Rating of
3/4
Fast Zombies Aren't So Bad
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/23/13
When I first heard that they were going to adapt the book World War Z to the big screen, my first thought was: awesome! because I love the book. But my second thought was: how the hell are they going to do it? The book is essentially a series of short stories - interviews with various people who have "survived" the recent zombie apocalypse. It would work well as a mini-series, but I wasn't so sure how it would work as a stand alone movie.
As more and more details emerged about World War Z, I realized they weren't really adapting the book at all - and, though the movie does share some details with the book, it isn't really much like it at all. But, surprisingly, I'm okay with that. It turns out that you can make a good movie with fast zombies and despite all the troubles reported about the film, it turned out pretty darn good. They managed to keep the tension high, the story interesting and even the characters were decent. It may not be the game-changing zombie film of the decade, but I think it stands well enough on its own to recommend.
The film doesn't waste much time in throwing things into chaos. After introducing us to the family of Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), including his wife Karin (Mireille Enos - who I recognized from The Killing) and his two daughters - we catch a short glimpse of worldwide trouble - martial law being declared, something about rabies and little things that tell you something is wrong. After getting caught in traffic, things start to go downhill fast - explosions in the distance, people running and screaming - and getting bit. The family is soon on the run - and let me tell you, if there is one constant for zombie movies, it's that you do not want to be caught in a city - and Philadelphia is definitely not experiencing any brotherly love here.
We soon learn that Gerry has been into some pretty hairy situation around the world before giving up this life to be with his family. But it is this exact reason that he is contacted by the undersecretary of the U.N. and given priority to help them track down the source of this virus that seems to turn people into zombies. Soon, he is off again, with a a virologist in and a group of SEALs in tow. The movie is really a series of awesome action scenes - from an abandoned army base to the city of Jerusalem to a commercial airliner to the W.H.O. facility - each setpeice is meticulously set up to provide the most bang for your buck. Lots of chases, gunfire and close calls. Sure, some things are bit too unrealistic (especially the plane crash) but, c'mon, this is a zombie movie - even if it does have a huge budget.
The thing is, all that action would be wasted if there wasn't good enough characters and drama to back it up. While I'm sure they could have fleshed things out a bit better, the fact is, for a horror movie, they manage to make connection between people and make you care about what happens to them. Granted, a lot of people show up and die - sometimes at the drop of a hat, but the ones who manage to stick around make their mark. The film also does an excellent job of keeping that tension front and center. This is the kind of film that does earn that "edge of your seat" moniker.
I would like to see how the original ending differed from what they wound up using - maybe the special features? As it stands, the ending wrapped things up nicely while still keeping things open enough for more. And I can say that while I still prefer the book to this movie, it managed to convince me that you can have a good movie without sticking to the subject matter. For horror and zombie fans, this will be worth the watch.
