Wyrmwood

Plot synopsis:
Mechanic Barry lives in the Australian outback with his wife Annie and daughter Meganne. During a meteor shower, Barry's sister Brooke is attacked in her Bulla, Victoria studio by her model and her assistant, who have suddenly become zombies. She calls Barry and warns him to get out of the city. He, Annie, and Meganne don gas masks and fight their way to the family car. When Meganne and Annie remove their gas masks they become infected and zombify, and Barry is forced to kill them with a nailgun. He runs out of nails before he can kill himself.
Chalker, another survivor, finds Barry and knocks him unconscious when Barry attempts to kill himself with Chalker's gun. Barry asks Chalker to take him to Brooke's studio, unaware that a paramilitary group has taken her captive in the back of a truck that serves as a mobile lab for mad scientist Doc. While Doc experiments on the zombies and Brooke, Chalker's truck stops working. Chalker and Barry continue on foot, and Benny, another survivor, mistakenly kills Chalker. Benny, who previously had to kill his infected brother, and Barry team up and come upon a garage staffed by Frank and his assistant. Frank explains that all flammable liquids have become useless. However, the group accidentally discovers zombie breath and blood are flammable, and they devise a zombie-powered engine. During their escape, Frank's assistant becomes infected and is used as fuel.
Barry, Benny, and Frank discover zombies stop breathing flammable gas at night, enabling them to run faster. As they hole up in the truck overnight, Frank says he believes the zombies resulted from the meteor shower; as told in the Bible, a star called Wyrmwood has fallen, making part of the world bitter. After waking up from a nightmare, Barry catches a zombie on fire and accidentally sets the truck's compressor alight. While putting out the fire, Frank is bitten and asks Barry to shoot him; Barry does. The next day, Barry and Benny encounter paramilitaries in a electric-powered truck. The two drivers, after revealing that those with an A negative blood type are not affected by the disease, offer to lead Barry and Benny to Brooke, who they claim is in custody nearby. Meanwhile, Brooke learns she can now telepathically control zombies as a result of the experiments. With the help of several zombies, she kills Doc, escapes the truck, and joins Barry and Benny.
Barry's truck stalls after the soldiers accidentally kill the zombie powering it. While taking a pit stop for Brooke to fetch them a zombie, Benny is shot in the stomach. When they later pull over to take care of Benny, the soldiers catch up and subdue them. The soldiers reveal their plan is to decapitate Brooke and take her head to their commanding officer. Barry plans to kill them all in an explosion, but Benny instead sacrifices himself to turn into a zombie so Brooke can control him to overpower the soldiers. He kills two of the three soldiers, but the captain kills him and shoots Brooke in the chest. Barry challenges him to a fistfight but ends up shot when the captain retrieves his pistol. After shooting a zombie, the captain's face is splattered with zombie blood, and Barry ignites his head with the matches. Before Barry can shoot him, Brooke rises and commands a horde of zombies to eat the captain alive.
Barry and Brooke, back on the road, come across the lab truck again. They ask the soldiers what they have in the back of the truck; when they refuse to answer, Brooke commands a new group of zombies to attack them and tear them apart.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
Some of these work better than others, though to be fair the film has a somewhat playful dynamic so the unorthodox creative liberties will be appreciated fans who enjoy a bit of silliness.The bizarre plot devices and comically stoic characters like Frank (Keith Agius) contrast well with the always sombre lead Barry (Jay Gallagher).
There are some gory shots but these are nothing that more skirmish viewers wont be able to handle if they are familiar with the genre.There isn't really too much in the way of character development and the plot is fairly light, but the pacing and the way the film jumps between a couple of different story lines makes the film enjoyable to watch.One of the things that makes this film stand out is the somewhat surreal and often mysterious cast of characters.
Meanwhile, the sister is being captured by sadistic psychopath military types in order to experiment on her.There are many references to cult films, like The Evil Dead and Mad Max, and the ending of the film leaves a lot of place for sequels.
This is not a perfect film, but considering that it is an Australian zombie movie made with unknown actors and probably a low budget, there was no chance it could have been.
