User Reviews

First, let me say this first - I read the manga this movie was based upon.

This movie depicted the manga beautifully. The zombies were scary,as they should. You could feel how dangerous they are, which is very important in zombie films & shows. If you can't feel danger from the zombies in the film, that film probably has bad characters.

The cgi was beautiful. It looked real and not heavily cgi'd. The ending was awesome.

Watch it. You won't regret it.

I Am A Hero is a Japanese Horror MangaThriller directed by Shinsuke Yoto which is fresh in its appearance, narration, action and performances. Film revolves around a manga artist Hideo Suzuki who is struggling throughout and is leading an unsuccessful life encounters zombies which was a result of outbreak meets Hiromi, a teenaged school girl and their survival forms the crux of the story. Brilliant direction, omitted 99% of the clichés in the zombie movies. Absolutely brilliant action, graphics, the performances of the junior artists (Zombies) makes this movie a beautiful, engaging horror thriller. This movie has got the comedy, action, thrills, emotional quotients and mesmerizing acting by the lead actors. The music and background score was absolutely brilliant. A gem added to the zombie list. Don't miss this.. My rating 8.2 on 10

For the past few months, I have been hearing praises for "Train to Busan", South Korea's contribution to the zombie/undead genre. After watching it, I was left unimpressed, as it was a bit too tame for my personal tastes. I sought something more graphic, gory, and indicative of a more adult take on the genre. Fast forward to two hours ago, having finished I AM A HERO, and I am still giddy with excitement. The film is impressive in almost every conceivable way; As a film based on a well-respected manga, I did not expect much from the movie. Usually, movies made from manga reflect a very sophomoric take on the story, to appease more "sensitive" audiences. This film, however, goes all out with the blood and gore, and keeps all of the useless stuff (sex, romantic interests, comedy) to a minimum.

The directorial style is indicative of an understanding in how to perfectly translate manga to film, the cinematography is impressively nuanced and clear in its presentation, and the acting is superb all around. The real stand out, however, are the special effects. Every single instance of a head exploding, an arm being ripped off, and blood spewing from an open wound is handled with so much love and care, that even Hollywood films could learn a thing or two about being restrained with showcasing blood and gore, but when something is shown, it should be done with this much knowledge and skill in the craft.

I was thoroughly engrossed with how the story transpired, and I was happy with the lack of romantic interest in favor of creating a story about an ordinary guy thrust into a very extraordinary situation. For anyone with a more discerning horror/action/comedy palette, give this film a watch. I guarantee that it will satisfy even the most ardent of gore hound, while still appeasing the average movie fan. Overall, the best Japanese film (outside of anime) I have seen all year. I offer a very enthusiastic recommendation.

If you are a big zombie film fan, this should be your next flick to check it out. This is a Japanese live-action film adapted from the manga series of the same name. I am not saying it was the best zombie film ever, or the decade or even the year, but surely a better film compared to the recent ones. First of all the story is same as most of the same themed films, that the zombie outbreak brings chaos everywhere, and followed by the survival game. The difference in here was the characters and some of the great scenes that lifted the film up.

Hideo, also pronounced as Hero is a 'best newcomer' manga artist award winner a few years back. Now in his 30s looking for a breakthrough in his career. But after receiving a backlash when his book was denied to publish and followed by break up with his girlfriend, he begins to witness a series of strange events around him. While the entire city turned into madness, he and a random school girl join the hands to escape from the horror. So their journey begins to nowhere, but be safe. Later a couple of twists come into play and brings an end to the narration.

The script was not praiseworthy, but the filmmaking was, including the performances. The actors had given their best shots. The scenes involving the conflict between humans and zombies were carved so awesomely. Being a film fanatic, I'm used to this kind of themes, so none of these flicks can scare me. Not just the sci-fi horror films, but also the supernatural horrors. That's a drawback. But if I was a normal guy or a little kid, this film would have been in a different league. Still, I enjoyed it. Because overall film offered me a great entertainment.

"What you seek isn't dream anymore! It's delusion. Only a small, special group of people can achieve success."

