Thursday, May 12th 2016: Turner Broadcasting/Adult Swim Announce Upcoming Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Special

Already known for working with major movie and pop culture franchises to create parody specials,  Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken announced today that they’ll be teaming with AMC’s The Waking Dead’s Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple to bring a Walking Dead special to life. The announcement came via an official Turner Broadcasting press release:

Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Special
In keeping with the tradition of working with major franchises such as Star Wars and the DC Comics universe, the Emmy®-winning team behind Robot Chicken joins forces with the creators of The Walking Dead to bring fans an all new and extra bloody half-hour special. Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner, will bring an animated zombie apocalypse to Adult Swim with The Walking Dead’s creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman and showrunner/executive producer/writer Scott M. Gimple.

What are your thoughts? The Robot Chicken crew definitely has a ton of material to work with and we can’t wait to see what hilarious and edgy 30 minute parody special they come up with. One thing is for sure. . . no cast member, crew  member or character is safe! There’s no official air date for Robot Chicken: The Walking Dead Special as of yet but we’ll update you when we hear news.

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Francine Parker: What are they doing? Why do they come here?

Stephen: Some kind of instinct. Memory of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives.

While the zombies in George A. Romero’s classic 1978 film, Dawn of the Dead, may not have known why they shambled to the Monroeville Mall, countless fans DO head there with a specific purpose.  Many adoring fans visit just to say they’ve been fortunate enough to experience walking around the mall used as the main filming location for Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.

Unfortunately fans will soon have one less reason to visit the iconic Monroeville Mall located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. We recently discovered on Facebook that plans are underway to remove the small bridge seen on screen. This is especially sad because the footbridge is one of the last recognizable portions of the mall left for Dawn fans to personally experience, touch and enjoy.  Even more troubling is the fact that the bridge could simply be discarded instead of being treated like the piece of zombie and horror film history it is!

Before we go any further we should say we haven’t been able to verify things first hand.  While we have absolutely no reason to NOT believe what we’ve heard, we feel obligated to point out we’re simply reporting what we’ve read via social media. You can view the Facebook community page post we’re referring to here:

As Father Time dictates, things change over the years. Much of the mall, the setting and main filming location for Dawn of the Dead, looks vastly different from the footage that was shot back in 1977. The only original anchor store left is J.C. Penny and even it was relocated from its original location near the center of the mall.  Most of the original J.C. Penny area seen on screen was demolished and removed to make room for a movie theater in 2012. To put it bluntly, the bridge is one of the last remaining recognizable portions of the mall that is featured in the film.

We’ll keep our thoughts and comments about mall business decisions to ourselves. The bottom line is this iconic bridge is being removed. As much as that decision boggles our mind and breaks our heart . . . the decision has reportedly already been made. Zombie fans should now focus on making sure this small piece of cinematic history is preserved and relocated to a new home where it will be cherished and appreciated by fans for years to come. There really is no better home than the Living Dead Museum or perhaps even the Heinz History Museum. Either one is certainly a much better home than a dumpster or scrap pile.

Countless fans make the journey to the Monroeville Mall specifically to visit the former filming location and to walk across the bridge. If we act NOW we might be able to help ensure the bridge is preserved and relocated so fans can continue to enjoy and appreciate this piece of cult film history. The best part is saving it could cost little more than a few moments of your time!

Judging from the Save the Dawn of the Dead Bridge Facebook Community Page, there isn’t currently a need for funds to save the bridge. They mainly need fans to raise awareness and help spread the word. If enough people voice their opinion and share their thoughts on why the bridge should be saved and relocated it just might happen!

OK. There is one small catch here; we need to move FAST. From what we’ve read the pond area has already been drained and the removal of the bridge could be just days away. So what can you do to help out?

First, sign the online petition located here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/785/166/923/save-the-dawn-of-the-dead-bridge/.

You can also help spread the word by liking and sharing the Save the Dawn of the Dead Bridge Community Page on Facebook.  Commenting and showing your support there and here on this blog post will definitely help the cause as well.

