Josh Wilding Reviews: WORLD WAR Z (2D)
There was a lot of controversy surrounding World War Z when it was being filmed, so here's a bit more for you: It's better than Man of Steel! "Oh no he didn't!" Oh yes I did. Hit the jump to read my spoiler-free verdict of the movie.
A PG-13 zombie movie that actually works?! Surely not! Well, while anyone desperate for a gory two hours of blood splattering the walls and intestines being torn out by the handful may be disappointed, World War Z is actually a fast paced and smart thriller which somehow manages to offer up a fresh twist on the genre. That's not exactly an easy feat, especially as The Walking Dead does it so well on a weekly basis on the small screen. However, both the look of the zombies in this movie and the way they act (running may not be anything new thanks to 28 Days Later, but the way the undead swarm is most certainly unique) certainly helps to differentiate them from the norm. The scale at which they move is also impressive. We're used to seeing fairly isolated examples of zombie attacks, but in World War Z, we literally see them infest cities, taking them over in a matter of just a few devastating minutes.
The film isn't without some problems however and the fact that they play so loosely with time and locations means that it occasionally feels as if everything is moving along just a little TOO quickly. Although the lack of gore isn't missed, it can be occasionally quite distracting as director Marc Forster is forced to cut around these scenes, ultimately lessening their impact somewhat. If you can forgive these few moments though, the action is handled very well throughout. These sequences are all top notch actually, particularly a nighttime scene at an airbase in Korea and a flight to Cardiff which goes disastrously wrong! There are a few decent scares too, as well as some very tense and edge of your seat moments. Unfortunately - and I'm not sure if this is perhaps a result of the 3D conversion - the film is a little too dark in places, making the action hard to follow at points.
Brad Pitt is very much the leading man here and has no trouble with both anchoring the movie AND helping to highlight the lesser known actors he's often surrounded by. James Badge Dale makes a memorable appearance, although Lost fans will be in for a major disappointment if they decide to see World War Z just for a glimpse of Jack as that's all his role in the movie really is...a glimpse! There aren't really any weak performances to speak of, and while the trailers may have made it appear as if the special effects would be exactly that, there are only perhaps one or two moments where they don't look quite as good as they should. For the most part, the plot of World War Z is engrossing and smart but still easy to follow. It's arguably a little choppy here and there and perhaps a bit too neat and tidy for some at the very end, but despite these few minor issues, it's a tense and well thought out action thriller.
World War Z is smart, exciting and original enough to keep the overused zombie genre feeling fresh for a little while longer. The end may be deliberate sequel bait, but it's hard to imagine you won't want one by the time the credits roll!
The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. Enos plays Gerry’s wife Karen Lane; Kertesz is his comrade in arms, Segen.
STARRING:
Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane
Mireille Enos as Karin
James Badge Dale as Captain Speke
Lucy Aharish as ???
Julia Levy-Boeken as ???
Matthew Fox as ???
Elyes Gabel as Fassbach
Bryan Cranston as ???
David Morse as ???
Abigail Hargrove as Rachel Lane
RELEASE DATE: June 21st, 2013.