Zombie Product Review – World War Z Target Exclusive Blu-Ray With Art Book

It seems like World War Z raced to DVD and Blu-Ray faster than the blazing fast zombies that streak across screen in the film itself. World War Z, based on the wildly popular zombie novel of the same name by author Max Brooks, hit theaters in the U.S. on June 21st, 2013. Less than 3 months later we can pick up the movie to add to our zombie film collection on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-Ray and DVD! In fact I checked local theaters and there are still 3 theaters in our area showing World War Z on the DVD/Blu-ray release date. Crazy fast!

With the DVD release date comes an obvious question, “Which copy of World War Z should I choose?” I was personally hoping for a collectible Steelbook version of the World War Z Blu-ray here in the U.S. but I’m out of luck. (There is a UK steelbook version available from The Entertainment Store, so I’ll have to find a way to purchase the UK version if I really want it).

Although I was disappointed there was no U.S. Steelbook version, I was excited to see a Target exclusive edition of the World War Z Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy combo pack. The Target exclusive edition comes with a 48 page art book entitled, WORLD WAR Z: The Art of The Film. I was even more pleased when I heard Target stores here in the U.S. would be offering it for just $19.99 on the release date. Since I have no interest or need in a 3D Blu-ray version of World War Z, this made my buying decision very easy. So enough rambling, let’s get to my review of the The Target exclusive World War Z Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack.

A CLOSER LOOK:

The Target Exclusive World War Z 2 Disc Set features:

1. Disc 1 – World War Z Blu-ray featuring the unrated feature film. Disc 1 also features “A compelling insider’s look at the creation of the WWZ apocalypse” (Behind-the-scenes featurettes)

2. Disc 2 – DVD – Theatrical Feature Film

3. One Code to Redeem a Digital Copy of World War Z (Ultraviolet or iTunes)

4. One glossy soft cover 48 page World War Z art book entitled, WORLD WAR Z: The Art of the Film.

This special target edition is essentially just the standard DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack with a bigger black background slip cover encasing the standard DVD/Blu-ray combo pack and the art book.

WHAT’S GREAT:

The Price.  I really liked the $19.99 price tag which made picking this version with extras a no-brainer.

The Art Book.  The art book included with this edition is decent quality with a high quality glossy soft cover and features some very cool zombie artwork at the end.

You Get Both The Unrated and Theatrical Version.  Get the new unrated cut featuring “intense footage” not shown in theaters. You also get a copy of the standard theatrical release version of the film.

Multiple Formats = Awesome.  As with any combo pack you get the film on DVD, Blu-ray and digital copy…which is awesome!

MEH. WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT:

The Cover Art. I really prefer the helicopter cover art with zombies climbing over one another. I am NOT a fan of this Brad Pitt cover. I would much rather see some zombies or other action instead of Mr. Pitt. I also wish the outer slip cover of this set had a different cover art than the disc case itself. The disc slip cover, disc cover art and outer slip cover all feature the same image of Brad Pitt. The outer slip cover for this set does feature a black background as opposed to a white and gray city skyline, but I’d still prefer the cover art sans the male half of Brangelina.

Cheap Slip Cover. The outer slip cover is cheaply made. It’s essentially the same cardboard material as a standard disc slip cover. It likely won’t hold up long unless you treat it kindly. A nicer plastic outer slip cover would have been nice but you get what you pay for.

The Art Book Has Low Points. There is some “boring” art toward the beginning of the art book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still beautiful, but I just wasn’t into the post-apocalyptic city skylines that make up the bulk of the beginning of the art book. Fortunately the book redeems itself with some sick zombie artwork at the end.

FINAL VERDICT:

4 out of 5

I’m not going to review the film itself because we did that back in June. So my rating of this exclusive Blu-ray is a solid 4 out of 5 brains. I do wish this featured some better cover art and a higher quality outer slip cover, but the art book and price make up for these shortcomings.  The fact that you get a bonus art book for “free” along with the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack for just $19.99 makes this an easy buying decision. If you plan on buying World War Z and don’t want or need the 3D version I highly recommend picking up this Target Exclusive while it’s on sale this week.

Notes:
This Target Exclusive Version is also available in a 3 disc set with a 3D Blu-ray which is currently priced just $5.00 more.

World War Z (Unrated) (3 Discs)
Buy Now

The art book included in this Target Exclusive is basically a smaller version of the full 160 page World War Z Art Book from Titan Books.