World War Z–Review

I never understood how zombies could conquer the Earth.  If they’re unintelligent, uncomplicated animals, it stands to reason that the surviving humans, with a little resiliency, intellect and technology, would ultimately triumph — despite any disadvantage in numbers.  World War Z is the film that’s been closest to validating the notion that undead walkers could cause a planetary apocalypse.  These creatures run, scale walls like ants, and can convert their human prey in a mere ten seconds.  (It’s true.  Brad Pitt actually counted).  Zombie godfather, George Romero, never bothered to explain why or how zombies came to exist.  Z removes any notions of religious dogma.  They’re biological; some sort of plague.  Films like these dare not answer the question “How?”  

World War Z is an affective B-movie, although it feels like it’s leading to somewhere grand.  The film shows the zombie plague threaten the globe.  The film takes place in South Korea and Israel.  One intense action sequence occurs amongst passengers on an airplane.  It doesn’t take a genius to find 9/11 overtones: humans encountering unexplained horrors, rallying together to fight common enemies.  But we’re brought to Jerusalem because it has a bigass stone wall.  Oh… 

The film begins in Philadelphia.  Happy parents Gerry and Karin Lane (Brad Pitt and Karin Lane) are awoken by their pouncing daughters.  (Cliche 1: Introduce leads as sleep-deprived parents wih insensitive children).  Gerry, a former UN representative, now lives a quiet life — denouncing a tenacious career for a quiet domestic family life.  (Cliche 2: Any character introduced as an ex-“important guy” is doomed to get redrafted for the pending crisis).  As Pitt and family take a drive, they are raffled by explosions and mayhem as possessed humans begin to wwreak havoc. (Cliche 3: Heroes only learn of catastrophes by unexpected carnage — never from the news or a helpful neighbor).  Like rabid dogs, they chase their human prey.  Once they bite you, you’re as good as zombie!

Gerry eventually leads his family to haven on a US military carrier.  But to keep his family safe — the carrier is only accepting essential personnel — Gerry must help the military and scientists solve the mystery of the epidemic.  Gerry travels across the globe.  The rest of the film involves Gerry encountering numerous zombies and close-calls. 

World War Z was directed by Marc Forster, who seems to have left behind his low-budgety servitude for the sake of big, grande action fare.  Like his abysmal fore into Bond, Quantum of Solace, Z is subject to incomprehensible moments of editing frenzy.  The initial zombie stampede through Philadelphia is too frenetic and loses its shock value.  However, Forster calms down in Israel — maybe due to the novel sequences in which we see thousands of CGI zombies stockpiling onto to each in order to scale the tall stone wall barriers. 

Forster gives the zombies a added bit of menace thanks to some effective performers.  My favorite remains a possessed doctor whose shuttering jaws demanded a pety imitation from yours truly.  Forster aims for some jump scares (zombies don’t sneak, do they?).  While the tactic is cheap, there are some truly effective B-movie moments.  Forster also incorporates a couple of effective sequences where escape seems impossible.  The inevitable escapes are more fitting than Fast and Furious than the grim, real-life world Forster hopes to maintain.

World War Z is rated PG-13 — a sacrilige to many gore-hounds.  But given the excessive use of lurid disembolwelment in zombie fare like AMC’s The Walking Dead, Z feels fresh in it restrictions — even if its only meant to retain the coveted teenage demographic.  However, there’s a quick arm dismemberment that clearly would have carried more weight if the horrors were shown rather than implied.  (I thought people bleed to death or suffered shock.  But I’m no doctor!)

What’s most surprising about World War Z is how stale it feels.  Pitt — a competent leading man — makes for a rather dull hero.  His Gerry is regulated to the dutiful father/husband role; constantly conducting phone check-ins, which don’t add to the human drama.  I couldn’t help but wait for someone as talented as Pitt to break.  Unfortunately, the film ends with Pitt never garnering any depth.  Instead, he remains the guy who-always-has-the-right-answer, even when he’s surrounded by military experts and scientific genuises.  Instead, the leads merely serve as second-tier castmates from 70s disaster movies: they say hello, encounter terrors, spend the rest of the film running away. 

World War Z clearly reveals its turbulent production history in the last fifteen minutes.  It doesn’t quite know how to end, so it just does.  It leaves the vaguest opening for a sequel.  But you’ll have forgotten everything you’ve witnessed in about fifteen minutes.  As far as I’m concerned, this war was fun, intense — and there should be peace. 

(Cliche 4: Never fully resolve a zombie crisis!)