WORLD WAR Z: A Review

Details

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz  

Certificate: 15

Runtime: 116 mins

Budget: $200,000,000 (estimated)

Review

It’s the moment all zombie and action fans have been waiting for – the release of World War Z.

World War Z stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, an ex-UN investigator who is called upon to uncover the mystery of how the zombie apocalypse started, and hopefully put an end to the global pandemic.

Straight from the start the movie doesn’t disappoint. Within minutes (after a brief introduction of the characters and the scenario) zombies are everywhere, causing mayhem and tearing people apart. Gerry and his family are naturally in the midst of things, and you get that rush whilst watching as if the undead were really chasing after you, just like in the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later when Robert Carlyle is running frantically from a fleet of the infected.

There are a number of other shots in the film that are visually impressive. However I can’t help but feel the best shots are the ones shown in the trailer, such as the undead trying to tower over the high walls surrounding Jerusalem or the explosive outbreak on a plane. Nevertheless the film doesn’t fall short in providing breath-taking pictures of hordes of  zombies; although at times I did crave more one-on-one close-ups with them, as the film does focus mainly on the zombies as a collective rather than individually.

UNDEAD MOUND: Zombies pile on top of each other in ant-like style

The Mail gave a bad review of WWZ, and criticised Pitt for labelling the movie as “original” and “genre-bending” saying it is nothing of the sort. The Mail pointed to the behaviour of the zombies as a sign of unoriginality as they are similar to those in Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn Of The Dead. However I don’t think the fast-moving nature of the zombies is a bad aspect, in fact I think it’s what makes the film so bloody great. I love the energetic, aggressive nature of the zombies seen nowadays as opposed to the old fashioned ‘walkers’. They’re more exciting, and carry a much higher level of fear. WWZ adapts the speedy undead even further, making them more driven and sprightly. They almost tumble after their prey with ant-like behaviour. For me, 28 Days zombies will always be the best, but WWZ portrays them in a spectacular new light that is at times simply jaw-dropping.

Pitt’s performance is nothing less than what you would expect from the four-time Oscar nominee. I believe he was the perfect fit for the role, and as the film progresses you gain a real sense of attachment to him. Besides Pitt there is no one who really stood out. Not because they were bad, but because the focus is nearly wholly on Gerry throughout the film. Mireille Enos plays Gerry’s wife Karin, which before watching the film I did find odd. Normally you would expect Pitt to be paired with someone a little more flamboyant, but I think Enos’s role as Gerry’s wife is believable and I think she was a good choice for the role. I am a fan of TV series The Killing in which Enos plays the main character, and it is good to see her getting a chance with a blockbuster. Mathew Fox was billed to a fair degree in advertising material before the release of WWZ, which is strange considering his role in the film is minimal at best.  

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS: Pitt plays UN investigator Gerry

I found WWZ thoroughly entertaining throughout, yet there was one aspect I feel was slightly underwhelming. For me, WWZ was at its peak during the beginning and the middle of the film, and sort of teetered off in the final 3^rd. After the aeroplane scene, the non-stop chaos comes to a halt and the ending is somewhat of an anti-climax. The ending came as a bit of a surprise, and lacked the temperament and explosiveness of the rest of the film. It could have easily carried on for another half an hour, and explained the closing scenes in more detail. That said, I’m not saying the ending is bad, not at all. The ending would actually be fantastic if it was fitted somewhere in the middle of the film. It’s tense and gripping, but just lacks that knockout blow the film deserves.

Verdict

Despite some negative criticism, I thoroughly recommended WWZ for all you action-heads out there.  It’s fast, exhilarating and at times downright crazy! Yes there are some aspects of the film that could have been developed further, but that was always going to be the case when creating a 2-hour long film from such a complex book. Director Marc Forster does a great job in making you feel as though you are part of the action, and has you on the edge of your seat. This is definitely one to look out for…

Please feel free to comment below and let me know what you think of World War Z!

Sequel?!

Before the movie had even hit theatres here in the UK the word ‘sequel’ had been touted around the web, and there are positive talks of a possible trilogy provided all goes well…

Pitt told Yahoo Movies: “We got plenty of material to go on to do a second or third thing if this thing works”. He also told MovieWeb something similar, stating that: “There is enough [material] to mine from the book. We could barely get a fraction of the book in [the movie]. So we'll see. We'll see”.

Director Marc Forster also hinted at the possibility, provided the film does well at the box office: “"Let's see how this goes. We hope this movie goes well and we shall go from there”.

So there’s clearly a hint of something there for WWZ fans to get excited about!