What are your thoughts? Should the bridge be preserved? Why or why not? If you do want to see the bridge relocated where do you think it should go? Our vote is for The Living Dead Museum! Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

The post Help Save the Dawn of The Dead Bridge! appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

This week brought good news for zombie fans.  We finally got a closer look at the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger zombie film, Maggie!  This sneak peek came via the first official trailer for the film. Check out the trailer below:

The trailer runs about two minutes and definitely drives home the point that this  is not your typical zombie film.   That shouldn’t be a surprise to most of you since we told you nearly two years ago that this won’t be the zombie slaying blood and guts action film you probably long for.  This film may not feature the wise cracking Arnold from our youth and that’s OK because it still looks promising.

We may not see Arnold in shades and a leather jacket mercilessly exterminating zombies while spouting corny clips and one-liners. Instead Arnold plays the role of , Wade, a father in a zombie pandemic desperately trying to save his daughter from the viral infection that is slowly turning her into a zombie.  He believes he can save Maggie and restore her to health but the virus slowly and relentlessly overtakes her body. As the disease consumes her emotions and tensions run high.  The father/daughter relationship is strained and Maggie and her father are both faced with very difficult decisions.  Should Maggie protect her father from the disease or protect his heart?

This film definitely puts a human twist on the classic zombie film.  Arnold himself has posted on Facebook, stating the film, ” . . .  is the most human zombie film you’ve ever seen, and it’s the most human role you’ve ever seen me take on.”

Although the trailer states, “COMING SOON” a release date has been set.  Maggie will be released in theaters and video on demand on May 8th, 2015.  Maggie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin.

This definitely sounds like a unique take on zombie films.  We can’t wait to see this one. Do you plan on checking it out? What are your thoughts on the trailer. Let us know by leaving a comment below!

The post First Official Trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger Zombie Film “Maggie” appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Zombie Film Maggie U.S. Release Date Set for May 8th, 2015

We first told you about the upcoming Zombie Film, Maggie, back in June of 2013. Good news zombie fans! We now have a U.S. release date. Maggie was picked up for United States distribution by Lionsgate back in late August of 2014. The film was originally scheduled to make it’s world premiere at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival but was later pulled from the festival due to the acquisition by Lionsgate and the fact that they were planning an early 2015 US release for the film. That date is now set for limited release on May 8th, 2015.

This unique new take on the zombie movie genre stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin. Zombie fans will no doubt recognize Breslin from her role as “Little Rock” in 2009’s Zombieland. Those of you hoping for a classic action role from Schwarzenegger may be disappointed. It doesn’t sound like Arnold will be spending much time bashing undead skull. Instead, he’ll play a patriarchal role as a father that struggles to support his daughter as she slowly succumbs to a zombie virus. Here’s the official synopsis of the film from production company, Lotus Entertainment:

Maggie is a precocious young woman growing up with all the typical teen angst and stress that girls her age face. But the difference is Maggie is infected with a virus, and is slowly turning into a zombie. Society exists as a post-zombie pandemic world where those infected are treated like patients and the zombies are taken care of.

Maggie is holed up in her remote house with her father WADE who is looking after her. He believes he can save her from the virus, restoring her to good health. But as the virus advances and slowly consumes Maggie’s body, tensions run high and their father/daughter relationship is put to the test.

This is a poignant tale of a father’s struggle for his infected daughter, putting a humanizing dramatic twist on the zombie genre. In the end, Maggie is faced with a harrowing decision to protect her father from the disease or protect his heart.

 

What are your thoughts on Maggie? Will you be seeing it? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below!

