World War Z review

WORLD WAR Z:

IT LACKS IN ORIGINALITY, BUT BEING A DAMN GOOD ZOMBIE FLICK MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES    

Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane and his family surviving a zombie apocalypse in World War Z

Director Mark Forster (Monster’s Ball, Stranger Than Fiction, Quantum of Solace) brings a thrilling adaption of Max Brooks’ best selling novel, World War Z to the big screen with cutting edge visual effects, extreme zombie violence, and an outstanding performance by Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds, Moneyball, Mr. and Mrs. Smith). While it lacks in the originality department World War Z is undeniably entertaining and it’s a good old fashioned zombie apocalyptic thriller, unlike recent zombie comedies such as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, or Warm Bodies where everything is played for laughs or a lot of the recent zombie action thrillers based on popular video games, the movie is a giant war between humans and zombies with lots of gunfire, flesh eating, the traditional zombie movie material, it’s pretty much Night of the Living Dead on steroids.

Brad Pitt plays United Nations employee, Gerry Lane who traverses the world into a race against time to stop a pandemic that’s transforming all of humanity into flesh eating zombies that are toppling armies and governments and threaten to devastate humanity. So it’s up to Gerry and his family to survive this apocalyptic war and figure out a way to stop the contagious virus that can destroy the world.

The plot is pretty basic, traditional zombie survival, but they like to throw in a few surprises in there. As a whole, World War Z is loaded with action and plenty of fun, while it isn’t exactly scary nor is it a bloody horror mess; it’s an intense fast paced thriller with a classic story.

 I enjoyed the film for the most part but I wouldn’t say it’s better than any of those classic zombie flicks like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, or the Evil Dead franchise. It’s almost impossible for a modern horror or supernatural thriller these days to surpass the classics, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the movie, I thought it was worth my time and money.

I’ve never read Max Brooks’ book so I won’t be able to compare any of the differences or flaws, but from what I can tell the movie’s adaption has mixed reception from people who read the book. However as a moviegoer, World War Z is a very good action/horror thriller with enough zombie action for classic horror fans as well as newcomers, epic special effects, eye-popping 3D, and a likable performance by Brad Pitt.

If you’re a fan of the Max Brooks novel, classic zombie movies, or post apocalyptic thrillers, give this flick a try. While the plot is simple, there should be something for everyone in this gut pounding zombie thriller.