World War Z - Movie Review
Former U.N. Investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) finds out that a zombie apocalypse has broken out in his hometown only to discover that this event has been building rapidly across the world. After an adrenaline fueled first act to get his family to safety, Gerry finds himself recruited by the surviving members of the U.N. to help discover the point of origin of the zombie plague and hopefully find the means of eradicating it. Otherwise, the world is doomed.
That's nice.
When a good idea becomes something else entirely
Like many people, or at least I hope more than my circle of friends and myself, I'm aware that this film is based on a book. I'm also aware that the book is not actually a "story," per se. The book is structured as a really elaborate U.N. report that deals with the zombie apocalypse going in depth about how it affects every facet of society as well as the science behind zombies. From what I've heard and from the couple of chapters that I managed to read from the book store (even though it was recommended to me, I don't feel compelled to buy it) I can gather that this might make a great TV series. I say series because I look at The Walking Dead and think that it is doing a superb job in adapting not only a comic book but a very specific horror genre for long narrative silver screen time. The way that I thought that the series would go about would be more like a mock National Geographic or Nova or name anything you see on PBS. What I had in mind was a documentary mockumentary style told in a serious fashion to a point where it can be compelling yet semi-educational. Semi-educational in the sense that everything in this series would not be true, but if the zombie apocalypse does breakout then maybe it will be fully educational. But for all intents and purposes, that's who I viewed this book should be adapted. Then came the news that Brad Pitt's company Plan B has purchased the rights to turn it into a film. My first thoughts were, "interesting." Then when the synopsis came up that it was going to be an action thriller and have an actual plot, that's when I went, "huh?"
The idea of turning this book into a movie was an interesting move. I'll give Brad that. What I thought was weird was the fact that they decided to take the premise of the book alone, or rather take the title, and turn it into a narrative story instead of a long BBC documentary. That's when I started having some doubts about this movie. Then came the announcement of the director, Marc Forster. While I'm aware that this guy directed some pretty critically acclaimed dramas: Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland, I'm also aware that he directed Quantum of Solace, a James Bond flick that I could care less about other than the fact that Olga Kurylenko was in it. In other words, I don't know about him at the helm of an action film, let alone an action horror film. Given how much I didn't really like Quantum of Solace, I began to write this movie off from my radar. Then came the interesting turn of events when J. Michael Straczynski, one of my favorite comic book writers, comes along as the screenwriter. Then my interest was a little bit peeked. That wouldn't last long however. In fact I could really say my interest was not really there. I had some interest, but not enough to have a rabid fan following like I did with the anticipation of Man of Steel. I can honestly say that I pretty much didn't have any interest in it at all. Then came the premier of the trailer.
My first reaction to the trailer was not all that impressed. All I remembered from the trailer was Brad Pitt, a little girl screaming, and a massive horde of zombies moving like ants at a rapid speed. That's when I had zero interest in the movie at all. It wasn't that I don't like Brad Pitt. I like his films with David Fincher. It was because of the zombies that were shown in the trailer. I don't have a problem with fast moving zombies like what was shown in Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. What I had a problem with was the speed these zombies were moving at. The major superhuman aspect of the zombies automatically told me that this isn't the movie for me. And that I would never watch it. That is until I received a message from a friend I haven't seen in years asking me if I would go see it with her. Not wanting to miss a reunion, I decided to go see it with her.
Sometimes having Low Expectations help
Now for the review. About thirty minutes or so into the film, something began to dawn on me: I really like this movie. After an elaborate Title Sequence that showcases how an event like this could go un notice for a while, it immediately transitions to a quiet setting. Like most zombie films it starts out in a quiet every day setting just to let the audience know that it's not some special event that gets announced but rather something that can happen any time. This film is no difference from the rest with the standard kids jumping on the bed, having breakfast, and then going about one's day. Whatever plans Pitt's Gerry and his family had for the day are abruptly cut short when an incredibly infectious form of rabies turns people into superhuman "zombies" that are almost near indestructible. Almost immediately after the quiet opening the tension and urgency begins to escalate. From that point on it's tension building immediately followed by exhilarating action then subdued by a momentary quiet moment which immediately starts building the tension once again.
As stated before in the plot synopsis, Gerry does eventually get his family to safety due to having a previous connection with the United Nations. However that safe haven that comes in the form of several aircraft carrier ships becomes short lived when Gerry is recruited to once again take on his old position as a U.N. investigator to discover the origin of the virus. While reluctant at first, he discovers he has no other choice due to the policy of keeping only essential personnel on board the ships. In other words, if he doesn't take the job, his family cannot stay on the floating safe haven. Not wanting to put his family through the ordeal of having to survive in a world populated by zombies, he takes back his old job and sets out on a globe trekking mission to discover the fabled Patient Zero.
This is where the film starts to get me. Usually in Zombie films, the setting is only placed in a small setting: a mall, a town, a hotel, some place claustrophobic. And then there are rare occasions when it does take place in a city location, but this film feels different in the fact that it goes global. Some could argue that the Resident Evil films have this epic scale sort of feel. And while they do, for some reason the epic global scale portrayed in World War Z seems ten times larger than what was shown in Resident Evil. I now understood what the creators of the film meant when they were creating an international thriller that spans across the globe. Even though it does have the horror element of it, this film is by no means a horror film. It is first and foremost an action thriller that goes global, similar to the Bourne series except with a lead who is not an advanced secret agent but a well trained government employee.