I don't understand the Japanese, except a few simple words, but from my observation, they never mentioned the word 'zombie'. They called it by the virus that caused it, ZQN. I don't know what those alphabets stand for, but all I got was the word 'Zokyun'. The equivalent English word is 'bang', like a sudden sharp thud sound. Anyway, coming to the film, the characters are unpredictable. You can't trust anyone of them, except our lead guy. Not just because of the infection, but their intentions, more like it is about survival of the fittest. I mean like usual, the man's weakness, power hungry.

After Hideo, the school girl Hiromi is the next in the lead, but there's nothing much to expect from her. They kept that role very mysterious, that I was looking for an explanation which never came. That was really disappointing, but it also mean a hint of a possible sequel. I hope they make one, after all this film was received so well. The details in the film were very impressive, even the small ones. Not just they focused the human characters, they have given strength to zombies to strike the survived human ruthlessly, but uniquely like an athlete. So basically, no traditional zombie theory was followed. They bent the rules to make it a unique product, as well as to entertain the viewers, mostly funnily.

Shot in the fine places, especially in the second half. This film redefined the zombie film from those days before the evolution of superheroes and space-age flicks. It was a perfect mix of comedy, action and thriller. But I laughed surely better than those recent full length comedy flicks that had best comedians. This is not a remake material, so I'm not expecting the west to do that. Like I always say, whatever world film I watch, I'm happy to end up in a Japanese or a French film. It was a bit long, worth it though. I am not overwhelmed and blindly recommending it, but this film was really good, particularly if you like black comedy, sort of.

7/10

Struggling manga artist Hideo Suzuki (Yô Ôizumi) finds himself fighting for survival during a zombie outbreak.

For those who felt that Korean zombie flick Train to Busan was just a little too tame when it came to the blood and guts, here is another recent Asian zombie film (this one hailing from Japan) that should more than satisfy any viewer's blood-lust. The middle third might be a tad dry, as protagonist Hideo and schoolgirl Hiromi (Kasumi Arimura) attempt to integrate with a group of survivors at a shopping outlet, but the rest of the film is gloriously gory, the finale in particular featuring more exploding heads than I could keep track of, the titular hero more than proving his worth with a shotgun. However, it's not just the gore that makes this one so much fun…

The basic structure of I Am A Hero is much like any other regular zombie film: first there is the chaotic outbreak, then there is the desperate struggle for survival, and finally the all-out onslaught of the undead as barriers fall and the zombies wreak havoc. But the familiarity of the basic set-up matters not: director Shinsuke Sato keeps things moving along at a cracking pace, the cast is perfect, and the editing stylish without being too showy. The zombies are also very memorable, looking suitable yucky with their cloudy eyes and nasty complexion, and repeatedly speaking phrases that they would have said before death. CGI is used for much of the carnage, but it's good CGI, which makes all the difference.

Like Train to Busan, the film is perhaps a little longer than necessary, but even at just over two hours, I highly recommend I Am A Hero to fans of the genre. This is one of the good ones! 8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.

For so long we only have English zombies and Chinese zombies, then this year we got our first Korean zombies and now we welcome the first appearance of Japanese zombies. The zombie apocalypse genre is excessively tried and tired. How Japan, having some of the most crowded cities in the world, hasn't gotten into the act is one mystifying mystery. Shinsuke Sato, adapting Kengo Hanazawa's massively popular manga of the same name, understands the source material and totally transpose the addictive page-turning frenzy onto the cinematic medium. This is one crackerjack of a movie and if you have to force me to make decision, I would choose to watch this again over Train to Busan.

Hideo Suzuki (Yô Ôizumi) is a manga artist still twiddling along long after his sell-by date. He lives with his wife who is tired of waiting for Hideo to score his first success at serialising his comic. Every night Hideo draws and stares at his self-made post-it notes of encouragement - "you rock" and "one day a street will be named after you". If that doesn't work, he will take out his shotgun for skeet shooting and pose in front of a full length mirror. He only stops short at muttering the infamous words of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. One night he is thrown out of the house and all hell breaks loose. Together with the quintessential school girl (Kasumi Arimura) in short skirt, they go on to Mt Fuji for safety because they read in one urgent posting on the internet - zombies can't survive in high altitude.

