Movie Review: World War Z (2013)
Written by Anthony Sargon
After years of the behind-the-scenes turmoil and significant reshoots, "World War Z" finally hits theaters this weekend. Although it definitely has its fair share of problems, the movie is surprisingly entertaining and strongly benefits from its epic scope as well as Brad Pitt's solid leading performance.
Based on the Max Brooks novel of the same name, the film chronicles the breakout of a zombie pandemic that is infecting millions worldwide and endangering humanity as we know it. Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is an ex-UN employee who, in order to protect his family, finds himself in the middle of the fight to find a cure to this deadly virus.
While I personally haven't read the book, I've heard that the film heavily deviates from it. As a standalone flick, the movie works pretty well though; there are some pretty impressive scenes where thousands of zombies run and pile on top of each other, forming huge mountains of corpses that can topple buildings. The visual effects work is a little shoddy though, so it looks a little faker than what we've gotten used to. The film can also be intense; there are scenes where the human characters need to move past groups of zombies undetected, and they're pretty suspenseful.
The zombies in "World War Z" aren't just your average zombies; these bastards can run, fast. Not only are they significantly faster than the regular undead, they will afflict all kinds of damage to their bodies to go through something; if it means bashing their heads against glass till it breaks, they'll do it. This different take is refreshing, except that they do seem to be a little too twitchy.
Brad Pitt was a good choice to anchor the film; he's a solid actor and a good box office draw in the right role, and this is right up his alley. His family in the film is completely useless, and is just there to give him something to fight for. Take them out of the equation, and the movie would remain largely the same. The movie also makes some big leaps when it comes to logic; there's a sequence that involves Israel and a wall, and it just makes no sense in a real-world scenario. The ending was also a bit underwhelming. You feel as if the movie is building towards a climactic finish, but it ends with a whimper, more interested in setting up a sequel than sending the audience home fully satisfied.
Anthony's Verdict:
"World War Z" does what it needs to and does it admirably, but it somewhat doesn't feel complete. Either way, if you're a fan of zombie movies or disaster flicks, "World War Z" is sure to entertain.
Numerical Score: 7/10
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