Title – World War Z (2013)
Director – Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball)
Cast – Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, David Morse
Plot – Former U.N investigator Gerry Lane (Pitt) is called back into action when a virus turning people into rampaging zombies threatens the world as we know it. Gerry’s investigation takes him from country to country all the while racing the clock and the constant horde of flesh eaters that follow him at every turn.
“Mother nature is the greatest serial killer of them all”
Review by Eddie on 21/06/2013
After years of being in production and after countless re writes, re workings and re shoots World War Z finally hits our screens. After all the hype that surrounded this adaptation of Max Brook’s popular novel many will be asking – was the wait worth it? That’s a question that will divide many and one I find hard to answer.
At a production cost north of $170 million dollars it’s fair to say director Marc Forster (and whoever else may have done the re shoots) had a sizeable piggy bank at their disposal to unleash a zombie invasion on the scale we have not yet seen on the big screen. Scenes of uncountable zombies hordes are the film’s most impressive, giving off the sense just how epic this infestation is. It will be hard to top a more frenetic scene this year than the particularly impressive Jerusalem attack, it’s sad to say though this really is the only scene that will blow your senses away.
A major problem with War Z is the way the story goes from point A to point B. With Brad Pitt we have a very interesting central character that due to his screen presence we feel invested in. Other characters in the film are all no more than screen fillers, these include Mireille Enos as Gerry’s wife and a raft of supporting actors including Morse as a particularly gummy CIA worker, Badge-Dale as a gruff American soldier and the seriously short changed Mathew Fox as a who even knows. The way these characters appear and disappear makes you ask – why did they even bother?
With War Z playing out in this rushed go from location to location style it makes it hard for the whole to gel together, the film really ends up being a movie with some pretty impressive standalone scenes but as a whole gives off the sense of randomness and badly edited scenes tying sequences, no doubt partly caused by different writing styles and a meddling studio.
In the end War Z is a solidly entertaining zombie action thriller. The film is a good piece of summer blockbuster entertainment and Pitt never puts in a bad performance and really carry’s this film to a greater height than it perhaps ended up deserving to reach. With all it’s off screen problems and delays War Z really should be commended on its final outcome, but in the end the only real aspect of the film your left to think upon once the lights come on is– How much did Pepsi pay for their moment in the spotlight?
3.5 Mountain Dew can’s out of 5
Mmmmm did someone say Mountain Dew?
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 
great view 🙂 I only wanted to watch it because of that one zombie scene in a trailer haha
It’s a sad fact that the trailer did show all the highlights, still solid entertainment not bad for a Friday night at the movies. (Eddie)
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Nice review! Check out mine when you get the chance 🙂 http://conordcfc.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/film-review-world-war-z-2013/
At the end of World War Z, just as the credits began rolling, a gentleman, scratch that, an idiot spoke up from the back of the theatre exclaiming, “What? That sucked! The book was nothing like that! Booo!” I’m sure he scurried away back home, logged online, and began tweeting, posting, and blogging, furthering his rant. Much like my response to him at the theatre, I hope he receives silence in return.
It’s true, World War Z is nothing like the book. The book is told from the point of view AFTER the war. It’s a “historical,” account of what happened during the war. Rather than make a mockumentary with flashbacks, which would have been the wrong decision in my opinion, the filmmakers decided to put us right in the middle of the action.
When adapting a piece of literature it is impossible to bring every page, every paragraph, every nuance onto the screen. Some have come close depending on the material, but for the most part, they all have to take their own creative licenses. After all, it’s called an “adaptation,” for a reason, otherwise they would call it a copy or mimic.
Where World War Z works (that’s a mouthful) and where so many others fail is that just because the world slips into total and utter chaos, doesn’t mean that governments, military, and law enforcement agencies go away. Quite the opposite. If anything, these scenarios bring out the best of all of them. We see generals, UN delegates, and scientists trying to solve complex issues that they don’t know anything about. Rather than going into hiding, they act. Society doesn’t crumble. Bands of cannibals and leather strapped gangs don’t patrol the streets with necklaces made of teeth. People do what they can to survive, and the higher ups try their best to find a fast and effective solution.
At first, I thought the movie started too fast. How could something this violent and concentrated go undetected, but after a while I got it. The opening montage of news reports said it all. How many of us listen to everything we hear on the news? Exactly. So much goes undetected while we focus on issues that effect us immediately. It’s too late when the virus touches US soil. Not even social media can keep up with it.
As far as zombie movies go this one is pretty great. Though I think 28 Days Later takes the cake in terms of realism, in-camera effects, and sheer terror, this one holds its own. Brad Pitt plays a former UN investigator who is traveling with his family just as the zombie attack on Philadelphia unfolds. The film goes from 0-60 before you take a sip of your Coke. This is a fast paced, edge of your seat thrill ride led by one of the finest actors of this generation (Pitt’s acting ability is far too underrated and lost in the kerfuffle of tabloid news).
For those of you who stare at the ticket window debating whether or not to see a film in 3D or standard, you might want to spend the extra few dollars to see this one in 3D (I know it’s asking a lot, but maybe you can sneak some candy or a bottle of water to offset the concession stand price – deal with it). I tend to air on the side of “screw it, I want to see it in 3D.” Now not every movie NEEDS to be seen in 3D, hell there are really only a couple that absolutely have to be seen in all three dimensions (Avatar and maybe Life of Pi), but this one really surprised me. 3D is not about things jumping out at you, but it’s about layers. Luckily this film has both. Big chase scenes in Philly, particles floating about in South Korea, and tracking shots in Jerusalem make this one of the 3D events of the year. No exaggeration.
Like so many other summer blockbusters before it, civilization is on the brink of extinction and only a handful of experts can save us. What World War Z does that so many have failed is give us hope. Hope that humanity won’t dissolve into nothingness. In the face of sheer danger these fighters stand tall, take a deep breath, look the enemy in the eye, and say, “No.”
More about the movie you can also find it here
http://movieinfodb.com/en/movie/72190/World+War+Z-2013
Thoughts to spare there bud, thanks for sharing!
Eddie
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