Road of the Dead

Okay this is the best zombie action I've seen in some of time; whereas The Battery was hip and careful, this is sloppy, has verve and gleefully throws itself around, it has a carpenter's love for things you can build with your hands that I like and just an overall air of messily practical filmmaking in the best spirit of Evil Dead and Braindead that just wants to revel in blood it throws up.

And this means that it doesn't try to make too much sense. A zombie apocalypse has taken place overnight following a meteorite shower, but the mythos is schematic and unserious, we see a few soldiers roaming the countryside in a van and a deranged scientist conducting zombie experiments in the back but this is so we can have these characters roaming around. The notion of a girl who comes to control zombies and emotive moments here and there I could do without.

And New Zealand is the ideal backdrop for the appeal this aimed to have; we see no cities and no cohesive social fabric being torn, there are only roads through sparse New Zealand bush, a garage here, a tunnel there, forests, so it all adds to that feeling of a bunch of young people letting loose with no larger narrative in mind other than the adventure of making up things in the wild.

Creativity here is not intellectual or really concerned with style, or bogged down in somber atmosphere; it is practical and freewheeling, the joy of splashing blood on a floor, slipping on it and filming the goof, what Raimi and Jackson did so well once upon a time. By the end the only fault I see is that they didn't push this gory slipperiness more, that they didn't make the sparse setting more iconic (Evil Dead and Braindead, and really every horror classic, are rooted in extremely memorable space) but this is still horror I endorse.

Having watched many zombie films of all different types over the years, I am happy to say that Wyrmwood is an interesting take on the genre. I can't say too much about why I like this film and I would suggest going into it without doing much research into it.

What I will say is that there is a decent amount of action and some very unique and creative twists on the zombie phenomena. Some of these work better than others, though to be fair the film has a somewhat playful dynamic so the unorthodox creative liberties will be appreciated fans who enjoy a bit of silliness.

The bizarre plot devices and comically stoic characters like Frank (Keith Agius) contrast well with the always sombre lead Barry (Jay Gallagher). That said, the character development of Benny is a bit problematic. What starts out as cringe-inducing stereotyping quickly moves to what might be construed as racism. It could be the case that this is an attempt at a deeper social commentary on the genre or Australian film, but that might be a stretch given the overall tone of the film.

The practical effects are decent and the use of CG, while not perfect, doesn't take away from the experience. There are some gory shots but these are nothing that more skirmish viewers wont be able to handle if they are familiar with the genre.

There isn't really too much in the way of character development and the plot is fairly light, but the pacing and the way the film jumps between a couple of different story lines makes the film enjoyable to watch.

One of the things that makes this film stand out is the somewhat surreal and often mysterious cast of characters. It might be the case that the filmmakers left the characters underdeveloped on purpose. Either way the somewhat larger than life characters work well with the overall ambiance of the piece, especially when reflecting on a certain theme revealed by Frank. The Doctor in particular stands out (just how long has it been since the dead started rising again?).

In the end viewers are likely to be left with some unanswered questions, but it is forgivable if we take this to be a slightly different zombie universe than we are used to. Ultimately Wyrmwood is a fun and enjoyable film that will be particularly enjoyable for zombie fans, partially because it unapologetically refuses to be held back by the unspoken rules of the genre.

Although the film is not perfect, I salute the filmmakers for taking some risks and ultimately producing an interesting take on an otherwise tired genre.

Wow! Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is a glorious achievement for which I send out my thanks and congratulations to all involved. Not only does it deliver 98 minutes of pure, wicked entertainment but manages to do so with uncommon pace, humour, style and energy.

With deft cinematics, competent CGI, solid acting and buckets of gore it has a stand-out quality that's rare and hard to bottle - especially on a modest budget. There are after all few genres that can boast such a catalogue of pure stinkers as can 'the zombie flick.' The storyline isn't necessarily one to explore too deeply but that doesn't really matter. This movie revels in its' own nonsensical journey. Bizarre characters and zombies are hurled at us non-stop, with a side-order of break-neck road chaos and a good few laughs - this viewer was left sated.

Somewhat in the spirit of such splatterfests as Feast (2005) or The Rage (2007), Wyrmwood doesn't take itself seriously but it's abundantly clear that the film making process was. Serious talent is on display here and I for one will be keeping an eye on the Roache-Turners to see what's next.

**geek alert**

As a working photographer myself I must mention the pleasing and somewhat unconventional style of cinematography - particularly the use of wide-angle. I thought the grading, editing and post production generally to be superb. I was surprised and overjoyed to later discover via IMDb that this was in fact shot using the Canon 5D (presumably Mk III). Amazing results. I had presumed this was shot on Reds.

I finished this movie about an hour ago and already I can't wait to see Wyrmwood 2! Great stuff! 7/10

The script comes off as a bit far-fetched at times and some if the CGI is downright comical. However, nothing prepared me for the atmosphere Wyrmwood created. Whoever was responsible for costumes and props did a knockout job, absolute best work I have seen in recent zombie flicks. The sweat poured into minute details makes this film a must see for anyone who enjoys zombie culture. Wouldn't be surprised to see a cult following.

With that said, the script is a little devoid of direction. The director knew what this film was about and didn't try to make it into something it wasn't. You should be ready to sit down and watch characters doing quite literally whatever comes next as a zombie apocalypse unfolds. I didn't recognize a single actor in the film, but I was blown away by the work they put into their roles. You could tell everyone involved just wanted to make a great movie.

Entertaining, exciting, and funny, could not recommend enough.

It was a thrill ride just like Mad Max Fury Road, with a team of strangers teaming up to survive the Zombie apocalypse that's going down. One of the best and craziest Zombie movies I've seen. It's exactly the roller coaster I would expect from the land down under.

Unlike Fury Road, however, the story is lacking. It's not a good ridiculous it's more of a stupid ridiculous

The filmmakers make it seem like the story is unimportant, which is true. No one needs to know why Zombies exist only that they do and Wyrmwood totally goes out there with the genre.

The weak story does not overshadow the amazing action, set designs and costumes in the movie, as well as the ensemble cast.

It was so much fun to watch.