Movie Review: World War Z

World War Z 

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, Fana Mokoena, David Morse, Elyes Gabel, Peter Capaldi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Ruth Negga, Moritz Bleibtreu, Sterling Jerins, Abigail Hargrove, Fabrizio Zacharee Guido, David Andrews, John Gordon Sinclair
Director: Marc Forster 

Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Hemisphere Media Capital, GK Films, Plan B Entertainment, 2DUX², Apparatus Productions, Latina Pictures, USA, Malta, 2013.

The movie is loosely based on the book by Max Brooks.

Former UN worker Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and their kids Constance and Rachel (Sterling Jerins and Abigail Hargrove) are stuck in rush hour traffic when disaster strikes. A zombie virus begins to spread fast. Chaos and looting spread fast. The family escapes and takes shelter in the home of Mexican immigrant family. After evacuation to aircraft carrier Gerry must help virology specialist Andrew Fassbach (Elyes Gabel) to find a cure against the disease. As a special incentive, Lane family will be kicked off the boat if Gerry fails because there is only room for possibly important persons.

Karin and Gerry Lane and their kids

Last minute shopping spree

Philadelphia is lost

Gerry then goes around the world searching for ways to stop zombie-virus. Adventure takes him to South Korea, Israel and Wales. In South Korea he meets a strange former CIA-agent (David Morse) who tells how North Korea survived the zombies. The walled city of Jerusalem has resisted the zombies until now. However problems start to pile up. From Israel Gerry takes with him an Israeli female soldier Segen (Daniella Kertesz). In Wales three W.H.O. scientists (Peter Capaldi, Pierfrancesco Favino and Ruth Negga) are holding against a lab full of zombies.

Gerry must save the world

Strange guy from CIA

Israeli soldier Segen

Instead of being a horror movie, this is a disaster movie with zombies. Despite being a zombie-movie this movie is low on gore, aiming at lower PG-13 age rating in the USA (the Scandinavian DVD is also the theatrical cut version). Despite this the swarming zombie hordes and visions of destroyed cities are apocalyptic and very impressive. This is the most expensive zombie film to date. Shaky camera is used a lot which adds to the chaos when zombies are attacking. The movie has serious tone, but there are some nods to other films and video games (one scientist uses crowbar as his weapon of choice, Half-Life style). Also funny coincidence is that Peter Capaldi (who played W.H.O. scientist) has played Doctor Who since 2013.

Big pile of zombies

Zombies on a plane

Heroes search for the cure

World War Z is a good action filled disaster film but the characters are quite shallow. In the movie different persons give some tidbits about the origin of the zombie epidemic. For example it was interesting that in India the zombies were called Rakshasas, who are demons in Hindu mythology. The movie could have used these kinds of information fragments a bit more. Also for the Lane family the beginning of the zombie apocalypse comes as a total surprise, although there must have been some news reports about it happening all around the world. With the original book the movie has very little in common except the setting of zombie apocalypse.

W.H.O. scientist (Ruth Negga) gives backup

Grrr!

Rating: Good