Wild Zero

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!

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!

Wild Zero is not a perfect movie. It is beyond perfection. It has transcended into a realm of unbelievable excellence. If I rated things on a scale of stars, 1-10, it would receive a million billion.

Weak acting? Goofy special effects? These comments are probably from people who thought Braveheart and Gladiator were good movies. Wild Zero is the type of movie that is impossible to criticise. You watch Wild Zero and your blood will pump, your adrenaline will ransack your brain, your tender--I have said too much.

After all, this is rock 'n' roll jet movie. Guitar Wolf, the group, prove themselves to be inhuman in their sheer ability to be cool. With trash and chaosssssss!!!!, the last twenty minutes will blow your mind. This is the feel good movie of eternity. There is thrill, speed and stupid zombies. There are exploding heads, random alien encounters, and even more sudden and inexplicable gaining of superpowers.

There is no adrenaline rush that is more rush than this film once it kicks into motion. But don't think it is all brutality of screen, as the movie has poignant moments and an important message on love and growing up. Of course, you could also sit back and be terrified by the Captain's draw-string shorts (pejoratively nicknamed "the junk trunk" by my group of friends).

Watch this movie with friends or watch it alone. It's just more fun when you can see your friends' minds be blown. But if you see a Guitar Wolf movie this year--nay, if you see a movie in this lifetime, see Wild Zero! Rock 'n' roll!!

(Note: Some phrases in this review were lifted from the video box. See if you can go through and pick them out)

I know I use the word 'awesome' frequently in my reviews, and frequently refer to other movies as some "the awesomest movies ever" (see 'Battlefield Baseball' or 'Volcano High'). I can't help it if I watch all these awesome movies. This is where 'Wild Zero' comes in: Simply put, 'Wild Zero' is so indescribably awesome that it defies the description of 'awesome'. There is no other way to describe the awesomeness that is 'Wild Zero'.

'Wild Zero' is a documentary starring Japanese rock band Guitar Wolf. I wouldn't have thought it to do be a documentary, but Guitar Wolf said it was so*, and who am I to doubt them? They saved us from zombies and an alien invasion. All hail Guitar Wolf! 'Wild Zero' starts with Guitar Wolf (the guitarist, not the band) enraging a night-club owner, and in the middle of a stand-off, Guitar Wolf (the band) are saved by a wannabe rocker named Ace. Guitar Wolf (the guitarist) pledges to be a rock n' roll blood-brother with Ace, handing him a whistle only to be used when Ace needs the help of Guitar Wolf. On his way to a gig in Asahi, Ace and other random characters are attacked by zombies. Now only Guitar Wolf can save the world from zombies and aliens. Awesome.

I noticed other users referring to this as the 'ultimate B-movie' and whatever. I disagree. This is the ultimate awesome movie. Well, it would be if it wasn't a documentary. Either way, 'Wild Zero' has everything that all aspiring awesome movies need: rock n' roll, zombies, many exploding heads, guitar-swords, and the best reference to 'Psycho' ever. Ignore all comments about acting, Guitar Wolf are just being themselves (with alcohol and swearing toned down, so I've read). Awesome.

10/10 - some people might disagree with my comments. 'Wild Zero' may not be a well-made 'movie', but it is so incredibly awesome, and in the end, awesomeness is what really matters.

*Ok, I found that from a website reviewing 'Wild Zero'. I read through a few interviews with Guitar Wolf, and they didn't specifically say that, although they did similar things. In fact, everything they had to say was awesome.

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