World War Z Review

Before moving ahead with the review of World War Z, I would like to ask the zombie genre fans, who have loved the gore in George A. Romero's films, got thrilled in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later and stunned by the human drama in The Walking Dead, to forget whatever they have seen so far. Unless you do so, you won't be able to enjoy and appreciate the latest Brad Pitt apocalypse thriller.



There is a reason why I'm writing this. Because World War Z, in many ways, is different from the zombie flicks we have seen so far. The movie was conceived as a big budget summer blockbuster and it unfolds in a typical epic disaster film style. In the very beginning we are introduced to the family of Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), a former UN employee. The family, including two daughters, find itself in the midst of a zombie outbreak in Philadelphia. They barely escape and reach US Navy vessel, where Gerry is forced to join the forces in finding the solution to control this pandemic which has spread globally. His quest lead him to different countries in search for the answers that nobody seems to know.

The movie begins with a bang as the sudden zombie attack on the streets of Philadelphia force Gerry's family to take refuge in an apartment. From there on it is a roller coaster ride as Gerry moves from the vessel to Korea, Israel and then Cardiff. The scale of the film is huge and unlike what we have seen in any zombie film so far. For the first time we see the crisis unfolding on the global level and the director Marc Forster has been able to execute it very well. It is very clear from the initial sequence itself that Forster's intention is to induce awe in the audience, and not just thrill them. Almost three fourth of the film boasts of many such sequences that just blow you away. The zombie attack on Jerusalem is easily the best sequence of the movie.  Only towards the climax does the film take you into familiar zombie territory where tension and anxiety grips you as the protagonist and his associates move around in the isolated corners of a zombie infected facility.

Another aspect of the film that differentiates it from the usual zombie flicks is that minimal gore has been shown in it. The film doesn't induce nausea in the viewers and zombies haven't been depicted as utterly ugly monsters. On the other hand, the movie does lack moving human drama. The scale of the film hardly allows it to develop any character other than that of protagonists. You will hardly remember the names of any other character once the film ends. Also, the climax is a bit subdued when compared to the major part of the film and so the ending turns out to be a bit disappointing.

Go and watch World War Z as a typical summer fare, and not a thrilling drama in the league of apocalypse films like 28 Days Later and Children of Men, and you will enjoy it thoroughly.