“Rock and roll is not over! Rock and roll never dies!”

Josh’s rating: “Hey mister, do you know Rock ‘n’ Roll?”

Josh’s review: At no point since its inception was rock and roll closer to death than the year 1999. The radio was packed with teenage pop stars with spiked-up hair, Santana had a number one song (but with Rob Thomas), and Springsteen hadn’t made an album with the E-Street Band in nearly 20 years. But there was hope because across the pond from the epicenter of the cold and calculating capitalist music machine that is the United States was (and still is) a band that’s very blood is liquid rock and roll.

I’m speaking, of course, of the eternal Guitar Wolf.

The rambunctious trio, comprised of Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf, and Drum Wolf, are idols to young wannabe rocker Ace (Masashi Endô). After a confrontation where Ace stands up for the good name of rock and roll and saving the very band he loves from a messy situation involving a sleazy club owner/manager, Guitar Wolf makes him a blood brother and bestows upon him a magic whistle that can summon Guitar Wolf in a time of dire need.

Captain (the owner/manager), played by Makoto Inamiya, vows revenge on the band and Ace goes on his merry way, unaware of how soon he’ll need to summon his defender. The rest of the tale is filled with zombies, aliens, gun play, personal reflection and growth, love, and more rock and roll.

Director Tetsuro Takeuchi has stuffed so many things into this movie it almost seems as if he feared he would never get to make another one. Not only are there multiple genres represented but multiple disciplines as well. The costuming game is strong as well as the pyrotechnics. The filmmakers experimented with creative shots and pacing with some level of success. One area that was lacking for me was the computer effects, but this could be chalked up to lack of funds and the early age of the technology. One shot I found particularly entertaining for no reason is a first person view of a VERY strong urine stream.

This film certainly is not lacking for characters, my favorite being the outrageous Captain. It’s amazing how his wigs change his overall look and the lack of one makes him look downright evil. Even if his character had no dialog, his confidence would still come across solely based on his outfits. I have never seen a man pull off booty shorts as well as this one. You cannot watch this movie and not root for Ace. He is a goofy dude who stumbles his way through the movie and you can tell he has a heart of gold. I genuinely wanted him to win the day and become a famous rock musician.

Tobio (Kwancharu Shitichai) is a sweet and innocent character who reveals a part of herself to Ace that is initially hard for him to accept. It is hard to watch her go through that rejection without thinking about the titular character’s plight at the beginning of Oliver & Company. The tune even works “So Tobio don’t be scared…”

The film has a message regarding love that comes out of left field — then again everything in this movie is coming from over there. “Love has no borders, nationalities, or genders!” Guitar Wolf screams at Ace and the audience who both need to hear it. I was genuinely surprised by this level of emotional maturity and acceptance, especially nestled in this setting from a movie made in 1999. It seemed like at that time the word “gay” was a punch line and the F-word appeared in films and music as if it was no big deal. The idea of a LGBTQ+ community being a “normal,” every-day part of life was not mainstream… you know, treating humans like humans, crazy. It is refreshing to know there were clear-minded humanists out there at the time.

That being said, this movie does have a trope for which I am not fond. It may not even be worth mentioning considering everything that happens, but when two characters fall in love after only knowing each other for a couple hours I can’t help but throw a mental yellow card.

I really enjoyed Wild Zero and can’t believe it avoided my eyeballs for so many years. This has everything I want in a movie, the most important ingredient being passion. Anyone can make a genre movie full of wacky creature and explosions but if the people making it aren’t having a great time doing it or don’t believe in what they are doing, it’ll fall flat. The passion for this film comes across plainly and I hope they can make another one some day because the world needs more Guitar Wolf.

Intermission!

• “Uncool. I bet he took his mama’s comb.”
• “Love has no borders, nationalities, or genders. That is what he told me. And he was right.”
• Must see Guitar Wolf live as soon as possible.