The moment the zombie epidemic starts, I am a Hero careens into one giddy blood- soaked adrenaline rush. The film doesn't push the zombie genre to new directions, but it takes the established tropes and gives it a fresh twist and out comes one sicko and satisfying monster-tainer. I love the opening establishing and main character building scenes - Hideo represents the typical male gazer, your favourite type of loser. His name notwithstanding, you know you will be watching an extreme character arc of a loser becoming a hero. How many times have you seen that in a zombie film? He is a pacifist in a cutthroat world of running zombies. How long can he stay that way in this world? Pretty long, I have to say. When the heroic moment finally arrives, and he steps up to the plate, a big smile was plastered on my face.

How else did the movie remixed the zombie tropes? Imagine zombies moving and gesticulating in Sadako (Ringu) style; zombies retaining one memory from their lifetime or a muscle memory that they repeat and repeat till someone blasts their brains out. I had a good laugh at one zombie muttering he is a taxi-driver who has won many awards for never being involved in any accident and for being the most courteous driver, and of course you know what happens next. The dark humour is just awesome. Some of them skewers the working class system and I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the absurdity of it all. In fact, I think I was the first one who started giggling. Then my wife caught the cue. Before long the audience in my section was laughing away. The dark humour was spot-on perfect and it works because you recognise the plight of the working class.

The visual effects are stellar - blackening veins, clouding eye-balls and gristly cracking noises. They move and contort like crabs and insects, which gave me the creeps. This is zombies J-pop horror style. The mass chaos on the city streets is superbly shot. Imagine people coming from all directions and you are not sure who are the infected until they get nearer. One particular action sequence on a highway is an adrenaline rush.

The middle act slows down a fair bit as Hideo and the girl reach a duty free mall at the foot of Mt Fuji. I am guessing that some of you who are true zombie aficionados would at this point cry "George Romero's Dawn of the Dead" - my respect to you if you did. But watch how the film puts a Lord of the Flies twist to it and this act comes up smelling like roses. I also love how Hideo's gun serves as a metaphor of his evolvement from zero to hero.

The film's narrative may feel familiar and a little long, but it is still one helluva inventive monster ride and Hideo is a wonderfully drawn character that will slowly but surely capture your imagination. The movie shamelessly sets itself up for a sequel but I can tell you I am so looking forward to another gore fest.

It's not a good movie. I think it will find a fan base in people who are obsessed with Japanese culture, but it's not a good product.

I love zombie movies, but this one just has zombies to illustrate that the lead is useless. And he sure is! Basically all scenes that happen happen because zombies attack him. They all end with someone saving his life or him getting lucky because some random thing happens and saves his life - repeat 100 times over. There are even several scenes where just saying something to a person would have saved their life, or hero doesn't even do that. The only really proactive scene he has where he does something proactive to save the day is at the very end where he freaks out and uses his shotgun for the first time. Then uses it 100 times more in the same scene. For like 10 minutes in a row.

There is maybe plot enough here for 30-40 minutes. And even then you would have to completely rewrite all the characters so that they would do something and try to achieve some goal. Any goal.

Disgusting zombies running after losers for 2 hours and the losers getting randomly lucky in every scene gets boring really fast. There is no likeable character here and I'm not even sure what any of the characters in the movie really wanted. The bad guy wanted to... lead? The protagonist wanted to... use his shotgun? Not really as he didn't use it when he should have. We know he would survive anyhow just be shear luck. So it didn't matter anyhow. There are also many scenes where people just stand around and watch zombies run or walk towards them. Why all characters do this in this movie I don't know. I guess the director didn't really know what he was doing.

I saw this movie at the Stockholm International Filmfest. today and I really enjoyed it.

If I had to sum it up in a brief sentence i'd say it's as if the guy who wrote the "The Walking Dead" comic had written a Shaun of the Dead comic, and they made a movie out of that (I haven't read the manga this film is based on, but I assume that's more or less what it is).

It looks pretty expensive and has good effects and action, it's very well directed and acted, making the aesthetic of the film really paint its own manga-inspired universe.

