Sadly Over-hyped

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Among the wildest, weirdest and most creative filmmaking countries are the Japanese. I love the strange and very funny films I have often seen from this movie-making juggernaut. Sure, they have made a lot of sophisticated and artsy film by the likes of Ozu and Kurosawa...but they also have brought us films like "Happiness of the Katauris" as well as the ultra-weird films of Minoru Kawasaki. "Happiness of the Katakuris" is a hilarious zombie musical from Takashi Miike...possibly my favorite Japanese comedy. As for Kawasaki, his films got far beyond this in strangeness...such as "Executive Koala" in which the leading character is played by a guy in a koala suit, "Rug Cop" which is about a toupee wearing cop whose wig actually has a mind of its own as well as "Calamari Wrestler"...about a pro wrestler who is a giant squid!!! So, it's not at all surprising that I would get a copy of "Tokyo Zombie"...a comedy zombie film from Sakichi Satô. Apparently it's based on a manga series...though I know nothing more about this.The film begins with two complete idiots, Micchan and Fujio, practicing (very badly) their martial arts instead of working. The boss catches them and is very angry...and attacks Micchan. To stop him, Fujio smashes the boss in the head with a fire extinguisher and the pair then take the jerky boss to 'Black Mount Fuji"....a giant mountain of garbage outside Tokyo. It seems that LOTS of murdered folks have been buried there...and soon after they plant the boss, the dead all start coming to life and do what comes natural to zombies...try to feast on the living. During this period, Micchan is bitten and jumps supposedly to his death--leaving Fujio with a really nasty lady he inexplicably takes care of through the rest of the film.The story then jumps ahead five years. It seems that within Tokyo, the rich scum have set up a compound and they keep out the zombies...or at least most of them. They do bring in some to have them fight in an arena against various poor people who the rich have enslaved. One of them is Fujio and the awful rich women who come to the games hate him as he's too good and his fights only last a few seconds. So, the man running the games brings everyone a surprise...zombie Micchan!! What's next? See the film and learn who prevails in this battle of the titans...or at least two crappy jujitsu practitioners.Based on the description, the story sounds incredibly strange and right up my alley, right? Well, yes...and no. The problem is that while there are many funny story elements the film also has many slow spots and some of the characters (especially Fujio's wife) make little sense and the story seems almost as if they're winging it. Also, some of the acting and special effects have an incredibly cheap quality about them. If you are a patient person and don't mind the lulls, the story is worth seeing. But I cannot help that perhaps it could have been a lot better.

I really enjoyed this movie. It has a very offbeat comedy that left me in stitches. I happened to rent it randomly from a video store one night, based on it's outer packaging and the line from a critic hailing it as "the Japanese Shaun of the Dead". I was so smitten by the movie that I ended up buying it for myself later. I recommend this if you're already a fan of Japanese Cinema. Especially anime or manga. The comedy is so hilariously off the wall and it's probably different from what we would get here in the States. I will preface the rest of my review with the caveat that I am definitely NOT a horror movie fan. At least not regularly. I watched this movie because I thought I would find it funny, and I did. A lot of other people that I showed it to didn't seem to share my sentiment. haha I don't know why. Many seemed to just find it weird/boring maybe but I found it hilarious. It definitely does have a distinct style and that may be off putting for those who can't get with it. I highly recommend it though and I think it is a very unique and quirky hilarious movie with some of my favorite and most interesting moments in cinema watching. The extras on the DVD are really worth it too.A little about the plot..the film follows the exploits of two Japanese mechanics in Tokyo who are trying to survive a Zombie outbreak. Oh and also they are Jujitsu practitioners. It's so funny seeing Tadanobu Asano trying to Jujitsu a Zombie. They travel through the country on a plan to escape to Russia. Needless to say, they face some obstacles along the way. This is a really quirky and frankly hilarious end of the world tale. It is a little bit long and the pacing and way the story develops may not be what some are used to, but I think if you're a fan of comic books (especially alternative ones), you like manga/anime, or Japanese movies, then you will find this movie as fun as I did. Also there are so many little things in the movie to notice that it definitely rewards repeated viewings. Like a certain snack that keeps reappearing. Also if you are a fan of JuJitsu you will appreciate that aspect as it is represented in the movie. If you get a chance watch the extras because it's really fascinating to see the interview with original creator of the comic that his movie is based on and how he himself is a jujitsu practitioner and incorporated it into his story, and how hard the actors worked to actually learn the right way to perform the moves.Overall to me Tokyo Zombie is a really funny movie and it's well worth checking out. Give it a chance! Keep in mind that it is a bit "different" but if you stick with it, you will be rewarded by a unique experience that may just have you yearning for more....brains!

A great fun watch. Two workers who prefer to spend their time training in jujitsu accidentally kill their boss and bury him on Black Fuji, an enormous pile of rubbish. There are some great scenes on Black Fuji with the young couple burying the mother of the boy while she continues to call the girlfriend a tart. When the girlfriend soccer kicks her head off the mother still yells abuse. This sets the tone for the whole movie. Our unlikely heroes are afro-ed and bald and spend a lot of time wrestling with each other. When the zombies attack the main motto is "head north to Russia and become a man". American is dissed and maybe that's why Americans haven't taken to this excellent cult manga film. It's not overly violent and has lots of humour.

Fujio (Tadanobu Asano) and Mitsuo (Sho Aikawa) spend their free time wrestling. Their boss interrupts one day and starts yelling at them. After an apparent heart attack, them dump him on the Black Fuji, a mountain of trash that contains everything - including bodies.The chemicals in the mountain cause the dead to rise, and now Tokyo has some real problems.You might think that writer/director Sakichi Satô would give us another Ichi the Killer, but you would be wrong. The blood is minimal. This is a comedy. There are a lot of people losing their heads, but no little gore.The good thing is that they are real zombies, and you can outrun them.After five years, Tokyo is completely zombified. Fujio is stuck with Yoko (Erika Okuda), a girl Mitsuo saved before he was bitten, and those that are not zombies are slaves for the rich.Things do get really funny at the end, and a little crazy, too.I just wish they wouldn't have repeatedly used the "R" word.