World War Z
I’ve seen this movie a couple of times since it came out (2013). Prior to this watching, I had forgotten most of it. And, honestly, I wasn’t that excited to re-watch it. However, since it was my spouse’s turn to pick…
I went into the movie having only vague memories of fast-moving zombies and Brad Pitt with some hair that needed to get the heck out of here.
Honestly, that’s I’ll I’ve got for the lead-in here – I really haven’t thought about this movie much. Prior to watching it for the first time, or even before / during / after watching it for a second time.
I think the main thing that stuck with me was knowing Max Brooks (son of Mel Brooks) wrote the book. So I liked that.
DISCLAIMER: I have not read the book yet. However, after re-watching this movie, I think I really want to check out the book! Let me know if you’ve read it and it’s actually worth checking out…
One final piece of contextual info: I watched this just a few days before France went into lockdown. So, we are in the thick of COVID-19 quarantine and escalation going into this.
SPOILER ZONE
Again, low to no expectations heading into this movie. Although, maybe I was more open to fully experiencing it going in this time (since I knew I’d be wanting to write a review).
Once again, we have a soundscape open the film before we get anything visually – This has been a trend among the few movies I’ve been reviewing recently. As I’ve said before, I do appreciate this when it’s well done – it immediately places you in a time and place, with some context of what you are feeling in this time and place.
While the smash cut of headlines / news programs / pundits setting the stage is somewhat expected and, I guess, necessary, I wished there could be a new and fresh way to launch into one of these movies. For me, it felt like more of the same. Plus, the “fractured” effect over these opening frames was a bit heavy handed in my opinion.
Some of the commentary around mask shortages and certain commentators exclaiming that this is just an elaborate hoax – that hit a little too close to home considering current events in March, 2020. I mean, there’s even a line that says “The airlines were the perfect delivery system.” Yikes.
The initial scene introducing us to the family is also pretty basic. Nothing special here. If these moments had felt more special, I think this might be one of my favorite movies of all time. But, it’s not doing anything more or less than the basics of family intro and setting the stage. I accept it for what it is, but I’m not excited about it.
Unlike some other disaster-type movies, we hit the gas almost immediately. THANK YOU. Nothing is more thrilling than expecting a slow build, but then getting metaphorically hit by the huge truck that just eviscerates that cop.
We start to get to know the family at around 3:30. By 6:45, just over 3 minutes later, they are in traffic and it’s clear there’s something wrong. At 6:52 – EXPLOSION. I think for most viewers, we anticipate this will be as high as this escalates for now. So many of these movies love to hide the baddies until further into the run time. This can be fun, sure. But, I love how the film plays on our expectations by escalating again in a major way just about 10 seconds after the first explosion.
7:04 – Cop is hit by truck OUT OF NOWHERE! I said something out loud to the television at this point, but I can’t remember what. Probably something like “AH!”. And then something like “Oh, shit we are IN it now!”
So fun.
By 10:45 they’ve already established the scale of the disaster – we see fast moving zombies devouring full city blocks of people in seconds. And every bite = a new zombie. The city is on fire. At this point, we can’t see how we (humanity) will ever survive this.
The pacing of the first section of this movie is simply fantastic – you can hardly believe how fast we are moving.
By the time we are in the RV (only about 10-12 minutes into the movie), we are struggling to breath like the asthmatic daughter and thinking “What just happened?” like her mother (I assume).
I do like the choice to have the family with Mr. Pitt – it immediately sets the stakes as high as possible. …Not that this is the first and only film to do this, or even the best to do this (looking at you The Impossible)
From here, the pace stays aggressive. If I had to pick, the pacing is my absolute favorite part of this movie. Fast zombies. Fast pace.
Quick digression on Marc Forster (Director). I knew that I knew this name, but could not remember any of his other films. So, I took a quick stroll over to IMDB and surprise! He’s actually directed some of my favorite films:
Stranger than Fiction: One of my favorite films of all time
Finding Neverland: While one can debate the merits of this movie, I have a thing about Peter Pan. So you’ll have to let me have this one
Some other honorable mentions include Quantum of Solace (not my favorite Bond film), Monster’s Ball (never saw it) and Christopher Robin (also haven’t seen it yet – Ewan, I’m coming for you soon).
