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Wild Zero

There are no boundaries in Rock and Roll! Believe in Rock and Roll!
Starring: Endo Masashi, Shitichai Kwancharu, Inamiya Makoto, Guitar Wolf
Rating: 7/10
Directed By: Tetsuro Takeuchi
Runtime: 100 minutes

This was handed to me by my friend James from England with no more detail than "it's a Japanese zombie flick." I had seen Junk so I figured I'd give it a go. Upon conclusion I decided Wild Zero is, indeed , a Japanese zombie flick but it's so much more. It's a Japanese Rock and Roll Zombie Comedy that's heavy in all four elements. Utilizing traditional B-movie plotting, the thin story thread is sacrificed in favor of the quirky characters and exploding madness that occur during the 100 minute run time. Much in the same vein as Flight of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead, Wild Zero is a movie best enjoyed with the brain off. To quote Magnificent Bastard in his Guitar Wolf review (located here), "It's Japanese, my friends . . . don't try to understand it, just enjoy it."

The story begins when a strange meteorite crashes to Earth near the town of Ashai-cho followed by dozens of alien spaceships. A group of disparate people, including but not limited to: Guitar Wolf, a superpowered Rock and Roll band (Drum Wolf and Bass Wolf in support for the curious); their number one fan Ace; a female arms dealer; three destitute teens; Tobio, a young woman stranded on a date and a Yakuza boss searching for respect, run afoul of zombies and must find a way to save the world. Meanwhile, the alien presence grows...


The first twenty minutes of Wild Zero are somewhat confusing as the characters and subplots spiral in and out of the narrative. Guitar Wolf doesn't like Yakuza involvement in his band's direction and takes steps to reduce that involvement, Ace shows up during the conflict and becomes an unofficial member of the band and is given a whistle to call Guitar Wolf whenever there's trouble. Three teens are on the way to see the meteor while deciding the rest of their lives and occasionally some girl shows up next to a Hum-vee smoking a cigarette (she's the arms dealer). Tobio gets thrown out of a car by her date who calls her "some strange chick." However, the film allows you to gain some traction before the heroes notice how widespread the zombie plague has spread. The three main subplots Takeuchi seems to be covering are: 1. Ace and Tobio's burgeoning relationship. He has low self esteem because he wants to be Guitar Wolf and he's a poseur who comes to grips with who he is by finding his inner Guitar Wolf and killing lots of zombies. He must also find out what is so strange about Tobio and see if his newfound love can withstand the shock. 2. The Yakuza's search for respect. The toupee-sporting Yakuza leader shown up by Guitar Wolf attempts to track the band to Asahi-cho and get revenge for getting his finger blown off and solidify his reputation. 3. Guitar Wolf's search for Rock and Roll.

Really, isn't the search for Rock and Roll what every zombie movie is really all about? No, which is why this movie stands apart. The only criticism I have is the zombies are slow to act and short on menace unless the script calls for it and the green paint is reminiscent of Zombie Lake, though much better applied. This can be overlooked because the lion's share of the admittedly low budget went to a lot of special effects to simulate heads exploding, severed limbs and dismemberment scenes no self-respecting zombie film would be without. You also wonder where the authorities are during this crisis. Did it happen on the eve of the policemen's ball? Not that authority would have helped but the absence is noticeable. Otherwise, the film is chock full of urination, drug use (in an almost dry country), flame-spitting motorcycles and cars, flying guitar picks, moped rescues, Guitar Wolf surviving an 8 story fall only out of tune, electro-zombies, alien attacks and a constant Rock soundtrack by (you guessed it) Guitar Wolf themselves! The scene where our heroes are debating who's seen Night of the Living Dead is priceless and worth the admission alone, as is the gore and the Rock and Roll!

Wild Zero is a worthy addition to anyone's horror or zombie libraries as an example of what someone who is willing to look outside the box can do for a genre that supposedly has seen it all. Magnificent Bastard has stated that Guitar Wolf is looking for funding for a sequel and I, for one, hope they get it. The superhero Rock and Roll gag is interesting enough on it's own but adding zombies to the mix just ramps up the enjoyment factor more. My advice is to throw on some Ramones, get good and high and be prepared for one of the greatest Rock extravaganzas since Gwar.