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!