Bizarre characters and zombies are hurled at us non-stop, with a side-order of break-neck road chaos and a good few laughs - this viewer was left sated.Somewhat in the spirit of such splatterfests as Feast (2005) or The Rage (2007), Wyrmwood doesn't take itself seriously but it's abundantly clear that the film making process was.
Wyrmwood is a good movie if you like a zombie action movie with a actual plot and great camera work.I did enjoy the idea behind the zombies special power and with each person in the crew taking a hit.The use of slow-mo during this movie is well placed and did not take away from the movie and acting at all.Watching this movie with a friend or a loved one is recommended for the laughs..
I was hooked, yup, despite my love for excellent production values and well written scripts, (which this certainly doesn't have) i loved every stupid, gory moment.Get in some beers and whatever else you like, invite round your geekiest friends, kick back and enjoy.As you'd expect from an Ozzie film it has bags of humour, some is even clever.As zombie movies go this is a belter - there's some excellent ideas in here that may well influence future zombie films - and some ridiculous ones as well - 'A zombie powered car?
Never!', but there is, I swear to you.It's a non-stop blood fest, plenty of stupid deaths and the most unlikely car chase/shoot out in the history of Zombiedom - topped off by the most unlikely and luckiest of coincidences ever - but what the heck - it doesn't try to be serious or logical - this is pure fun from the pen of an obvious 'B' movie zombie fan.Don't look for meaning or deep character development, there isn't any.
Okay this is the best zombie action I've seen in some of time; whereas The Battery was hip and careful, this is sloppy, has verve and gleefully throws itself around, it has a carpenter's love for things you can build with your hands that I like and just an overall air of messily practical filmmaking in the best spirit of Evil Dead and Braindead that just wants to revel in blood it throws up.And this means that it doesn't try to make too much sense.
The notion of a girl who comes to control zombies and emotive moments here and there I could do without.And New Zealand is the ideal backdrop for the appeal this aimed to have; we see no cities and no cohesive social fabric being torn, there are only roads through sparse New Zealand bush, a garage here, a tunnel there, forests, so it all adds to that feeling of a bunch of young people letting loose with no larger narrative in mind other than the adventure of making up things in the wild.Creativity here is not intellectual or really concerned with style, or bogged down in somber atmosphere; it is practical and freewheeling, the joy of splashing blood on a floor, slipping on it and filming the goof, what Raimi and Jackson did so well once upon a time.
From what I thought might be another badly done take on the seemingly tired zombie premise came a fresh, well-acted, nicely-directed, great little indie film with some new ideas, lots of humor, hair-raising tense moments, and chock full of interesting characters.
Australian mechanic Barry packs his tool-belt and heads off in his car with his wife and daughter to try and locate his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey), who has been taken to a military laboratory where she is being experimented on by a crazy doctor.Cheap, uninspired zombie films have been stinking up the horror genre for quite some time now, but I've found that it's always worth attacking the hordes of undead movies that shuffle my way to discover the occasional gem—like Wyrmwood, a cool addition to the genre that doesn't do anything by the book.
The film's poster describes it as 'Mad Max meets Dawn of the Dead', but that is only part of the story: Wyrmwood also brings to mind the early films of Peter Jackson, the Resident Evil series, and the 28 Days Later movies, as well as delivering plenty of fresh ideas of its own.Initially, I found myself cursing Wyrmwood for its use of unconvincing CGI blood-splats during an opening zombie attack scene, but it wasn't long before the film had won me over with its infectious style, likable characters, silly sense of humour, and sheer unpredictability.
Wyrmwood's creators, Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner, have filled their film with some really original and entertaining stuff, including such craziness as a sadistic, disco-dancing military scientist, an armoured vehicle powered by zombie gas, and a sexy female survivor who can control the undead with her mind.
There were many original ideas between the expected stereotypes you encounter when you watch zombies on screen and those made Wyrmwood great.I had some laughs and plenty of smiles and I sure advise you not to get fooled by the low budget.
Reminiscent at times of Dawn of the Dead, Undead and the Mad Max series surprisingly Aussie Wyrmwood stands shoulders above many indie zombie films.
