31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
Wyrmwood: Road of the
Dead (2014)
Tonight's feature takes the grim and gritty zombie-vibe made
famous by the Walking Dead and says "Screw
that". It's the sort of zombie movie that throws all the typical
conventions at you before turning things completely on their severed head. Twists
and turns abound, as does a sense of manic energy.
This is the most fun I've had watching a zombie movie in
years.
Take the framework of an average zombie flick, then mix in equal
parts Mad Max: Fury Road and Evil Dead, and you'd have Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead.
The Plot:
One night in rural Australia, a
meteor shower passes overhead. It's effects on the world are varied, but most
notable is what it does to anyone of certain blood types. Zombie time. Before
long, the country is overrun with the undead, who as can be expected, hunger
for human flesh and infect whomever they don't fully devour.
Family man Barry is one of the few
spared the meteor's curse, though his wife and child are not so lucky.
Receiving a frantic call from his sister, also apparently immune, Barry heads
out into a zombie-invested outback to find her. He isn't alone for long.
So far, everything seems like standard-issue zombie territory. We've the
hero who's on a quest to save what little's left of their family, the rag-tag team
of misfit survivors met along the way, and the putting down of the undead via
bullets to the brain. But then things get interesting...
Remember how I said that meteor
shower had a few different effects? Well, aside from the zombie plague, it also
happened to render all fossil-fuels inert. That means no petrol-based product will burn. Cars are essentially 4-wheeled paperweights. That is,
they would be, if not for the fact that the zombies emit a gas that's highly
flammable.
What's more, Barry's sister has
been taken captive by a mad scientist, who seems insistent on learning more
about the zombie plague. His methods, sadly, involve experimentation on those
left alive, and Barry's sister just so happens to be next on his operating
table. But as I said earlier, things aren't so simple in the world of Wyrmwood, and the result of these experiments
make things very, very interesting for all involved.
Wow, it's hard to describe the
plot of Wyrmwood without giving
anything away. Let's just say I carefully fashioned the above paragraphs to
give you only the essential details. The rest you're better off discovering on
your own. You'll be happy you did.
The Flavor:
Wyrmwood, I'll
admit, took a few minutes to really hook me. The initial phase of the film hits
notes similar to many other zombie movies. Not bad, in fact the zombie action
is very well done, but it's the sort of thing we've seen many times before. But
good God, am I happy I stuck with the film, for once it got past the initial
setup, Wyrmwood began traveling in a
completed new and original direction.
Things get crazy in the most entertaining possible way. Wyrmwood functions with the sort of
fast-paced energy that's indicative of the best action movies. It's frenetic,
constantly bouncing around from scene to scene. Characters get moments to catch
their breath and reflect, but such moments are brief, for the zombie masses are
relentless. They also happen to be more active at night, another plot point
I'll let you discover the meaning behind yourself. While the undead are
designed no differently than you'd see in other zombie films, their aggression
borders on animalistic. As such, our heroes must respond in extreme ways. Time
to gear up.
Half the fun comes from the myriad of improvised armor,
weapons, and vehicular mayhem our heroes cook up to fight the undead. Paintball
equipment, fishing supplies, car parts, and other such assorted (and random)
instruments all come together to make some of the most zany, slapped-together
arsenals you've seen on film. But the results are indeed effective, not to
mention quirky and charming.
Speaking of which, the characters are an absolute blast. The
nonchalant way they go about these horrific events, concerned largely with the
celebratory beer afterwards, lends the film a distinctly sarcastic vibe. Barry is
the sort of tragic hero who rises to the occasion into a badass. His sister
Brooke is the farthest thing imaginable from a damsel. Her character arc and
ultimate fate not only make for the film's best moments, but also take it into entirely new directions with unexplored potential.
Toss in a funny, sadistic mad-scientist villain and a group
of slacker-style sidekicks, and Wyrmwood
makes for an incredible entertaining zombie ride.
Best Paired With:
Be you a zombie fan or no, Wyrmwood needs to be watched this Halloween. While I love The Walking Dead and all the pathos it
crams into each episode (and book, for our graphic novel fans), the crazy,
balls-to-the-wall pace of Wyrmwood
was like a zombified breath of fetid air to the genre, an injection of pure
fun.
Brew:
Zombie-themed brews are not as tough to find as you might think...
Brewery:
Narragansett
Where
Brewed: Rochester, NY
ABV:
6.5%
Style:
Helles Lager
It figures, mere days after
posting my Reanimator review, I
discover a beer that's a direct reference to the source material, Lovecraft and
all.
Oh well, while not
Lovecraft-related, Wyrmwood shares
many of the same crazy notes that made the film Reanimator so memorable.
Color: Reanimator
thankfully eschews the glowing-green of the resurrecting potion. This brew casts
a golden glow, looking like something you'd dive into in the heat of summer
moreso than Fall.
Aroma: Crisp, citrus
hops play across the nose with each sniff. The malt presence is there, too, but
it's clear that Reanimator has a hop-kick on the mind (or should I say
braiiinnnnsss), moreso than it's concerned with malty sweetness.
Taste: As a bock, a style of lager known for more of an alcohol-bite than its more refreshing, lighter brethren, Reanimator does not
disappoint. Your initial taste will be of mild, crisp malt, but it isn't long
into before the stronger, sharper tones of the higher ABV spike into
the tongue. This flavor combines with,
and works to amplify, the beer's hop-factor.
The hop bite appears at about the midpoint of each taste,
springing forward off the center of the tongue. I'm reminded almost of a
West-coast style IPA here, as the hop presence features notes of bitter citrus,
like grapefruit. A slight sweetness carries its way into the later-half of each
sip, but it's the sharper sort noted above, a nod to the beer's heightened
potency.
Aftertaste: The bitterness of the hops are strong in the
primary taste, but it's the citrus character that hangs onto the tongue for the
aftertaste. The bitterness largely fades, leaving the more subtle hop flavors
on the tongue. With the bitterness receding, some of the maltier flavors
reappear, almost resurrected on the palate.
Body: Though Reanimator kicks like a ram (in German, 'Bock'
means ram, a nod to the higher alcohol and subsequent kick the beer provides),
it's easy to underestimate the brew due to its lightner body. Reanimator has the sort of light-to-medium body that'd go well with warmer
weather, but as such, is easy enough to drink in large amount without paying
heed to the stronger ABV. Keep in mind that this brew is about 1.5x more potent
than the usual lager.
Pair: Though we're well into Fall, Reanimator's making me
crave BBQ. The hoppy profile of the brew would pair wonderfully with the
savory/sweet combo of ribs and brisket.
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