The parts I didn't like is whenever it attempts to do somewhat serious drama, when it does it just seems entirely tone-deaf and alien. I'd give this movie a 3/5 and if they skipped the 20% of attempted drama and replace it with more over-the-top zombie comedy/action it'd be a 4/5.

I'd recommend this movie to most people and for zombie/nerd culture fans it's a must-see and likely a cult classic.

Just as Ringu was a social metaphor of its times, I am a Hero stabs post 3/11 Japan, after earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdown stripped it of the comfort it took for granted and threw it out into a world where things stopped making sense. The movie follows the average near jobless modern Japanese thirty something's journey through a disheveled society deprived of the civilities his preceding generations have taken for granted where he is left with the ultimate choice to adapt or die.

I am a Hero is my favorite zombie movie next to Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland!! It hacks the manga it's based on and blends it into a movie satisfyingly. A lot of character development goes through the window, but enough is left to make you imagine the rest. Half the staff is Korean whom we can thank for the superior effects, and the script is surprisingly tight for a Japanese production of this budget. Blood flows by the gallon, it has the best panic scene I've seen in any disaster movie, and the ZQN (zombies) are the scariest thing that's been put to film to date because they retain their former selves. None of the cast lets the film down. My sole complaint is an unimaginative crucial scene which feels more metaphorical than physical--removing some of the immediate threat I wished it would convey, but it is a mere skipped beat in a heart pounding sequence which still concludes with a powerful image. If you are familiar with the original work, I must tell you to stay away from the manga till you see the movie though, some of the stuff left out might be harder to swallow with a fresh memory. The movie keeps the main character's imagination, but leaves out the supernatural beyond the early ZQNs--it focuses on the early books, allowing it to stand alone as a zombie movie.

"I am a Hero" was a movie that just came out of nowhere and would have slipped past me unnoticed, if I hadn't happened to come across it by some sheer cosmic luck. And what is more impressive is that the fact that this is a zombie movie, and still it almost managed to elude me, especially since I am huge fan of everything zombiesque.

This 2015 movie actually turns out to be one of the more entertaining and solid of Japanese zombie movies. Japan has a tendency of combining the zombie genre with too much comedy, which often makes for a somewhat questionable result. Or they tend to have very poor special effects, which usually makes it painful to watch on the screen. "I am a Hero", however, didn't fall into these traps, and that was a refreshing change of pace.

The movie starts out in an adequate pace, but it quickly escalates into a much more fast paced movie and storyline, which did suit the movie quite well.

As a zombie movie, it is quite important that the special effects are good and believable, and luckily "I am a Hero" had just that. The movie combines the traditional shambling decaying walking animated corpses with something new. But it was a nice approach and a nice angle to the genre, and as such it was a refreshing change of pace for the zombie genre. Lots of great special effects and zombie make-up.

There is a good amount of action throughout the course of the movie, spiced up with some drama and just a pinch of comedy, which made for a rather enjoyable cocktail.

A zombie movie must have blood and guts. There is also a good amount of blood and gore in "I am a Hero", which is definitely a crucial thing for a zombie movie to have.

"I am Hero" also have some really intense scenes where the audience get their adrenaline pumping. Such scenes are, for example, the scene with the zombie in the taxi, and also the scene exiting the mall.

All in all, then "I am a Hero" is a rather entertaining and enjoyable movie. It is a fast paced story that mixed elements from different genres quite well. And "I am a Hero" puts Japan solidly on the world map of zombie movies. And if you enjoy zombie movies, then you should definitely take the time to check out "I am a Hero", and if you enjoy Asian cinema, well then you get a double up on goodies here.

And with lead that is annoying pussycvnt, who act like this for 1h45m and than suddenly becomes zombie rambo? for + the zombies were nicely done.

Maybe its because I've read the manga that I didn't like this movie that much, but the beginning was promising and I had hope for it but it fumbled at the middle and end.

The plot deviates from the manga but its still the same thing. Hideo is still the same but Hiromi doesn't do anything for the movie, you could have removed her from the movie and nothing will have changed. In general characters lack development and its hard to get invested in them. The ending is bad, we don't really understand what will happen to the characters, in particular what is with Hiromi.