One of the strengths of Wyrmwood is that you care about the characters even the squeaky chemical suited, creepy music loving scientist.Zombie gas, DNA experiments and mind control sit nicely in this post apocalyptic adventure as heart broken Barry, Jay Gallagher, goes about finding his sister, meeting an array of characters played excellently by the supporting cast long the way.
While it may not please those wanting a straight forward traditional zombie film complete with it's They Live-like fight scene, it exceeds all expectation as piece of horror, action entertainment.
WYRMWOOD is a high energy zombie flick from Australia that combines the road movie genre with a classic zombie apocalypse outbreak type horror yarn.
(Gore doesn't make a movie for me personally) Although it didn't add to the film, it didn't subtract from it either.It's best to just describe this as a morbid roller-coaster ride that most zombie fans will enjoy.
So i thought it is one of those zombie action movies like resident evil, all start and end the same but this is way much different.
It's great to see not only the spirit of DIY filmmaking but Ozploitation cinema alive and well in the form of the Roache-Turner brothers (Kiah the director, Tristan his co-writer) blood filled and over the top zombie carnage horror/actioner Wyrmwood: The Road of the Dead, a film that was clearly a labour of love for these aspiring filmmakers and a film that in recent months has grown quite the reputation on the festival circuit that has seen the filmmaking duo well and truly become the next big thing in the local industry.Filmed from my understanding over a number of years on a budget that was more than likely made up of family, friends and everyone else in between, there is no questioning that this is an unpolished film but at the same time a film that you can't help but appreciate on a level where you understand that the limitations set before the filmmakers failed to derail a film that is at its core a hugely energetic and often fantastically inventive tale.
While we all know that the zombie genre of film and TV has virtually been done to (pardon the pun) death over many years Wrymwood has enough OTT ideas, violence and the Aussie humour we all know and love to keep us glued to our zombie guts covered seats for it's pretty quick fire 90 or so minute run time and in an age of films that look to cover up there budgetary flaws it's a joy to see Wyrmwood reveal in its roots.Every part of Wyrmwood feels as though it could've been made in your backyard and in anything but a negative it gives the overall sense that this is a film that is truly its own beast.
It's glorious to see the Roache-Turner brothers use the locales at their disposal to great effort from the wilderness through the "road of the dead" this is a tale that feels Australian and benefits from it while the movies performances range from impressive through to never passing acting school yet it doesn't bring the film down, it in fact brings it to a new level of enjoyable even though what your witnessing is akin to watching a friends high school media production.With some off the wall ideas (mind controlling zombie hordes, zombie blood as a new source of fuel, just to name a few) and with an impressively constructed yet whole heartedly home grown production Wrymwood is indeed a film in a league all of its own.
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead serves up a masterful combination of high-impact violence and Australian humour, while simultaneously managing to spin the Zombie-film genre on its head with its unique twists and ideas.
A lot of action, great camera work, a lot of gore (the ideal measure for a zombie flick), and the right touch of comic reliefs makes this movie a gem that has nothing to envy on the referents of the genre, like Resident Evil.
A lot of action, great camera work, a lot of gore (the ideal measure for a zombie flick), and the right touch of comic reliefs makes this movie a gem that has nothing to envy on the referents of the genre, like Resident Evil.
It was quite refreshing to hear some timely scripted Australian humour coming through in this movie however the storyline development and blunt eradication of some key characters had me feeling genre confused!The concept of a zombie apocalypse is one we have seen numerous times before.
It starts out bad the first 5 minutes then it just starts to accelerate to a awesome crescendo.im glad it came from Australia and it shows,its not like other zombie movies.It has some dark humor jammed into the gore.
The plot is somewhat outside the mold for this kind of movies but still keeping with the genre.The refreshing part is people are somewhat acting more like people do in reality and not just standing around screaming while being eaten.If you want a fast paced somewhat brutal movie that goes over the top i really recommend this fresh injection to a bloated zombie market..
The budget doesn't seem too high and it does have some superficial plot twists, but the movie makes the best out of the clever script and its cast.The story highlights mainly two siblings, Barry (Jay Gallagher) and Brooke (Bianca Bradey) as they struggle to deal with zombie apocalypse respectively.