Sources:

• http://collider.com/maggie-release-date-arnold-schwarzenegger/
• http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/zombie-drama-maggie-starring-arnold-schwarzenegger-lands-release-date-999
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1881002/
• http://cinemaassassin.com/lionsgate-acquires-north-american-distribution-rights-apocalyptic-thriller-maggie-starring-arnold-schwarzenegger-abigail-breslin-lotus-entertainment/
• http://lotusentertainment.com/film-detail/maggie-88

The post Arnold Schwarzenegger Zombie Film “Maggie” Gets U.S. Theatrical Release Date appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

This 3 DVD set contains older black and white and a few color zombie movies. It’s the perfect addition to your zombie movie collection. This free zombie DVD prize includes the following zombie movies:

1. Carnival of Souls
2. Dead Men Walk
3. Horror of The Zombies
4. House of the Living Dead
5. King of the Zombies
6. Mutant
7. The Last Man on Earth
8. Night of the Living Dead
9. Oasis of the Zombies
10. The Snake People
11. Teenage Zombies
12. White Zombie

How to Enter:

Enter this zombie giveaway using the entry widget below. ONLY entries earned and placed via the official giveaway widget will be valid.

Giveaway Entry Period:
The giveaway entry period is open from 6/7/2014 until 12:00 am on Thursday 6/12/2014. After the giveaway entry period closes we’ll choose one winner at random.

For complete rules, terms and conditions see the entry widget above.

Don’t want to mess around with all this entering stuff? Buy this Zombie DVD and add it to your collection today!:

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Stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect the precious cargo he carries: his infant daughter.

Have you seen CARGO? It’s a zombie themed short film that was a Tropfest Australia 2013 Finalist. The film was first published way back  in February of 2013 and currently has nearly 4.5 MILLION views on YouTube! There’s a reason for all those views: the film truly is amazing.  If you haven’t seen it yet I HIGHLY recommend taking the time to watch it.

Coming in just under 7 minutes, I was simply blown away by this amazing short film and the amount of awesomeness that can be packed into such a short time.  This is NOT your typical zombie survival film. Instead it’s about the sheer desperation a father experiences once he comes to after an automobile accident to realize his wife is a zombie, he’s been bitten and he needs to protect his infant daughter. More importantly, it’s about the sheer genius level creativity that the situation elevates the father to in an effort to ensure his helpless child reaches safety. A lesser man might give up or take the easy way out by ending his and his daughter’s lives. Instead this hero, despite knowledge that he’ll soon succumb to the infection, wastes no time creating a plan of action.

How does a lone father get his daughter to safety even after infection, death and zombification? You’ll have to spare 7 minutes of your time to find out. Watch the video below. It’s definitely worth your time.

CARGO was Directed by Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke
Produced by Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke, Marcus Newman, Daniel Foeldes

This movie was amazing to me because it’s such a different take on the zombie apocalypse. Maybe I also like the film so much because I’m a single dad.  As a parent I know how much I love my child, how far I’d go to protect them and just how much outside of the box quick thinking you can do when stuff hits the fan and you need to protect your defenseless child.

What do YOU think of CARGO? (TSI “Balloon”)  Let us know in the comments section below!

The post CARGO: The Zombie Short Film That Will Blow You Away appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films is bringing the zombie comedy, Dead Before Dawn, to DVD and Blu-ray on October 1st in the U.S. This film focuses on a new breed of zombies that are half zombie and half demons or “Zemons.” Don’t take our word for it. Here’s the official synopsis:

Dead Before Dawn follows a bunch of college kids who accidentally break an evil urn and end up inadvertently creating a curse that causes everyone they make eye contact with to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka ZEMONS!
Now, with only 24 hours to reverse the curse and the fate of the entire world resting on their shoulders, our heroes race through the night in a bloody Winnebago, armed with a slew of homemade weapons, avoiding eye contact, dodging hicky’s and seducing Zemons.
Will our heroes be able to reverse the curse and save the day or will all of humanity be Dead Before Dawn?! Zombieland meets the Goonies in this blood soaked horror comedy that pits college kids against ZEMONS, the newest monster to join the horror creature lexicon.

“Zombieland meets The Goonies” if that’s even half true count me in!

Dead Before Dawnstars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha Maclsaac, Brandon Jay McLaren, Brittany Allen, April Mullen, Tim Doion,Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Kyle Schmid, Rossif Sutherland, Dru Viergever, Benjamin Ayres, Jacob Ewaniuk, Max Topplin and more.

