Sequels are always a tricky thing. On the one hand you have a built-in audience that liked the first film and are eager for more, and on the other hand are people who missed the first film completely. This leaves filmmakers with two choices: either create a film that continues the essence or legacy of the original (such as Aliens or Terminator 2: Judgement Day) without the direct need for having seen what came before; or alternatively, they can dial the first film up to eleven and create something that only the initiated will be able to follow. The latter option is the one that director Kiah Roache-Turner has chosen for Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, a follow-up to his 2014 film, Wyrmwood.
Set within an alternative version of Australia that has been ravaged by a zombie apocalypse, soldier Rhys (Luke McKenzie) dedicates his days to tracking down and capturing infected people for the Surgeon (Nicholas Boshier). His hope is that the Surgeon may be able to find a cure for the plague. After realising that the Surgeon’s mission isn’t as clear cut as he thought, Rhys finds himself teamed up with a group of outliers in a race against time to save the one person who could be the key to ending the waking nightmare once and for all.
Those without a knowledge of the first Wyrmwood are going to find it hard to break into its sequel. Kiah Roache-Turner and co-writer Tristan Roache-Turner don’t waste any of their time trying to help those unfamiliar with the fictitious world that they created catch up. Right from the opening, those new to the series will be on the backfoot, the action jumping right back in with characters established previously, with no hint that they should be a known component. Spoon-feeding the audience, holding people’s hands, and helping them uncover stories, isn’t a necessary thing; however, gate-keeping information from the audience continues for the rest of the movie and induces plenty of brain-ache.
With little-to-no time spent catching the newbies up, or refreshing the memories of the existing fans, the way is paved for Wyrmwood: Apocalypse to jump headfirst into the action. Once running, the pace rattles along at a breakneck speed. The issue here is that Roache-Turner goes so hard on the throttle that there’s little time for anything outside of action set-pieces. With such a heavy focus on keeping the momentum pushing forward, everything else falls by the wayside, the end result being a film that just stumbles from one scene to the next, without much to connect them.
Fans who are familiar with the original Wyrmwood will find much more of the same in Wyrmwood: Apocalypse. Roache-Turner sticks closely to the formula that made his first film a cult success, blending action and a little dash of humour to create a new entry into the zombie movie catalogue. There are returning characters, familiar faces (not necessarily playing the same roles), and a whole heap of zombie-fueled carnage.
Exactly the sequel that fans of the first Wyrmwood will have been hoping for: an expansion of the story and universe to encompass a bigger scope. The (massive) downside is how hard those unfamiliar with the world will have to drill to unearth vital details to what is actually going on.
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse
Summary
With a distinct lack of exposition, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse ends up a muddle of white noise.
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse was reviewed at FrightFest Glasgow 2022. Wyrmwood: Apocalypse will get its home ent. release from 101 Films in May 2022.
