"World War Z" Review

Did you know that Max Brooks, the author of the book "World War Z", is the son of legendary comedian Mel Brooks? Who knew the spawn of the guy who conceived such comedy classics as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein would be into horror? I guess the apple does fall far from the tree.

Prior to seeing the film version of Brooks' novel, I knew very little about the source material. I'd heard it was good from folks who had read it but that the movie would deviate very much from the way the book was presented, much to the ire of fans. As I haven't read the book myself yet, I can't quite comment on the dissimilarities, so I'll just voice my opinion on the movie itself instead.

Anyways, the film version of World War Z features Brad Pitt in a stellar turn as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations employee who's called back into the line of duty when the world is stricken by an unprecedented zombie pandemic. With his family granted asylum on a UN aircraft carrier, Gerry traverses the globe in a race against time and nature to find a cure.


Director Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) manages to craft quite the summer blockbuster out of a reported budget north of $200 million and a script from Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom), Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and Damon Lindelof (Prometheus, TV's Lost).

World War Z is unlike any zombie movie or television show out there. It elevates the traditional zombie-horror genre to epic heights that have never been reached before in terms of scope and scale. However, many zombie enthusiasts will undoubtedly find fault with the film's PG-13 rating. This isn't so much a horror film about zombies as it is just another blockbuster action film. It's less frightening than an episode of The Walking Dead, and it's almost entirely devoid of Romero-grade blood and guts. It would be a mistake to approach this film with the expectation that it's going to be a terrifying bloodbath because it isn't. At all.

Even though the action may be devoid of the gore that zombie fans crave, that's not to say that Forster doesn't include any dazzling set pieces. Whether it's a horde of "zekes", as they're often referred to in the film, scaling a hundred-foot wall or cascading over each other like rushing water through the streets of Jerusalem, there are plenty of heart-stopping action sequences to marvel at here. Having said that, I was unimpressed by the CGI work on the zombies. The horde scenes are cool, but they look incredibly cartoonish.

The biggest problem with World War Z is, by and large, the story. That seems to be a theme with
most of this summer's blockbusters. What starts off as a riveting tale of one family's struggle for survival quickly becomes "Brad Pitt versus the zombies". His family falls by the wayside, becoming superfluous to the story between the film's 30 minute mark and 114 minute mark, just a minute or two shy from the end. The talented Mireille Enos (TV's The Killing) is squandered as Karin Lane, Gerry's wife. It'll take more than a few staticky phone calls from half a world away in order to keep your damsel-in-distress relevant, Gerry!

Before closing, I'd like to throw a bone to Matthew Fox who must be struggling for work after last year's dismal Alex Cross. Fox is a tremendously talented actor, as exemplified by his turn as Jack on TV's Lost; but his talent is given no room to shine in World War Z. His character is a nameless military man for the UN who is kept so quiet, you'd hardly know it was Fox. He barely shows his face and speaks roughly two lines. I don't know why Forster didn't just have a nameless actor fill the role.

Forster's World War Z is an adaptation that, apparently, deviates heavily from its source material. The story presented by Carnahan, Goddard and Lindelof feels disjointed in terms of character relations as Gerry constantly works with different people around the globe, allowing little time for emotional investment from the audience. The story would've been stronger if it simply focused on the family's fight for survival as a unit, which is how it started. It should've stayed that way.

The CGI isn't that impressive, and the zombie violence is tamer than any given episode of The Walking Dead. But bravura set pieces, intense action and a stellar performance from Pitt are just enough to recommend World War Z as a serviceable summer blockbuster. This would be a fine one to rent when it comes out on BluRay.

7/10