Check out the official U.S. trailer below:

Dead Before Dawn 3D was made available on demand everywhere on August 2nd, 2013. It’s been screening in select U.S. theaters since September 6th, 2013 and in Canadian theaters from September 20th, 2013.

Dead Before Dawn will be released in the U.S. on Blu-ray and DVD on October 1st, 2013. Pre-order/order now via Amazon!

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What’s up zombie fans? I’m happy to announce we have two copies of Paramount Pictures zombie  film, World War Z, to give away! These are the U.S. Target Exclusive Edition digital combo packs with limited edition World War Art book.

Each 2 disc set includes:

1 – Blu-ray copy of World War Z featuring the unrated cut of the film and behind the scenes featurettes.

1- DVD theatrical feature film

1 48 page art book featuring select artwork from “World War Z: The Art of The Film” 

Entering is simple. Just enter using the entry form below. We’re giving away one copy through the official entry form and the other copy will be given away to one lucky randomly chosen subscriber of our free Zombie Newsletter. Winners will be randomly chosen.

ENTER HERE:

Enter using the giveaway entry form widget below. Form not displaying correctly? Try refreshing your browser. If you’re using a mobile device try accessing the giveaway entry form from a computer or other devices. The giveaway entry period is open now and ends on 9/30/2013 at 12:00 am EST. Randomly chosen winners will be selected and notified shortly thereafter.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ZOMBIEGIFT.COM EMAIL NEWSLETTER and get access to zombie related news, giveaway announcements, exclusive zombie giveaways and more! All delivered to your email inbox.

The post World War Z Blu-ray Target Exclusive Giveaway! appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has reportedly signed as the  lead in the upcoming zombie film, Maggie. Now before you fellow action fans get all excited, let me burst your bubbles. Maggie is NOT going to be your typical zombie film. If you thought “Warm Bodies” was weird you might want to prepare yourself.

Although it’s set in a  zombie apocalypse type setting, Maggie is about a small farm family helping their oldest daughter come to terms with the fact that she’s been infected with a zombie virus and will soon become a member of the walking dead. It sounds like Schwarzenegger won’t be blasting zed with machine guns but rather accompanying his daughter on her slow road to zombiedom and helping her come to accept her fate peacefully.
Maggie was  a 2011 Black List screen play,dubbing it one of the most popular unproduced screenplays of 2011.  Chloe Moretz was originally set to play the daughter with Paddy Considine at her side as loving father. Moretz was unable to commit due to scheduling conflicts and Schwarzenegger has been added as a rather usual choice for the hero of a zombie film that isn’t about mindless explosions and undead assassination.

My first reaction on news of Maggie was the film is probably going to as well received as a tumor. Then I realized Arnold would surely correct me….”It’s not a tu-mah…It’s not a tu-mah at all.” I’m not sure how I feel about this one just yet but rest assured I’ll keep an open mind.  When Maggie releases I’ll see it and then “I’ll be back” with a review. (I’ll try to avoid terrible Arnold references at that point.)

What are YOUR thoughts on Maggie? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Sources:

• io9.com
• geektyrant.com
• variety

The post Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs as Lead in Upcoming Zombie Film, “Maggie”. appeared first on ZombieGift.com Zombie Blog.

World War Z is finally here. It seems like it’s been ages since zombie fans first heard of plans to bring a zombie film inspired by Max Brook’s iconic novel, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War to life.  Excitement soon gave way to worry and then dread. It appeared the film was headed for disaster.  First came the photos and the first few clips of production work released to the public. Next came word of problems on set and script rewrites. Things looked bad.  Then came the trailer and things looked really bad.  Bluntly put, it looked like the movie would suck.  Then we saw “new” trailers and clips which were just the same footage re-tweaked.  Next we saw the action figures which  look rushed and unfinished. The mobile game launched just before the movie and it too featured a glitchy launch and gameplay that looked subpar. Long before June 21^st, rolled around I was convinced this movie was going to be absolutely terrible.

