Johnny Z is a horror-action feature film that was released in the year 2023 under the direction of Jonathan Straiton. Set in a post-apocalyptic world with hordes of zombies, where an insidious company makes money off the bitten, selling a serum that requires weekly doses to maintain their humanity. A half-human half-zombie test subject escapes the facility and is saved by a martial arts master, Jonray. After ample training, the zombie dubbed Johnny Z goes on a quest to destroy the corporation that did this to him.
Quick disclaimer: I am a big fan of bad movies. And by bad, I mean the most enjoyable of all films. As an advocate of low budget, terrible acting, atrocious costumes, ‘my friends forced me to do this vibes, horrible dialogue, ridiculous story arcs, ten-minute long wrestling scenes, and everything that gives you the “What the hell?” feeling, I could never find the best of the worst boring. The word “bad” has never been compelling, and to me, making what people call “good bad” movies requires a lot of heart, creativity, and effort.
You are completely free to leave if this bores you because it is not meant to attract you in any case. (Aubry strikes the door as they leave) Alright, for everyone who is still here, here are three words for you zombie karate training montage Johnny Z captures so much heart, silliness, and martial arts which is entertaining in every aspect. The story begins to unfold halfway during Z’s escape and from the word go, we all know what we are getting into. The escape sequence is smart in that the entire audience doesn’t witness Z escaping; instead, we watch as the baddies slowly come to realize they have been deceived. The fight scene, lighting, and camerawork together were incredibly impressive. It showed they knew what to do with the resources they had. At this moment, I thought Oh man, this might be quite good. Then the main baddie spoke and I realized what lay ahead was simple, campy fun, but I could not wait.
This is one of those delightful combinations of a technically well-executed film blended with bizarre characters and nonsensical dialogues which, without a doubt, does not take itself seriously. You display an astounding depth of performance spanning from This guy is great to “This guy must be the friend of the director.” Dialogue that is awkwardly out-of-character is performed with exaggerated enthusiasm in one scene and then next sequence, you are actually convinced by the character’s struggle sometimes both are even within the same scene. Right at the start, we are introduced to our main villain, a fur coat-wearing Frank who is head of the facility and speaks with an accent that seems to be inexorably between Russian and Belgium. I legitimately had absolutely no clue what it was supposed to be by the end of the film. Not long after we meet Jonray, who seems to be the main character of the story as the driving emotional plot is all about him, and believe me, he is in the frame for a lot more than Z. That is completely fine! Because Jonray is a badass, and I loved him!
Jonray is played by Felix Cortes, a stuntman and stunt coordinator, who adds true male action hero vibes with some brilliantly kickass martial arts moves.
It is hard to believe that some movies spend 100 times the budget of Johnny Z and still do not reach this level of fight choreography. As the story goes ahead, Jonray is portrayed as an isolated wolf trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world while lashing out at the zombies that roam around. When a scientist pleads for Jonray to take Z with him, the warrior reluctantly accepts and takes him to his corrupted farmhouse where he lives with his brother Crisanto. Think of a raging alcoholic Kevin Smith and you can almost picture what Crisanto is like he’s a character through and through, demonstrating maximum campiness. Z is later renamed Johnny Z by Jonray. We are introduced to him in the same scene where he first removes his street cyberpunk mask exposing his face. It is the only time we see him without a mask.
Even though the namesake of the film has little screen time and doesn’t say a word, it’s rather pleasing to watch him. (Oh no, is that the signature horror heartthrob coming in later?) Michael Merchant captures the character of Johnny Z perfectly. His exceptional blend of martial arts and comedic acting makes the character come to life. Z’s movement often feels inhuman. He embodies the unnatural flinching of more terrifying zombie films like 28 Days Later (2002) and World War Z (2013). There’s something wrong with his body, but he’s fast and purposeful. The character does exhibit a childish sense of mischief though, escaping his cage just to return while displaying a calm sense of curiosity while later mimicking Crisanto and Jonray. He shrugs his shoulders in indifference, cocks his head in curious wonder, and even throws things around in a tantrum to demonstrate his dissatisfaction.
Standing at the edge, Jonray defends his greatest trauma while trying to reenact the fight he lost. In his head, he tries to figure out if he could have won the fight by being more active and efficient. While performing techniques, Jonray Z notices Johnny Z execute the moves accurately and decides to make him his student. To teach him. A zombie. While training. I love this film. It’s ridiculous, but entertaining at the same time. Training martial arts to a zombie through a classic montage sequence. (Aubry approaches and opens the door he previously slammed on the others. “Are you sure you don’t want to come back in?!”) And the martial arts are on point, I mean on point. While he gradually comes into Z’s focus, Johnny Z loses his temper. The bad guys are bound to step on a hornet’s nest and the moment we hear Z’s furious zombie roar separates the good from the fun. Regrettably, it happens too late.
When Z finally sets off on his gory, revenge spree, he resembles a mythical zombie dressed in Japanese streetwear, wielding a kukri. He is a tall sculpted figure and as he glides toward the enemies, it is a delight for us violent film enthusiasts. He takes them down in a stylistic manner. There were way too many scenes where I wanted to cheer. He reminds me of a zombie version of John Wick. While I enjoyed Jonray, I wish the movie was more like this: a relentless action film with Johnny Z at the forefront, combining martial arts action film and zombies. That was one of my favorite anti-heroes, and the way he lets out that first guttural cry of anguish is just iconic. It makes me think how awesome it would be to have someone like him on your side. New horror boyfriend? I think so. What more could a girl wish for? He is simply adorable yet deadly.
The film wraps up with a perfect cue for the sequel, so there is a chance I might be able to see my new boyfriend partnered up. Imagine a start to finish zombie hero bashing baddies film that Johnny Z failed to be?
Though it suffers from some pacing issues, it is overall another great addition to low-budget films. Johnny Z is a great film to sit down with friends to enjoy a heartwarming yet goofy low-budget movie. For those who seek a “good bad” movie filled with camp content, Johnny Z is the film for you.
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