To me, it’s an intriguing mix of genres, right? A little bit all over the place, with some through-lines. I don’t have any great conclusion here. Suffice it to say, it’s an interesting resume to me, and I might do some digging at some point to see if I can identify any larger trend with his work.
Back to the War:
The sequences that follow – escaping in the RV, the battle to find the inhaler, the climb through the apartment building – are all top notch in my book. The whole journey through the apartment building is really one of the best suspense /action sequences out there in my book.
Once the family makes it to the boat, the movie has the onerous task of explaining why Brad Pitt has the skills to survive thus far, how it is that he happens to have a special contact that can send a helicopter to rescue his family from a random rooftop in New Jersey, and why he has to come back for just one more mission. If you are here for a well-developed plot and backstory with no holes or question marks or clichés, I’m sorry to say you will be disappointed.
So, I won’t comment on the plotting of the next sequence, or any sequence from here on out. That’s not what this movie is about.
When we go to Korea, there’s an incredible shot of the plane in the rain – followed by a really fun action bit. I loved that we get a zombie battle on bicycles. Even the idea of it makes me smile. And, once again, loved the execution. The fact that he would not have put his phone on silent knowing that the zombies are attracted to sound? Gonna have to eye roll that one and move on I guess.
Why is he still wearing a scarf here?
Please. Someone tell me why. Why??
I will say, it is at this point that the scarf needs to go. I repeat: Needs. To. Go. Why are you still wearing it? It irked me to no end that he kept that damn scarf on all through Israel. Why?? I have worn many scarves. I can’t make it through one day of walking around the office without having to re-adjust the wrap of the scarf. And yet we are to believe Brad Pitt is fighting zombies in the rain, running through Israel, kicking, fighting, shooting. And he never looses the scarf? No. Also – the long hair. Least helpful haircut for action! It’s always in his face! Shave it off!
Please just imagine the above paragraph repeating in my head several times throughout this movie.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Did the movie jump the shark a bit with “zombies on a plane”? Sure. Did I love the craziness of it? Absolutely. How did the zombie get into the bathroom? Presumably he hadn’t turned before he boarded the plane and went to the bathroom. Does the timing on that check out? Best not to think about it too hard.
Somehow both Brad and Israeli GI Jane survive this plane crash. Don’t worry about it too much!
Somehow they manage to walk to the W.H.O. Office. Sure, fine. At this point I’m just taking a breath in preparation for the next action sequence.
One we get to the W.H.O. I see Peter Capaldi! I did not remember him being in this! As a Doctor Who fan, it was lovely to see him, and also fantastic to be able to snip this screen-grab from the IMDB page for this movie.
The whole sequence at the W.H.O truly felt like a video game to me. I know there is a World War Z video game out there, so I wondered which came first. Not only did the movie come first, but the video game was not released until 2019! 6 years after the film! This seems like a long time to me, but maybe they didn’t start development until after the film was released, and maybe I don’t have a great understanding of video game development timelines.
I do love the concept that the sick may inherit the earth. I also love that the conclusion wasn’t that we discovered a cure or a way to defeat the zombies, just a way to hide ourselves a bit. The fact that the whole thing isn’t resolved by the end lends a bit of realism to a fantastically fantastical story.
This is one of those movies that, in order to enjoy it, you just have to accept the loosely planted reasons that Brad Pitt is an action star, retired, called back for one more mission, not an epidemiologist, but can surmise what no one else can after a single conversation with one, etc. If you and I can accept that, there’s nothing left to be had but a fun time.
The Bottom Line:
While sometimes cliché, heavy-handed, or weakly written, the thrill I got and the fun I had watching this movie is undeniable. Fact: this is a fantastic zombie movie. The basic structure is nothing new, but fast zombies are super fun and scary. Enough successful jump-scares and suspenseful moments to make up for any other weaknesses. Ultimately: tons of fun and not too eerie to watch even in this time of quarantine. Recommend!