It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. I was one of the bitter zombie snobs screaming from the hilltops how dreadful World War Z would be. I fully expected the movie to be a huge disappointment. While it’s not the most fantastic zombie film I’ve seen I’m shocked to admit I actually enjoyed watching it.  If you don’t get hung up on the fact that it’s not a faithful novel to big screen adaptation it’s actually a fun action flick and  a decent zombie film.

There were a lot of things I already didn’t like going into this film. First, I don’t like runners. Running zombies with superhuman speed are not my favorite genre of undead.  I was willing to look past that which is a good thing. It turns out these zombies don’t always run and sometimes shamble about when not stimulated.  It was the best of both worlds!

Secondly, I’m not a huge Brad Pitt fan. It’s not that he’s a bad actor. I was just worried he’d skate by on his pretty boy qualities and not play the role of zombie hero very well. Finally I was worried about the PG-13 rating. Fortunately, all of my fears were unfounded and this movie ended up surprising me. With that in mind let’s take a closer look at World War Z.

Plot Summary:

WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS. SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! Click Here to skip the plot summary and continue reading the rest of the review.

World War Z doesn’t waste much time getting started, which is something I worry about with a film with a run time of nearly 2 hours (116 minutes).  The film starts with hints of a major rabies type viral outbreak. We see video clips of major media outlets reporting bits and pieces along with other run of the mill chit chat and TV nonsense. You definitely get the picture that the world and major media outlets are ignoring the severity of it.   We then cut to Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family starting their day in the peaceful suburbs.  It’s the typical scene and the one we’ve all seen over and over again in the same recycled trailers.  The kids bounce on the bed to wake mom and dad and Gerry, now retired from his hectic UN days, makes the family a pancake breakfast.

We then cut to Gerry Lane and his family in downtown Philadelphia.  They’re stuck in a traffic jam and things quickly get worse. These are again the scenes you’ve all probably seen dozens of times in the trailers used for the film.  Many helicopters and police personnel seem to be headed toward the center of the city and no one knows why. A policeman on a motorcycle flies by, knocking the mirror off Lane’s car.  He gets out to inspect the mess and see what’s going on. Another police officer comes along and tells him to get back in his vehicle and stay there. Suddenly a large garbage truck comes barreling through traffic smashing cars out of the way and killing any one in it’s way. One of it’s unlucky victims is the police offer telling Gerry to get back in his car. Panic ensues and we realize something is terribly wrong.  Realizing the Garbage truck is their way out of the chaos that is brewing, Gerry speeds along behind the truck taking advantage of the fact that it’s clearing a path.  It isn’t long before the truck crashes and Gerry and his family are t-boned and their car disabled.  Luckily they aren’t seriously injured and they are able to run away from the scene. It’s at this point we start to see how violent the zombies are and how fast the virus spreads.

Gerry’s daughter has a special stuffed animal plush toy named Subway Sam. She drops it and Gerry goes back to retrieve it after fleeing their demolished vehicle. He observes a man get bitten by one of the zombies just as “Subway Sam” starts counting aloud. It’s an eerie combination to hear a child’s toy counting calmly while we get our first look at  the violent post bite transformation. The virus works very quickly and the path from dead human to zombie involves much twisting, jerking and writhing. As the toy continues to count we see Lane continually glance back. Somehow he has the wherewithal to take mental notes in the face of a crisis: reanimation and zombiedom occurs in about 11 seconds.

The Lane family narrowly escapes and they flee to an apartment complex where they are taken in by a family just in time.  The family doesn’t speak English with the exception of their young son who translates.  The lanes spend the night (the extraction helicopter coming to rescue them can’t make it until sunrise).  Gerry encourages their new friends to leave with them.  He stresses he’s been in difficult situations before and those that survive are the ones that move.  Those who sit and wait for help typically die. “El movimiento es vida” he tells them. “Movement is life.”

Lane and his family prepare to head to the roof of the apartment complex.  The young translator boy joins them unexpectedly, his family presumably overtaken by the undead invading the apartment building.  In the battle to the rooftop a zombie attacks Gerry and when it is killed Lane gets blood in his mouth. He immediately runs to the edge of the rooftop counting quietly aloud. He’s prepared to throw himself off the top of the building if he’s infected and begins to turn.  It turns out he’s fine.  They’re rescued by the helicopter and are taken to a US Navy aircraft carrier just off the coast of New York.  A small fleet of surviving military ha assembled.  What’s left of organized military and government now make a frantic attempt to assess the the scope of the zombie outbreak which by now has already reached pandemic proportions.

