The October Zombie-Thon 2009 - Day 25: Wild Zero
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.25.2009
"Love has no borders, nationalities, or genders! "
WILD ZERO (2000)
Directed by: Tetsuro Takeuchi
Written by: Tetsuro Takeuchi & Satoshi Takagi
Country: Japan
You've probably had the discussion with friends. "What would you do in an actual zombie apocalypse?" The usual answers have probably come up – stock up on guns, gather canned food, try to a safe place to hole up (a mall, perhaps?). Not bad answers, but let me ask you this: Have you ever considered first enlisting the aid of a hard-rocking Japanese trash band? No? Well, I guess you haven't seen Wild Zero, then.
Wild Zero stars the cult-favorite three piece band Guitar Wolf (also the name of the lead singer, who is joined by Bass Wolf and Drum Wolf), who call themselves the coolest band in the world, and are certainly one of its loudest. Known for their decibel-shattering music, outrageous stage act, and too-cool-for-school attitude, Guitar Wolf bring all that to the table in this knowing tribute to B-movie cinema from music video director Tetsuro Takeuchi. Because Guitar Wolf are not exactly the greatest actors in the world, the movie wisely gives them little to do but look cool and kick zombie ass – two things they naturally excel at.
The film's lead character is Ace (Masashi Endo), wannabe rock-star and huge Guitar Wolf fan. While attending one of their shows, Ace inadvertently saves the band from a Mexican stand-off with a creepy, perverted club owner known as Captain. As thanks, Guitat Wolf (the singer) makes Ace his rock'n'roll blood brother, and also supplies him with a special whistle to blow if he is ever in trouble. If, after seeing this, you meet your favorite band and get nothing but an autograph, you can't help but be disappointed.
Ace's magical whistle comes in handy a lot quicker than he was probably expecting, since shortly after meeting Tobio, the apparent girl of his dreams, UFO's begin buzzing the earth, causing the dead to rise as flesh-hungry zombies. Desperate to protect his new squeeze but clearly out-numbered, Ace blows the whistle, and soon the band is on hand not only to help take on both undead ghouls and the aliens responsible, but also to dole out some helpful romantic advice when Ace learns a shocking secret about Tobio.
I don't really know what it is about Japanese culture that leads to their zombie films being so much wackier than their European and American counterparts, but God bless them for it. And if Wild Zero isn't the wackiest Japanese zombie movie to ever come along, then it's right goddamn up there. The film's anarchic "yeah, we know how stupid it is, but who gives a crap" attitude mixed with the macho "yeah, there are zombies all around us, but we still need to look good" posturing of Guitar Wolf proves to be a potent combination, creating a dumb, loud, but highly entertaining brew of all-out insanity.
Sure, the film has its problems…how could a movie like this not? It's certainly not the most well-made movie ever. The plot is paper-thin, the story sometimes meanders off-track, and most of the performances are uninspired (only Ace and the Captain really stick out, due to their constant mugging). But then, it's hard to fault shortcomings like these when it's clear the movie doesn't even really want to be taken seriously. Wild Zero isn't trying to be anything but what it is – an absurd, tongue-in-cheek, rock'n'roll B-movie experience. Little things like plot holes or sloppy editing mean very little once you've seen Guitar Wolf ride a flaming motorcycle into battle, dispatch zombies with magical guitar picks, or take on a flying saucer with a sword helpfully hidden in the neck of a guitar.
Wild Zero is not necessarily the greatest zombie movie ever, but it's definitely one of the craziest. Like Return of the Living Dead, it's probably best summarized as the punk rock equivalent of a zombie film. I admire its desire to be nothing more than loud, dumb, and fun. In fact, this is the kind of gleefully deranged movie that the American zombie genre could use more of – though it's tough to think of an American band cool enough to live up to the precedent set here by Guitar Wolf (perhaps noted horror-fans My Chemical Romance could give it a shot). In the end, we must thank Wild Zero, for showing that even when the dead rise, the spirit of Rock'n'Roll lives on.
FINAL SCORE: 3.5 out of 4 Bubs (Highly Recommended)
