"Hey mister, do you know 'Rock 'n Roll'?": Wild Zero

Like the hordes of undead themselves, zombie comedies are overrunning the pop culture landscape. This sub-genre's reign shows no signs of slowing down. Last year alone saw the release of numerous books and movies that cast a humorous light on the undead. Most notably there was the New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (a goofy reworking of the Jane Austen classic), Death Troopers (the first Star Wars horror novel and the only book in the history of literature to feature zombie wookies), and the crowd pleasing Zombieland. So what makes this blend so appealing? I can't speak for everyone, but I believe that, when done correctly, a zombie comedy is a delicious mix of action, horror, and pure insanity. Wild Zero, a Japanese movie from 2000, is such a mix.

Wild Zero opens with a view of the Earth as seen from outer space. Hundreds of UFOs swarm across the screen. They are arriving to launch the zombie apocalypse and doom us all. Wild Zero, if you couldn't guess from this, is a movie that doesn't take itself seriously. The UFO plot point is ripped straight from no-budget 1950's science fiction. In particular it seems to be a nod to Plan 9 From Outer Space, a favorite amongst fans of "so bad it's good" cinema. This should give you a hint as to the tone of Wild Zero- it's crazy, campy, and makes no attempt to slow down and think about things.

As one would expect, the characters that populate the world of Wild Zero are as colorful as can be. Our hero is Ace, a rock 'n roll fanboy who wants nothing more in life than to be just like his favorite band, Guitar Wolf. Guitar Wolf is a real Japanese rock band which consists of three band members who go by the matter-of-fact stage names Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf, and Drum Wolf. All three have starring roles in Wild Zero playing exaggerated versions of themselves to great comedic effect. It's hard not to love Guitar Wolf. They all dress in a simple uniform that consists of black leather jackets, sunglasses, and slicked-back hair. In between battles with the undead, they scream into microphones that shoot fire, offer advice against intolerance ("Love has no borders, nationalities, or genders!"), and make Ace their rock 'n roll blood brother (when Ace is in danger, he can blow a whistle to summon the band to his aid). The majority of the soundtrack consists of Guitar Wolf songs, and they, like the movie itself, are loud, fast, obsessed with B-grade sci-fi and horror, and distinctly Japanese.

Standing in Guitar Wolf and Ace's path to happiness is hundreds of hungry undead. The zombies in Wild Zero are an odd bunch of creatures. They have blueish complexions, similar to the zombies in Dawn of the Dead (1978), but unlike that crowd, the creatures in Wild Zero can speak, and they seem to have clear memories of their lives pre-zombification. In one humorous yet bizarre scene a zombie attempts to trick a group of humans into thinking he is one of the living.

While the zombies themselves are entertaining, the majority of the special effects surrounding them are pretty bad, and are easily the weakest part of the movie. The zombie makeup is passable, but could've used some touching up. The computer generated exploding zombie heads, however, are atrocious looking, and represent everything that is wrong with CG gore. It doesn't help that Wild Zero was made in the early 2000's, making such poor effects look dated as well as cheap. Luckily, this is not a movie that relies on special effects to propel the zombie mayhem. Instead, it uses the strong personalities of its characters to grab your attention, which makes the subpar gore more forgivable than it might be in another story.

In fact, I would argue that the true villain of Wild Zero is not the zombie horde, but rather a greedy, sleazy, club owner with a passion for criminally short shorts. While a money hungry business man is not exactly a new character concept, the way this man dresses, speaks, and acts is totally unique, totally hilarious, and very different than anything I could imagine seeing in an American movie of this style. I would even say that Wild Zero is worth looking into just to see this outrageous character.

Wild Zero is a movie created for a specific taste. It is crazy, random, fast, loud, and packs in as much fun per minute as is humanly possible. Its something you either "get" or you don't. For the record, I get the joke of Wild Zero, and it never gets old.