One of the team members is a young hotshot virologist named Dr. Fassbach.  He  argues that the fast moving nature of the outbreak means it has to be viral. He claims they can likely make a vaccine if they can determine the origin. The naval commander tells Gerry that they need his help due to his expertise as a former UN investigator.  They ask Lane to travel with Dr. Fassbach and a small special forces team to find the source of the outbreak.  Gerry refuses, stating he left his job to be with his family and he won’t leave them.   The commander points out the ship is for essential personnel only and if Lane refuses to cooperate he and his family will be removed from the ship along with all other non-essential civilians.  Gerry reluctantly leaves on a plane bound for South Korea.

Shortly after arriving at their first destination, a military base in South Korea, things already start to go wrong.   They arrive battling a horrible storm and nearly out of fuel. When they step off the plan the team is attacked. Fassbach, awkwardly toting a pistol, trips when retreating back into the plane and he falls, shooting himself dead in the process.   The team is rescued by the remaining military members holed up at the base.   Here Gerry learns of a local man found foaming at the mouth that bit a doctor.   Next he shows him to a room full of burned corpses where they first saw the outbreak.  A prisoner being held at the base (a CIA traitor) tells Gerry Jerusalem has survived the initial outbreak by building a wall and completing construction of a safe zone  just prior to the outbreak.

After more loss of life when refueling the plane, only Gerry and his pilot partner remain.   They head to Israel to meet leader Jurgen Warmbrunn.  Jurgen explains Israel learned of the potential outbreak from India.  They then set up a safe zone, established a quarantine, and were letting uninfected civilians into the safe area.  The civilians began to sing loudly in celebration and prayer.  The noise coming from within the zone riles up th  infected on the other side of the walls and they begin to form a creepy writhing horde and swarm of undead that manage to climb over one another higher and higher until they spill over the walls into the safe area. Bedlam ensues and Jurgen appoints a small team of soldiers to get Gerry back to the airport and on his plane. During their escape an escoret soldier,Segen, is bitten.  Acting quickly, Gerry cuts off her hand to prevent the spread of the infection and keeping her from turning.  They arrive back at the airstrip just to see Lane’s lane taking off. They stop an airliner, the last flight out of the Jerusalem, and manage to climb aboard take off just as Jerusalem falls to the undead.

On the plane Lane patches up the female soldier’s amputation and begins to have a revelation. He recalls zombies along the way that have ignored or avoided sick or injured people. Empowered by his new revelation he thinks he may have a solution to the zombie pandemic.   He contacts his old partner, Thierry, and tells them to to find the closest still functional medical research facility. He gives his satellite phone to the pilot and co-pilot and the plane is diverted to Cardiff, Wales where there is a World Health Organization research facility. Noone knows if it’s still functional.  Of course things aren’t going to be that easy.  There’s a lone stowaway zombie on the plane.   He attacks a flight attendant and the infection quickly spreads. The ensuing horde becomes too much to fight off. As a last resort  Gerry throws a grenade at the rear of the plane.  The explosion blows a hole in the plane and the rapid depressurization of the cabin sucks out zombies, the living and anything else not strapped down. The plane crashes and the scene fades to black. We then return with Gerry Lane passed out dripping blood and dangling from his seat.  He’s impaled through the side of his abdomen with a piece of metal. He manages to unbuckle himself and falls to the ground. He then sees Segen walking toward him. The pair walk to the research facility where Gerry passes out. He’s out for three days. In that time the folks back on the Navy ship decide he’s dead and they send his family (now non-essential personnel) off to a refugee camp in Nova Scotia.. Gerry awakens strapped to a table with a his wounds treated. After some convincing the researchers remove his restraints and Gerry tells him of his plan to make a sort of vaccine to use against the undead.