Leon Burchill as Benny gets the best/funniest of the film's lines and older character actor Keith Agius brings a touch of gravitas to his role as a key expositor of what has occurred, as well as being crucial in the creation of the anti- Zombie vehicle that is featured heavily in the film's second half.The film features a plentiful number of good action set pieces without being individually spectacular.
The idea of the van full of infected roaming around the countryside carrying on these experiments is a notably creepy idea to start with, and the various scenes showcased here offer up a great twist which is paid off with the later half involving the woman who's half-human, half-zombie that is given the especially powerful new powers of being able to control the creatures telepathically which has a lot of quality moments to like here.
Wyrmwood: Road Of The Dead on the other hand is an enjoyable to watch zombie movie.
I hadn't heard of this film when I watched it so had no expectations, but I'm glad I gave it a go as the cast and director have delivered a real treat.This is the story of Barry and his sister Brooke, battling Zombies and the military in the Australian Bush.It was only at the end I realised I had no real idea of why the zombies had arrived or why the military were acting the way they were, but this lack of exposition actually made the film a more enjoyable experience, leaving me to enjoy the visuals all the more.And for me the look and feel of this film is what makes it a cut above most other low budget zombie films out there.It owes a lot to mad Max in feel, but manages to be it's own story.One of my pet hates in Zombie films is wooden acting,but here the cast really deliver.
I liked the lead characters and wanted to know more.I'm not a fan of CGI effects when you can notice them and that was the case here with some of the blood but that is just a small thing and may have been down to budget and timeAll in all though this was a fun ride and I do hope we I get to see more of Barry and Brooke..
Filmed in the same way with wide angles and zoomed in and the explicit gore added this flick is indeed a flick for the gorehounds.After a while I had something like, okay, this I have seen before in this flick and the experiments at the lab are a bit weird but overall it's an excellent gory zombie flick.Gore 4/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5.
The story features elements of both comedy and horror, reminding me of "The Evil Dead" a bit, but it has its serious moments too.I read that it's the first movie from Director Roache-Turner and I hope to see more like that in the future.
But I had good memories from the last couple of Australian zombie movies that I have watched.Now having seen "Wyrmwood", I will say that it was entertaining and a rather unique movie in its own way.
(9/10) Suggestion: Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is one for the horror fans to enjoy especially if you like a zombie film.
Let me say first that even though i am an Aussie there are some Australian made movies out there that just don't meet the cut, so when it comes to Aussie movies i often wonder if they are going to be any good and only watch them after i read the reviews but i decided to see Wyrmwood as i like zombie flicks but wasn't expecting to much being an Aussie film but the movie actually surprised me.With zombies being all the rage now the genre is getting flogged to death and there are some that really bite (puns intended).Now, let's get one thing straight right off the bat; this movie doesn't attempt to break new ground, (although it does have some original ideas).
It kind of has the humor of evil dead 3 coupled with the feel of a mad max movie with a few original ideas incorporated in the film.
The ending of the film is left open for sequels to be made.I wont put spoilers in but i have to say don't judge it on the beginning when it switches between the events leading up to the main characters and what happened to them.Like i said ,don't try and judge it on other films as it is not a perfect film, but considering that it is an Australian zombie movie, with unknown actors and a low budget, ( from what i read about it after the money to make this film was deferred meaning that there is no payday for the actors until the movie is fully released & starts making money from ticket sales) I still highly recommend it for its humor, blood and gore factor and original ideas.
Like another reviewer said, it feels like it is made by people who clearly enjoyed playing with the genre and love the same movies that we do.Long story short; if you want massive budgets, OTT special effects and a-list actors, look elsewhere.
It seems like we can't get more than a week without hearing about a new TV series or film that has zombies in it these days, which for us horror genre fans is great news, but we all hope we don't see the same story and characters regurgitated with each new zombie project.That brings us to two sibling filmmakers Tristan and Kiah Roache-Turner, who are Australian filmmakers decide to make a zombie movie.
'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead' is a very good and highly entertaining zombie film.
It starts pretty well giving you the set up for each of the lead characters back stories but then shambles along much like every other zombie film you've ever seen.
"Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead" takes zombie movies to another level..