Wild Zero (1999)
5/10
Wild Zero
10 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Take a trip to SurrealLand as a rock'n'roll band, whose leader is Guitar Wolf(along with fellow members Drum Wolf and Bass Wolf), help other frightened folks defend themselves against zombies, created thanks to an alien invasion(in the form of flying saucers, we never see actual alien lifeforms). These walking corpses are extra blue(amplify the color scheme of the zombies of Romero's DAWN to the nth degree), lumber and lurch, stiffly surrounding unfortunates who can not get away. Masashi Endô is Ace, a major fan of Guitar Wolf's band, helping his hero upend a nefarious business exec named Captain(Makoto Inamiya)who wants to muscle his most popular group around, becoming an anointed blood brother. Ace is given a whistle by Guitar as a means to call whenever he's in a state of emergency and needs assistance. Ace meets Tobio(Kwancharu Shitichai)at a gas station, inadvertently halting a heist. Toshi and Hanako(Yoshiyuki Morishita and Taneko)are a married couple always arguing and bickering, scared out of their wits when their family member is devoured by zombies. There's included a Yakuza boss and weapons dealer in the cast of humans either warding off zombies or becoming members of the undead. The romance between Ace and Tobio gets more than a bit interesting when he discovers she is not exactly the "girl" he thought she was. Guitar Wolf's band are a Japanese equivalent of a band like Jet, slick hair constantly combed, leather jackets and black shades. Guitar Wolf's guitar never leaves his person, almost another body part he depends on(it does come in handy more than one occasion). Such bizarre moments include a once human couple, shortly after becoming members of the undead, lovingly embracing, Guitar Wolf killing a mass of zombies using "electrified" guitar pics, and Captain equipped(thanks to Guitar, never quite explained as to what this lead guitarist and singer gets such powers)with supernatural electromagnetic powers, firing lighting bolts of great intensity from his eyes. Most of the gore is in tacky CGI form, heads exploding from gunfire(how bullets could take off either half a face or an entire skull is beyond the realm of realism)mainly. Lots of punk music(reminiscent of The Ramones, to me)blaring away in the background. There are many moments where the movie just goes off the deep end such as how Ace is able to battle zombies all around him with little more than a crowbar and Guitar Wolf using his guitar(with a hidden sword in its handle)to destroy a giant space ship.
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