Title – Wyrmwood: Apocalypse (2021)

Director – Kiah Roache-Turner (Nekrotronic) 

Cast – Luke McKenzie, Bianca Bradey, Jay Gallagher, Shantae Barnes-Cowan

Plot – A continuation of the zombie infested Australian apocalypse saga that follows the exploits of brother and sister Brooke (Bradey) and Barry (Gallagher) as the two get caught up in a dangerous game of experimentation and dastardly deeds. 

“If she’s a key to the cure, I want to know” 

Review by Eddie on 16/05/2022

An Australian hybrid that mixed Mad Max vibes with the zombie apocalypse, 2014 passion project for the Roache-Turner brothers Kiah and Tristan Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead was a nice cult surprise for local and international audiences that bought a frenetic energy and truckloads of ideas to the overused zombie sub-genre that also showcased what could be done with a low-budget but a lot of excitable people behind the scenes willing to push themselves to achieve results that transcend the monetary constraints that can kill a film before it ever really had a chance to live. 

Fast-forward 7 years later and the Roache-Turner brothers are back, bigger and perhaps not better than before but once more keen to provide Wyrmwood fans more of the same as brother and sister duo Brooke and Barry return to a zombie plagued Australian outback landscape, fighting zombies, crazed survivors and questionable doctors in a plot that is worth very little consideration around the films impressive sets, set-pieces, zombie violence and vehicular mayhem. 

Sticking very close to the rule book they wrote with the first Wyrmwood outing, Apocalypse (finding a unique sub-heading arguably not a strong aspect of the creative team) is going to give any fans of the first film exactly what they would be wanting on their return to this world the Roache-Turner brothers have created as blood, guts, petrol and cuss-filled dialogue comes thick and fast as Brooke and Barry run into a whole new collation of characters that range from the deranged to the outright crazed. 

Rarely taking a moments pause as Kiah Roache-Turner kicks things off with a bang with Brooke and Barry finding themselves in a precarious situation following the events of Road of the Dead, Apocalypse is far from a nuanced cinematic exercise but there’s little denying that there’s a lot of good dumb fun to be had from an Australian genre outing that is happy to embrace what it is and who its for and run headfirst into its proceedings with a carefree abandon that allows the audience to come along for the ride with little regrets should they choose to get on board for is on offer. 

Not as surprising or unique as its 2014 big brother, Apocalypse does suffer slightly from a feeling as though we are merely retreading previously zombie shuffled ground and the films characters don’t get a lot of moments to shine in amongst all the blood and fumes but if the Roache-Turner’s were to once more return to the world they created and finish off a trilogy that seems destined to come to fruition, I’m sure their will be many local and far away viewers that will be keen to dive in for more Aussie zombie action. 

Final Say – 

Unlikely to convert anyone that didn’t enjoy the first instalment, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse offers more of the same which is both good and bad as the Roache-Turner’s go for broke once more enjoying the zombie wasteland of Australia. 

3 suspect surgeons out of 5