Description: Japan’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Zombie Horror Classic Is Finally Coming To DVD! Ace, a rockabilly fan who really wants to be cool, is on his way to seeing his favorite group Guitar Wolf when a strange thing occurs . . . aliens invade the Earth and people start returning to life as flesh-eating zombies! Enlisting the help of the (real-life) Japanese rock/ punk band Guitar Wolf (and self-proclaimed coolest rock band in the world), Ace and the members of the band get entangled in many misadventures with crazy rock managers in very tight shorts, transsexuals, naked women shooting guns in the shower, and bloodthirsty zombies ready to tear them apart. Leather jackets, loud over-modulated music, laser guitar picks, motorcycles, muscle cars, and LOTS of fire . . . it’s all right here! Did we also happen to mention flesh-eating zombies? Think Dawn of the Dead meets Kiss meets The Phantom of the Park with the humor of Evil Dead 2 and that’s what Wild Zero is all about!
Zombies, Punk Rock and Aliens Equals Pure Campy Fun! 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.
Wild, indeed Wild Zero is a Japanese movie featuring music group Guitar Wolf, who is also the singer of the band. I started watching this movioe twice but only made it in about 20 minutes before I turned it off and gave up. A friend urged me to give it one more shot and I did and fell in love with it. So if you watch it, give it more than 20 minutes, it becomes really funny/interesting/cool.
Wild Zero is kind of like Kiss Meets The Phantom of the Park combined with a Japanese version of The Ramones stuck in a Zombies From Outter Space story. Yes, it's quite a combo. Oh and throw in a love story, some renegade gang members, and a club owner with really short-shorts and you've got it. I love the music in this film, Guitar Wolf rocks. The movie is just crazy and twisted but after watching the whole thing I'm a huge fan. If you like insane-silly movies with lots of action and believe that THERE ARE NO BOUNDRIES IN ROCK AND ROLL check this out.
Cheesy Rock'n'Roll Zombie-Fest You have to be a die-hard Guitar Wolf fan, or a complete lover of zombie films to really like this film. While I like every genre on the Japanese or any Asian film market, zombie films are really not my type of films. So, I might be a bit biased against the film. But I do know what I like, and this film really takes quite a lot of will power to watch. At least "Battlefield Baseball" had a few funny things going for it. This one as I wrote before is really for the die hard fan of the zombie genre. The film of course centers on the Rock band Guitar Wolf. One character in the film named Ace (Masashi Endo) is a big fan of the group. It is when he sees the band that a meteor shower will occur: Which is actually an alien invasion of Earth.
Soon after these aliens arrive the dead begin coming back to life. [Hey, this is a zombie film] And as we all know by now, there is nothing zombies like better than eating human flesh. [I want these zombie films to please just go away!] Therefore, it is up to our protagonist Ace and the group Guitar Wolf to battle these invading forces and zombies. One more thing, Guitar Wolf [playing himself or course] gives Ace a whistle. This is a special whistle that Ace is to use whenever he finds himself in trouble. And being that this is a zombie flick, well you get the picture. But the film is really in a sense a documentary of the band Guitar Wolf, as you will notice should you view this film.
The special effects in the film are bad, [even for a low budget film such as this one] but then most films of this nature usually are. And as for the acting--well, lets just say that acting classes might have come in handy and helped the actors quite a bit. I know this is supposed to be a zombie film with Rock'n'Roll tossed in, but it is an extremely silly one at that. The film was directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi, and the man needs to tone up on his directorial skills. All in all, the film is really for those who like the band Guitar Wolf---as all of the bands members are in the film. Do not expect too much from this film and you will not be disappointed. [Then again, maybe you will]. Recommended for those who have a bad case of insomnia.
. . . for hardcore punk and/or zombie fans only . . . 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.
A must-have for your DVD collection I love this film. not such a huge fan of the band, only a little one, but this still it's so~ awesome!. not mislead you into that it's award winning material. It's pretty B-grade. but it's such a B-grade film, It's so bad, it's good! ROCK & ROLL~!!
And if you don't check it out, zombies will come eat your brains! @W@
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