Movie Info
Movie Name: Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
Studio: Guerilla Films
Genre(s): Horror/Action
Release Date(s): September 19, 2014 (Fantastic Fest)/February 12, 2015
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Let’s kick flaming zombie ass!
Something in the air is causing people to turn into flesh-eating zombies after a meteor shower. Barry (Jay Gallagher) finds his family gone and in a desperate attempt to reach his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey). Barry hooks up with other survivors in an attempt to cross Australia, but the survivors discover whatever is turning people also has killed the flammability of fuel. There is only one fuel source now…the zombies themselves!
Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is often just called Wyrmwood (the original title). The Australian film premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2014 but wasn’t given a wide release until 2015. The movie received positive reviews.
There are tons of zombies survival movies on the market. Zombies were definitely the hot ticket when Wyrmwood was made and with each zombie movie there is a fight to distinguish the film from the rival films. Wyrmwood succeeds by taking a zombie movie and amping it up into an action film.
The Human Torch called and wants his gig back!
The story for Wyrmwood is quite crazy but has all the cliché zombie parts. They have the walking dead, military forces trying to capture survivors, and an end fight where the two plotlines meet. The movie doesn’t really distinguish itself in the film here. The idea of zombies having burning blood and the dead gas is original, but boiled down, Wyrmwood isn’t the most original zombie movie ever.
Where Wyrmwood does excel are the visuals. The movie was rightfully called by most “The Walking Dead meets Mad Max”. The film is on high octane and the cast of characters suits up in “armor” that is similar to something from The Road Warrior. If you take the visuals and combine them with the story, you do get something original. The clichés of the story become non-existent and you feel like you are watching a new type of zombie movie.
Don’t mess with my sister…
The cast is primarily new actors and they do a good job. Jay Gallagher leads the group as Barry but Leon Burchill is definitely the scene stealer as his co-survivor Benny. Barry’s sister is played by Biana Bradey and I wasn’t crazy about her storyline involving the mad doctor and the zombie control. It does propel the story forward, but it also feels like a real time filler.
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is definitely worth checking out. It is probably pretty niche on its viewership however and if you don’t like it in the first five minutes, you probably aren’t going to like the film as a whole. With the success of the film, a sequel to Wyrmwood is in the works so we might get to see Barry and Brooke ride again!
