Wormwood: Road of the Dead, 2014

 

  

    Jumping right into the action with a zombie attack in full effect, we meet a small group of survivors holed up in a garage out in remote Australia. There is no time to get to know our protagonists except through them telling one another how they got there, with the backstories themselves being action packed. One of the men explains how he needs to rescue his sister, and they agree to armor themselves and retrieve a pickup.

The guys ‘Mad Max’-up a Toyota Hilux with tubular steel, a cage in the back, and even a harpoon gun on top. It’s fairly cool. There seems to be an issue with fuel, and through trial, error, and accident, a solution is found, (one that explains why zombies are fast at night and slow during the day!)

So, armored, vehicled, and ready to rumble, they begin their rescue mission. They believe the sister, Brooke, is holed up in a studio/shed under attack by zombies, but in reality, she has been captured by these paramilitary types who are working with a sadistic scientist type who is a right evil bastard.

The two groups encounter one another, and we learn that people with the blood type A- seem to be immune from the virus. The two factions clash. Our boys evade and are pursued. And even more action ensues!

The sister, Brooke, at this point, has revealed a skill of her own. She apparently can control the zombies with her mind to some extent. She attempts to escape captivity and her experimental treatment this way.

    How did she develop this ability? It isn’t really said. Perhaps through the stuff Dr. Evil was giving her? And for how long was this guy doing these things? Didn’t the Z’apocalypse, like, JUST start? 

Don’t over think it. Simply a plot devices. Accept it, and move on. You’ll be able to enjoy the movie that way. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is an action film. One with zombies, elements of horror, and humor, sure. But the ‘Action’ section is where this was filed!

The zombies, with the exception of nocturnal sprinting abilities, were for the most part  Romeros. Dead, flesh-eating, contagious, and stopped only by trashing the brain. They did screech like angry animals, though. So, 'mostly Romeros.'

Acting was convincing by both living and dead, and zombie make-up was decent. Characters were believable, and engaging, and for the most part, likable. This last part was unfortunate as Wyrmwood would kill off a character without warning. Sometimes sadly, sometimes humorously. But no one was safe!

I found this to be an enjoyable Zombie movie, and despite the questionable logic, a welcome and refreshing entry into the genre. Held up to the ZMR for a more objective rating and Wyrmwood scored itself a 2.88 points out of a potential 4.0! While this definitely translates to a recommendation, a caveat is needed: The is a certain suspension of logic required now and then. Go into this open-mindedly and you're in for a helluva ride!

YouTube has a few decent vids on it. Here is a trailer: WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD