this to really be a serious movie in the zombie genre, because the story, the acting, the gore, yeah basically everything in the movie is so over the top, that it becomes hilarious. It was like watching a live-action Manga. The dialogue was so crazy at times and it was delivered just like in a Manga. And the acting was so out there, so overly dramatic and spoofy.

The gore in "Zonbi Jieitai" was actually quite good at times, so there is something interesting in it for gorehounds. Then on the other hand, there were times when the blood and effects were breathtakingly fake and hilarious to even just look at.

I found "Zonbi Jieitai" to be enjoyable because it was so over the top. Everything was pushed to the extreme, and then just one further step. Remember, when you sit down to watch this movie, take it for what it is, a comical Japanese zombie comedy that is quite Manga-like in its presentation.

Now, the zombies in the movie were rather interesting, especially because they maintained their odd quirks that they had when they were alive. Each and every one of the zombies were really fun to look at, because they all had their own unique personality.

"Zonbi Jieitai" is a very light-hearted and comical approach on the zombie genre. It might just be enjoyable for you if you are looking for something weird and extreme.

Surely not the best zombie movie we have seen, but at the end i think this one is OK! First of all, this is no comedy! At least i can't find something really funny, but thats often the problem for a European guy watching a Japanese movie. Also you have here the usual Asian overacting, extremely in the first 15 minutes (maybe this should be the comedy part??!;)) And this is no shaun of the dead, despite what the cover may say! But what you have here is an nonstop bloody zombie movie. From minute 5 on there is good splatter and amounts of blood and brain. Of course this one is not as good as the old classics from romero,fulci or jackson. also it has not the look of the newer zombie flicks like the dawn remake or 28dayslater...its just 80 minutes of bloody fun:) it has some good special effects (when they are handmade) and some not that good (cgi effects). It has no or at least a kinda silly story, but that you don't even notice because of all that blood, the brains and the zombie action! And sometimes i don't look for nothing more in a zombie movie ;)

A flying saucer crashes on our planet and the radiation turns dead people into hungry zombies. Which is quite a problem for the gangsters who have to get rid of a corpse that just won't die again, or the hotel owner who wants to kill his former lover, since she blackmails him. "Zombie Self-Defense Force" is a gory, very gory comedy with a couple of good jokes, but in the end not professional enough especially in the camera and lights department to deserve the comparison with "Shaun of the Dead" in the tag-line. It never looks better than straight-to-video. I liked some characters, such as the killer baby with "Ghoulies" teeth (and the same anarchic attitude!), the hairdresser zombie who still has vague memories of her former job (similar to "Land of the Dead"), even the totally over-the-top "protect me, please" silly schoolgirl. "Zombie Self-Defense Force" demonstrates the Japanese zombie fighting style touch: when you have no more bullets, continue with the samurai sword! So, this is a cheap no-brainer, but if you don't expect more than that, fun to watch.

"Zombie self-defense force" is a excellent horror comedy from Japan, it delivers exactly what you want: zombies, lots of gore, comedy and many quotes and references from other movies.

The movie begins with a speak against the "political" war strategy of the United states (while proudly showing the Japaness flag), but at the same times, the speaker confess that all the world likes their culture: the music, the hamburgers and the movies from Hollywood, including George Romero movies (which he is defined as a "genius").

After this introduction, the real movie starts: A flying saucer lands in some woods of the Mount Fuji, suddenly, the dead turns into zombies and a group of militaries, a criminal and a famous singer (or model) must fight for their lives.....they reach a small house, but the zombies are coming there too !

This is a little masterpiece, i recommend it if you like horror comedies in general.