Read the manga you will not regret it but the movie its just another bad Japanese live action.

6.5/10

I really don't care for zombie movies, but I did enjoy Zombieland; it's great because it doesn't take itself too seriously and it has humor. This film also has some memorable comedic creepy/moments.

What also makes this film unique is that Japan has a law where regular citizens can't carry guns, so circumstance makes it a lot different where zombie films that takes place in America can carry machine guns or other crazy weapons. However, the main character has an exception with a hunting shotgun.

I know people are so obsessed and fascinated by zombies and watch or play zombie games religiously like a cult. I'm not really one of them, so I don't have any bias by immediately giving a zombie movie 10 stars just because it's cool seeing zombies walking around and being blown up; I really could care less about that. However, that being said, this film can compete among Hollywood zombie films.

I was pretty impressed with the special effects - that's definitely the highlight of this film. Obviously, the story is straightforward. The zombies in this one is rather ridiculous borderline comical/scary/creepy.

For a foreign Japanese, non-Hollywood film, the production value is pretty damn good where it almost feels like Hollywood.

I noticed a lot of the staff crew/special effects were Korean names during the ending credits, so it seems to be a collaboration.

Yo Oizumi is a famous guy in Japan, who plays the lead goofball nerdy character. He fit the role pretty well. Also, Kasumi Arimura, the girl he has to protect, is super cute.

Probably a fun film to watch with a group of friends.

I'm sure they could make a part 2: Mt. Fuji. You pay an arm and a leg to buy a Rolax... literally, it's worth that amount.

Personally, I'm tired of zombie-films/series now, too many bad ones has been made, it's time for something really different. Then the Japanese do what they have done so many times before: taking a genre and tweaking it, perfecting it, making it exciting again. This movie is a real gem, but I doubt one many westerners have heard of as yet. Made by popular Japanese director Shinsuke Sato, a Director of many popular Japanese films in his country to these Days, this film shares a lot of elements with 28 days later, and this is the best zombie film since. The main character is Hideo, a 30-something Manga artist out of luck, his girlfriend/wife is fed up with his lack of success. Then reports of a new virus spreads around Tokyo, making people act, at first too late, then erratically, all the time trying to calm the public and so on. And from there this great movie takes off like the opening of Pandoras Box. It's a high budget production, with great action scenes and special effects, the most scary and diverse zombies ever to hit the screen, but also with more personality than other zombies (the high-jump athlete zombie is a masterpiece only a Japanese horror mind could have come up with!). If you're one of those thinking:"Dude, I've seen like THE worst AND the best zombie death scenes there is, so, don't bother me"....You should see this one. It's a story containing both humour, warmth and great character development, not just the random slasher. It has got some very fresh plot twists and some really nasty moments. It's blended with some real tranquil sequences, and then all hell brake loose again. Made in great environments, it has a genuine Japanese cultural feel to it and excellent camera-work, making it far more interesting to watch than any other western zombie/horror film nowadays. The soundtrack is great too. If you are a horror movie fan, a zombie aficionado, or just like action movies, here you've got something far more exciting to spend time watching than another episode of the (sleep) Walking Dead, and most other horror movies right now.

So, thank you Shinsuke Sato for renewing this genre and constantly showing the rest of the World what great filmmakers you Japanese are. Don't miss it, it's a no brainier!

Leon Smoothy

So, let me start this off by saying that I don't do zombies. In my opinion, zombies are played out. There are so many variations and while I get that people are loving them these days, I'm just over the whole zombie thing.

Secondly, I had a very vague description as to what this film was going to be about and I never saw anything about zombies. Had I seen that I would've passed it up and I would've missed out.

I actually enjoyed this film. It was a little long but I can look past that. It also left me the feeling that there could easily be a sequel in the future and I hope there is because there were few ends that just weren't tied up. So, in other words, I was wanting more.

It was a decent film and I know that my teenage boys are just going to love it. If you are a zombie buff you are gonna want to add this to your collection. Check it out.