He tells them he’s observed how the zombies avoid anyone who has a terminal illness or major health condition. He has a theory that the infected only seek out healthy hosts. If they take one of their most deadly and incurable diseases and inject the population with it, they’d essentially be camouflaged and all but invisible to the undead.  Of course all of the pathogens that might be suitable for the vaccine are stored in a vault in “B-Wing” of the building. B-wing is now infested with at least 80 zombies, former research facility employees. One of the lab workers working on analyzing blood samples from the initial outbreak accidently infected himself, and the rest of his coworkers. The remaining survivors blocked off the doors to B-Wing.

Gerry, Segan and the head of the research facility decide they have to sneak into B-Wing.  When they make too much noise and draw the attention of zombies Gerry makes noise and runs off in a different direction to create a diversion.  Unfortunately the other members of the trio still can’t make it to the vault in B-Wing and they retreat back to the safe area of the facility, bringing a horde of zombies they just manage to lock out.  Meanwhile Gerry stumbles onto the vault he needs.

It’s a large refrigerated glass room.  He puts together a box of specimens but before he can leave a lone zombie notices him in the vault and stands ready at the door. It’s a pretty tense moment with closeups of the zombie snapping and clacking it’s teeth.  Gerry has no weapons and no way out.  He decides he must test his theory personally. Unfortunately he has a box full of specimen vials and no knowledge of which one to choose. He could choose a relatively harmless flu specimen or a deadly and incurable disease. The remaining researchers, watching on a security camera, have no way to tell him which vial to use. Even if they could, there’s no guarantee it would work to ward off the infected.

Gerry scrawls ,”Tell my family I love them” on a notepad and holds it up to the camera.  He then picks a vial at random and injects himself with the specimen.   After giving the pathogen time to spread in his circulatory system he opens the door to the vault and the zombie comes in, but does not attack. Lane strolls out of the vault and back to the safe area of the research facility. Along the way he takes time to stop at the vending machine and have a soda. He then hits a lever releasing all the soda cans. The noise draws the attention of the zombies gathered at the barricaded door to the other wing of the facility. Gerry strolls past the zombies which are pursuing the noise and ignoring him. The doctors cure Lane and they’re able to formulate the “camouflage” vaccine which is delivered across the globe. The vaccine doesn’t cure anything but it does give soldiers and civilians a way to fight back.  We see Lane and Seegan walking out of the research facility and then Gerry returning to his family at the refugee camp in Nova Scotia.  Humanity now has hope. The film ends with a short narrative by Gerry Lane.  Footage of soldiers fighting zombies, civilians fighting back and more zombie fighting plays while Lane makes statements such as “This isn’t the end. Not even close.” The film is definitely left open for at least a sequel which makes sense since there has been talk that this film may be part of a trilogy.

End Plot Summary

Let’s take a look at what I loved and didn’t enjoy about World War Z.

What’s Great

A Fast Moving Plot:
There isn’t much build up with World War Z. Within the first 5 minutes you’re thrown into action and the action is relentless from there. There are just enough slow points in the film to keep you on your toes and build suspense. When there isn’t zombie action there is something vital to the plot occurring so there isn’t much time for your mind to wander if you have a short attention span like me! It’s actually pretty well written and laid out from this standpoint.

Zombie Special Effects and Makeup:
I was afraid from the previews that this film would be all CGI zombie hordes with not much in the way of makeup or other effects. Sure the CG effects aren’t all that great but they were used sparingly. The scenes with the zombie hordes you’ve seen over and over again in the trailers are pretty much the major CGI zombie effects in the film.

The thought of hordes of zombies that could sprint and jump and climb one another made my skin crawl. Which means the effects did their job as far as I’m concerned. The close up effects and makeup of isolated zombies were actually pretty good. There’s one scene toward the end of the film where Gerry has locked himself in a glass room and must test a theory he has. It’s basically his life or death last stand moment. The zombie in this scene is actually really well done. Gerry stares at the zombie’s face just inches from his own. They’re separated only by glass and we see the details of the zombie’s disgusting skin and snarling teeth. The zed eerily clacks his teeth and snaps at Lane like a starving animal. It’s a moment in the film that had most of the audience laughing and also wriggling in their seats.

