In case you were wondering, the dude behind the flaming microphone on my avatar is Guitar Wolf, lead singer of a Japanese garage rock band of the same name. (His band mates are Bass Wolf & Drum Wolf.) Like me, Guitar Wolf believes in the almighty power of rock and roll. He flings guitar pics like Chinese stars and he shouts inspirational phrases such as “rock and roll jet party to the morning!” In other words, don’t waste your time trying to be as cool as this guy ‘cuz it ain’t gonna happen.
Unfortunately the band isn’t the focus of Wild Zero. The hero of this cult classic (how long do you have to wait before labeling a movie as such?) is Ace, Guitar Wolf’s #1 fan. Ace is somewhat of a wuss but Guitar Wolf takes note of his love of rock & roll by making him a blood brother and giving him a whistle. If Ace finds himself in danger all he has to do is blow the whistle and Guitar Wolf will appear out of nowhere with, ready to wield his samurai sword (hidden in the neck of his guitar, of course).
The action consists of solid cartoon violence and there are enough explosions and splatter to satisfy the whole family. The zombies themselves are cut from the Romero cloth: blood thirsty and slow moving. If it takes more than that to hold your attention I should also mention the motorcycles equipped with booze holders, the transgendered love interest, naked women blowing away zombies in the shower and the promotional drinking game. (The instructions on the back of the box advise you to drink every time someone combs their hair or whenever a zombie’s head pops.)
As far as wacky Japanese movies go, this is my personal favorite. I watched it with 5 other people who hadn’t seen it and it went over very well. I will admit that it wasn’t quite as good for me the second time around but I'll be damned if composing this review doesn't make me want to watch it again. The middle drags and at one point I forgot I was even watching a zombie movie but it’s mostly hilarious and worth seeing, if for no other reason than to bask in the warm glow of Guitar Wolf’s coolness.
But don't take my word for it. Watch the trailer!