The globe hopping helped drive this story forward while at the same time offering us glimpses of how different countries would react to the situation. The most memorable location as well as the one with the biggest scale was Jerusalem. The portrayal of how the city would react to a situation like the one presented was pretty much how it seemed to be. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of the film and delivers on some great intense action sequences.
The third act however is when the tension starts to take over above the action. The third act is what most people attuned with the zombie genre will be familiar with. An isolated location inhabited by zombies. It is a tense driven third act that really brings back what zombie lovers adore about the genre, without the blood and gore that happens along the way.
All of this tension could not have been done without a solid direction as well as a solid cast. Forster delivers in directing what could have pretty much been a disaster, but he handled it with such precision and gave it the right amount of pacing it needed. Brad Pitt, being the only big name star in the film, had a lot on his shoulders to carry the entire movie through from beginning to end and he completely nails it. His character's interaction with the family were genuine and added some weight in hoping that his character doesn't get killed. The film benefits from not surrounding Pitt with even more big name stars. Although it can be argued that The Killing's Mireille Enos is a big name on television, most audience members would probably not know she's the header for a prominent TV drama. I would say that this movie would benefit more if no big name stars were on it, but having Pitt in the film really adds a big draw for audiences to a film that would need it. Lost's Matthew Fox is present in the film but was really just an extra, not even a glorified extra, just an extra.
If there are any complaints I have it really was not going in depth with whatever subtext they were trying to deal with. As I've stated before, the Jerusalem set piece was brilliant, yet at the same time it kind of looks over some of the possible social commentary that was definitely present there. It also doesn't help that by the end of the film it feels like a Pepsi Commercial. When and if you watch you will understand what I mean.
As stated before in the plot synopsis, Gerry does eventually get his family to safety due to having a previous connection with the United Nations. However that safe haven that comes in the form of several aircraft carrier ships becomes short lived when Gerry is recruited to once again take on his old position as a U.N. investigator to discover the origin of the virus. While reluctant at first, he discovers he has no other choice due to the policy of keeping only essential personnel on board the ships. In other words, if he doesn't take the job, his family cannot stay on the floating safe haven. Not wanting to put his family through the ordeal of having to survive in a world populated by zombies, he takes back his old job and sets out on a globe trekking mission to discover the fabled Patient Zero.
This is where the film starts to get me. Usually in Zombie films, the setting is only placed in a small setting: a mall, a town, a hotel, some place claustrophobic. And then there are rare occasions when it does take place in a city location, but this film feels different in the fact that it goes global. Some could argue that the Resident Evil films have this epic scale sort of feel. And while they do, for some reason the epic global scale portrayed in World War Z seems ten times larger than what was shown in Resident Evil. I now understood what the creators of the film meant when they were creating an international thriller that spans across the globe. Even though it does have the horror element of it, this film is by no means a horror film. It is first and foremost an action thriller that goes global, similar to the Bourne series except with a lead who is not an advanced secret agent but a well trained government employee.
The globe hopping helped drive this story forward while at the same time offering us glimpses of how different countries would react to the situation. The most memorable location as well as the one with the biggest scale was Jerusalem. The portrayal of how the city would react to a situation like the one presented was pretty much how it seemed to be. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of the film and delivers on some great intense action sequences.
The third act however is when the tension starts to take over above the action. The third act is what most people attuned with the zombie genre will be familiar with. An isolated location inhabited by zombies. It is a tense driven third act that really brings back what zombie lovers adore about the genre, without the blood and gore that happens along the way.
All of this tension could not have been done without a solid direction as well as a solid cast. Forster delivers in directing what could have pretty much been a disaster, but he handled it with such precision and gave it the right amount of pacing it needed. Brad Pitt, being the only big name star in the film, had a lot on his shoulders to carry the entire movie through from beginning to end and he completely nails it. His character's interaction with the family were genuine and added some weight in hoping that his character doesn't get killed. The film benefits from not surrounding Pitt with even more big name stars. Although it can be argued that The Killing's Mireille Enos is a big name on television, most audience members would probably not know she's the header for a prominent TV drama. I would say that this movie would benefit more if no big name stars were on it, but having Pitt in the film really adds a big draw for audiences to a film that would need it. Lost's Matthew Fox is present in the film but was really just an extra, not even a glorified extra, just an extra.
If there are any complaints I have it really was not going in depth with whatever subtext they were trying to deal with. As I've stated before, the Jerusalem set piece was brilliant, yet at the same time it kind of looks over some of the possible social commentary that was definitely present there. It also doesn't help that by the end of the film it feels like a Pepsi Commercial. When and if you watch you will understand what I mean.
Verdict: Exceeds My Low Expectations by Miles
Critical Score: 7.5/10 - A really good Pepsi Commercial
Personal Score: 8.3/10 - I really was not expecting to like this
Who Should Watch "World War Z?"
I have to give a warning to Zombie fans in that this is not the film you will be expecting. There are no endless gallons of blood. There are no limb chopping or exaggerated head shots of any kind. This is a PG-13 action thriller, and by action it really puts the action and thriller aspect first before the zombie aspect. If you're a lover of action films like the Bourne Series and don't mind having near indestructible superhuman zombies that can do incredible things running around every now and then, this is the movie for you. Fans of The Walking Dead or any other zombie film may not find this to their liking, but that really depends on how much are you will to accept what this movie is and not what you want it to be. It is a definite must watch for the summer as great entertainment. Probably the most exhilarating summer blockbuster this year so far.
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