World War Z, directed by Marc Forster, stars Brad Pitt as former United Nations employee Gerry Lane, in this post-apocalyptic “zombie” thriller in which Lane sets out to find the origin of the worldwide outbreak, in the hopes of discovering a vaccine, before it is too late. The film is based on the novel by Max Brooks and shares next to nothing with the book apart from its title.
While the word zombie is used rather quickly in the movie, these are not your average, slothful undead. Forster's zombies resemble those infected with the rage virus in 28 Days Later more so than the ghouls of Night of the Living. They run, and they run fast. The intensity of their threat permeates through the screen, and it is terrifying.
The tone of World War Z resembles that of any classic zombie movie, at least in the beginning. However, avid zombie fans will easily leave the theater wanting more. The film lacks the blood and gore that are staples of the zombie movie genre. It is by far the least bloody zombie film I've ever seen. Furthermore, it teeters off at the end after opening with quite a bang. Nonetheless it's a good movie. It’s fun; watching Brad Pitt combat an international zombie crisis is exciting.
There are elements of the film that are done extremely well. The beginning effectively portrays the kind of chaos and confusion expected from the zombie apocalypse. Lane and his family are thrust into near anarchy and barely make it out of Philadelphia alive. Also, the characters are strong and smart, especially Lane who pays attention with great detail to his surroundings, which on occasion saves his life as well as humanity's.
Although World War Z doesn't follow the blueprint of the book, the film stands on its own. Its zombies are quicker than they should be, but the film makes it work. While hardcore zombie fans might find the film riddled with flaws and inaccuracies regarding its zombie lore, the film is its own creation. In many ways, World War Z is a new take on the old zombie classic. All in all, its achievements greatly outweigh any flaws it may have. It’s definitely worth a trip to the box office.
Amanda Rozenboom
