There’s no denying the zombie / apocalypse genre. It’s proved hugely popular over the years, but with about 7 million movies in the last 10 years all featuring zombies and or the end of the world, Walking Dead aside, its out stayed its welcome. But try telling that to director Marc Forster and some bloke called Brad Pitt. To their credit they have delivered a movie that paints a fresh, intense and realistic vision of the zombie apocalypse. As some beer manufacture used to say…a refreshing change.
Gerry Lane (Pitt) traverses the world in an effort to find some form of cure to stop the Zombie pandemic that has destroyed cities in hours, toppled governments in minutes and with humanity itself about to disappear forever, Gerry Lane has got some serious weight on his shoulders.
The first thing that will strike you about World War Z is it’s relentless pace. Within minutes of the opening titles things are rollicking along at breakneck speed and if truth be told (go on so…) it doesn’t really let up. It’s scene after scene of mayhem with countless set pieces involving thousands of Zombies dishing out some serious annihilation. Zombies by nature are generally slow old things, and even Jabba the Hutt could out run (out slug maybe?) your average cinematic Zombie on a bad day. Well, in World War Z we have a Zombie that is not only terrifying but hyper aggressive and man, can these things movie. They topple buses, cars and scale unsalable walls with nothing but sheer, brutal force. They genuinely are a sight to behold when they’re in full swing. Combine this intensity and relentless pace and you’re on a serious rollercoaster here.
Unfortunately the pacing is also a wee bit of a problem. Everywhere Pitt’s character goes, within minutes of him turning up all hell breaks loose. And we’re off again for more madness. It’s not a huge problem; however, at times things feel a bit rushed to get onto the next set piece. To be fair, audiences may actually not be accustomed to such breakneck pacing, and after a while you do get used to it. By the time the ending comes though, the movie feels like it over shot the finished line by 500m, realised it and then sprints back and it kind of wraps up rather quickly. Which after a relentless and satisfying 110 odd minutes, its a bit unsatisfying.
Visually, World War Z is a sight to behold. Large city landscapes lay in ruins and the sheer scale on display is very impressive. The set pieces; again, are a sight to behold, especially the plane sequence and the attack on Jerusalem. At times they are genuinely breath taking and offer in places something fresh and something you haven’t seen before. The zombies themselves though, while not featured in too many closeups (and when they do, expect to jump…at least once) all demand your full attention and at times will have you wincing and feeling uncomfortable. This is a movie, that doesn’t do tension too often, but when it does it utilises everything around it and will have you on the edge of your seat in places.
Cast wise Brad Pitt is incredibly watchable and likeable. And while he won’t be getting any Oscar nominations for his performance, for what it is, it works very well. His supporting cast Mireille Enos (Gangster Squad) and Daniella Kertesz (who hasn’t had an acting gig since 2009) do a decent enough job, especially Kertesz but both are ultimately under utilised and under developed.
Overall, World War Z is definitely worth your time. Regardless of its ending, a relentless pace and great set pieces make this a one helluva night of entertainment.
Gerry Lane (Pitt) traverses the world in an effort to find some form of cure to stop the Zombie pandemic that has destroyed cities in hours, toppled governments in minutes and with humanity itself about to disappear forever, Gerry Lane has got some serious weight on his shoulders.
The first thing that will strike you about World War Z is it’s relentless pace. Within minutes of the opening titles things are rollicking along at breakneck speed and if truth be told (go on so…) it doesn’t really let up. It’s scene after scene of mayhem with countless set pieces involving thousands of Zombies dishing out some serious annihilation. Zombies by nature are generally slow old things, and even Jabba the Hutt could out run (out slug maybe?) your average cinematic Zombie on a bad day. Well, in World War Z we have a Zombie that is not only terrifying but hyper aggressive and man, can these things movie. They topple buses, cars and scale unsalable walls with nothing but sheer, brutal force. They genuinely are a sight to behold when they’re in full swing. Combine this intensity and relentless pace and you’re on a serious rollercoaster here.
Unfortunately the pacing is also a wee bit of a problem. Everywhere Pitt’s character goes, within minutes of him turning up all hell breaks loose. And we’re off again for more madness. It’s not a huge problem; however, at times things feel a bit rushed to get onto the next set piece. To be fair, audiences may actually not be accustomed to such breakneck pacing, and after a while you do get used to it. By the time the ending comes though, the movie feels like it over shot the finished line by 500m, realised it and then sprints back and it kind of wraps up rather quickly. Which after a relentless and satisfying 110 odd minutes, its a bit unsatisfying.
Visually, World War Z is a sight to behold. Large city landscapes lay in ruins and the sheer scale on display is very impressive. The set pieces; again, are a sight to behold, especially the plane sequence and the attack on Jerusalem. At times they are genuinely breath taking and offer in places something fresh and something you haven’t seen before. The zombies themselves though, while not featured in too many closeups (and when they do, expect to jump…at least once) all demand your full attention and at times will have you wincing and feeling uncomfortable. This is a movie, that doesn’t do tension too often, but when it does it utilises everything around it and will have you on the edge of your seat in places.
Cast wise Brad Pitt is incredibly watchable and likeable. And while he won’t be getting any Oscar nominations for his performance, for what it is, it works very well. His supporting cast Mireille Enos (Gangster Squad) and Daniella Kertesz (who hasn’t had an acting gig since 2009) do a decent enough job, especially Kertesz but both are ultimately under utilised and under developed.
Overall, World War Z is definitely worth your time. Regardless of its ending, a relentless pace and great set pieces make this a one helluva night of entertainment.