Plenty of Action:
Zombies, loud explosions, car crashes, plane crashes and more! I’m a guy so these things are important to me.

Nods to the Book:
No the film is nothing like the book but is that really a surprise? There were nods to the novel this film is based on and these were appreciated. Just don’t expect this film to be 100% true to the novel’s plot.

Makes You Wonder if You’re Prepared for Disaster:
This film actually makes you ponder how prepared you are for disaster. Although we’re dealing with an unrealistic zombie apocalypse scenario some of the moments in the city reminded me of just how unprepared we can be if a sudden emergency unfolds. How many of us carry medication like rescue inhalers, emergency supplies and food and water with us? Of those that do, how many would actually stay calm and be prepared to act appropriately in a disaster scenario?

I Like That This Film Made Me Eat Crow:
This film made me eat my words and I’m man enough to admit it. I wasn’t shy about telling people this was going to be bad but that I’d also go see it with an open mind. I’m glad I did!

Meh. (What Wasn’t So Great):

Gerry Survives Far Too Many Oh $hit Moments:
It seems silly to complain about things being unrealistic in a film about zombies…but here we go. While it makes for a great story and a great action film, Gerry Lane survives a few too many close calls and otherwise unbelievable hopeless scenarios.. No one is that good or that lucky. That being said it’s a zombie movie and once you remember it’s supposed to be entertaining (not realistic) you are much more forgiving.

The Ending: 

This film concludes with a very anti-climactic and vague ending. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered and definitely leaves things open for a sequel or two. Gerry Lane even narrates at the end making some comments that lead you to believe this won’t be the last World War Z related film. It’s a little too open and a little too cheesy but it wasn’t enough to make me dislike the film.
CGI:

The CGI effects for the zombie hordes weren’t all that great. I wasn’t thrilled with them but I must admit the film didn’t overuse them like I feared. CGI hordes were an accent to the film and not the bulk of the film like the trailers might make you think.  The self deprecating trailers actually make this film look much worse than it is.

The PG-13 Rating:
The PG-13 rating didn’t hurt this film as much as people feared. The PG-13 rating does mean you won’t see the gore you’d typically expect in a zombie film. Although things are generally more tame than true horror and zombie fans would like, the film progresses fast enough and with enough depth and suspense that you don’t really notice the lack of gore as much as you’d think. These zombies basically just bite. You won’t see any zombies tearing a human apart limb from limb. You won’t see them ripping out intestines and feasting on a still beating human heart. Instead they bite you a lot and you die and turn into a zombie. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but part of me still longed for a little blood and guts.

Rating and Final Thoughts:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In the end I really enjoyed this film. It was far better than I anticipated. All of the fears I was convinced would ruin the film proved to be unfounded. Brad Pitt put in a solid performance. The PG-13 rating didn’t kill the film. While I would have liked more gore, the PG-13 rating made this an enjoyable zombie action film safe enough for pretty much the entire family. The cheesy CGI zombie effects were used sparingly.

Of course some easy to please fanatics are raving about this film via social media, proclaiming it “fantastic”, “amazing” and the “best zombie movie movie yet!” Not even close sunshine. There’s nothing really spectacular about the film that would lead me to say dub it “phenomenal”. That being said I didn’t walk out of the theater in disgust like I fully expected to. This was a respectable zombie movie that is worth a solid average to slightly above average rating.Brad Pitt and Marc Forster didn’t totally fail with World War Z and that’s much more than most zombie fans had ever hoped for.

There are only two reasons I’d recommend NOT seeing World War Z:  If you’re a viewer that can’t get past the fact that a movie departs drastically from the plot of a novel it’s based on or if you need gallons of blood and guts to keep your interest. If either of those scenarios apply to you you’ll be disappointed. Otherwise I say go see it because most of the preconceived notions you have about this film will be proven wrong.

Have you seen World War Z? What are your thoughts on the film? Let us know in the comments section below!

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