Directed by: Marc Forster
Rating: 3 stars (out of four) ★★★☆
Rating: 3 stars (out of four) ★★★☆
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Matthew Fox, James Badge Dale, Fana Mokoena
Zombies + Brad Pitt = Instant blockbuster success? Quite possibly.
World War Z is the story of Gerry Lane (Pitt), an ex-UN employee who's roped into stopping a mysterious zombie-inducing pandemic that's infecting the entire population.
It beings in Philadelphia, where Gerry, his wife Karin (Enos), and his two daughters are sitting in a traffic jam which soon turns deadly, as the fleeing citizens become a legion of infected zombies all around them. They escape and are taken away by helicopter by Gerry's former UN employer Thierry Umutoni (Mokoena). However, though Gerry believes this is a favor for his past work, he quickly discovers that he must lead a team to search for a medical cure to stop the quickly-spreading plague.
I know you might be thinking "wait, ANOTHER zombie movie?!", but this film has it's own bite (pun definitely intended). These aren't your typical slower-than-mollasses zombies, either. They are fast, ferocious, and not to mention persistent creatures. They're sufficiently terrifying, especially when in large swarms.
If you're anything like me, your heart will be racing through 80% of this movie, the action and suspense deliver. However, some moments were quite funny, more unintentional than not. The zombies by themselves at times were too crazed and bugged out to be taken seriously. The film was definitely more action than gore, tastefully played with minimal blood and guts (but just enough to remind you that, yes, people are dying), an interesting move from Forster that some would call a flinch. There were also moments and situations that were barely plausible (legion of zombies aside) that no one, even our handsome but human zombie slayer, could have probably survived. But hey, it's the plague of the undead. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug, I guess.
It was a rocky road to get this movie made, going through many writers and a last minute editing change after the initial filming. But with the steady resolves of Pitt as a producer and Forster, they pushed the movie forward. All of that pushing definitely paid off. The zombie-apocalypse flick sure did well in the box office, raking in over $111 million, possibly Pitt's most successful blockbuster of his career.
Forster's creepy take on the zombie genre portrays the monsters as infected hosts searching to spread their disease like a malicious virus. Though this isn't an original idea, the way to the cure is certainly one I had not seen before (don't worry, I won't spoil it). I can't help but compare it to Warm Bodies, another undead-themed book-to-movie adaptation that entertains the idea that the zombies can be "cured" and turned back to their former selves. Don't look for this kind of hope in World War Z.
The movie is filled with excellent acting from most of the cast, though Pitt especially shines as the hero of the story, the chosen one to save the world, if you will. This is definitely not a movie in Brad's normal genre range, but he plays his character with enough grounded emotional connection, humanity, and heart while simultaneously shooting zombies in the head. What could be better? Pitt was more or less the highlight of the film, as was most likely the intention.
World War Z is (loosely) based off the book of the same name by Max Brooks.
And for those who saw the ending: yes, there is talk of a sequel.
Loved it or hated it? Leave a comment telling why!
Till next time xx,
Sierra
Zombies + Brad Pitt = Instant blockbuster success? Quite possibly.
 |
| Image courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes |
It beings in Philadelphia, where Gerry, his wife Karin (Enos), and his two daughters are sitting in a traffic jam which soon turns deadly, as the fleeing citizens become a legion of infected zombies all around them. They escape and are taken away by helicopter by Gerry's former UN employer Thierry Umutoni (Mokoena). However, though Gerry believes this is a favor for his past work, he quickly discovers that he must lead a team to search for a medical cure to stop the quickly-spreading plague.
I know you might be thinking "wait, ANOTHER zombie movie?!", but this film has it's own bite (pun definitely intended). These aren't your typical slower-than-mollasses zombies, either. They are fast, ferocious, and not to mention persistent creatures. They're sufficiently terrifying, especially when in large swarms.
If you're anything like me, your heart will be racing through 80% of this movie, the action and suspense deliver. However, some moments were quite funny, more unintentional than not. The zombies by themselves at times were too crazed and bugged out to be taken seriously. The film was definitely more action than gore, tastefully played with minimal blood and guts (but just enough to remind you that, yes, people are dying), an interesting move from Forster that some would call a flinch. There were also moments and situations that were barely plausible (legion of zombies aside) that no one, even our handsome but human zombie slayer, could have probably survived. But hey, it's the plague of the undead. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug, I guess.
 |
| Image courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes |
Forster's creepy take on the zombie genre portrays the monsters as infected hosts searching to spread their disease like a malicious virus. Though this isn't an original idea, the way to the cure is certainly one I had not seen before (don't worry, I won't spoil it). I can't help but compare it to Warm Bodies, another undead-themed book-to-movie adaptation that entertains the idea that the zombies can be "cured" and turned back to their former selves. Don't look for this kind of hope in World War Z.
The movie is filled with excellent acting from most of the cast, though Pitt especially shines as the hero of the story, the chosen one to save the world, if you will. This is definitely not a movie in Brad's normal genre range, but he plays his character with enough grounded emotional connection, humanity, and heart while simultaneously shooting zombies in the head. What could be better? Pitt was more or less the highlight of the film, as was most likely the intention.
World War Z is (loosely) based off the book of the same name by Max Brooks.
And for those who saw the ending: yes, there is talk of a sequel.
--------------------------------
Till next time xx,
Sierra
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