This movie was brilliant. It had a lot of funny moments, and a lot of creepy moments. Sometimes both at the same time. It is currently one of my favorite zombie films of all time. This is a film that could only be made in Japan, and with that said, there were a few moments where I didn't know if I laughed with it or at it. Either way I enjoyed it a lot and had many good laughes. It gets pretty intense as well. There were a few unanswered questions about one of the characters though which should have been explained better in my opinion.

It's a movie about this narcissistic, mentally challenged, middle aged loser who is supposed to be a 'normal man', but is actually a thoroughly off putting fool with serious mental issues. The movie is supposed to be a parallel of the crisis Japanese men are going through, I guess and their emasculation... but it turns out there is no worse medium to discuss any issues in their society than the zombie apocalypse... the only thing I guess this film explained to me is why are children, more precisely, high-school girls so sexualized in Japan... because it seems that Japanese men can't handle a woman who is presented as an money grabbing being...

The movie and the story are shallow, filled with tropes which makes them boring... 'Japanese zombies', no... story wise, there is no true originality here, however, the visual design is pretty interesting...

Other reviews giving this film an 8 or 9 and how this is a 'gem'' are truly worrying me... sure, some parts of an opinion are personal and so on, but this movie is pretty bad...

After watching dozens of zombie flicks, you tend to notice that they hordes of undead are similarly conceptualized. That isn't to say the movies are necessarily bad, but without adding anything new to the genre, I normally don't anticipate zombie movies being very good.

While Shinsuke Sato may not appear to add revolutionary depth to the zombie trope, I was thoroughly engaged by the amount of twists and turns they put into the enemy design (literally). The contorting, writhing movements of the zombies in this film definitely add to the fear of their aggression.

The CGI didn't fail either, adding a visceral and grotesque motif to the monsters through darkened veins, swiveling eyes, and surrealistic abilities. Overall, it adds to the gory thrill-ride this movie takes you on and even supplements these conceptions with a well-wrought story and engaging characters.

Speaking of, all the characters felt fresh. The characters that make up the protagonist group are all fleshed out nicely. Their personalities match their actions and their personal growth over some of the problems the movie presents makes their character development all the more satisfying.

The only downside would be that I wanted more. Not necessarily in a sequel, but there are some portions of the film that had me pining for answers. I wish that some of the longer battles would be toned down in length so that I could explore the narrative developments of the characters, but that's a small qualm with this movie overall.

If you are looking for a riveting story with an interesting take on the zombie trope, I would suggest watching I Am a Hero. The effects are great, characters are written well, and the overall idea behind the film is a great one.

Zombie Movie -- With the Gore, Guts, and Carnage

A manga artist has big dreams one day he'll become the Hero of his life (currently broke, dumped, and down on luck) . Simultaneously a zombie virus outbreaks and sends the city into chaos .

The artist comes across a high-school girl who's been bitten but in immune to virus , and vows to protect the girl from the dangers of the chaos surrounding them .

Story 6/10 Carnage 9/10

Standard zombie outbreak, throw in some basic inter-personal tension, and wander around aimlessly for over two hours.

It's been done a thousand times before, and a lot better too. Take the original 4 Romeo movies (night, dawn, day, land) and cherry pick bits from those, throw them in a mixer and you have this film.

The main character alternates between being an idiot, a dullard, and stumble-bum. I have never seen a film where the main character falls so bloody often. It's irritating and eventually got to be farcical.

The other big issue was this film telegraphed every upcoming scene. If you've seen the aforementioned Romero films, then you know what was coming minutes in advance, and because of *that* this move lacked any tension whatsoever.

This was hard to find in 2023, and probably with good reason. Stay away folks, unless you need a cure for insomnia.

A disillusioned manga artist finds himself in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Japanese zombies are quite something, as their eyes turn to the sides, their skin breaks into dark veins and, right before they attack you in order to bite you, they say the thing that they were most focused on in life. This makes the film both funny and tragic. A random encounter with a girl who seems just partly zombified and a group of people who try to survive in a mall force him to either die or become a hero.

It was a nice movie. I liked the zombies, the characters, the acting was good and there were some interesting stories told as background to the zombie story. However, as original and interesting the various bits were, this is still a standard zombie movie, don't expect a lot more.