‘World War Z’ continues the cinematic epidemic
Zombies have gone beyond the fad category and seem to be permanent residents in our collective culture. Brad Pitt gives the horror subgenre a sense of legitimacy with his latest project, World War Z, an apocalyptic thriller directed by Marc Foster and co-starring Mireille Enos. The action sequences and adrenaline rush of watching the movie are exciting, but the plot is about as brainless as, well, a zombie.
Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a United Nations worker who receives almost no backstory. We know he’s a big deal on the international scale, so much so that when the zombie outbreak hits his Philadelphia home, Gerry and his family are whisked away by private helicopter. Yes, as hundreds (perhaps thousands, perhaps millions) are dying on the streets from the deadly contagions, Gerry’s family is saved. Seems like an important point to explain within the plot, but unfortunately the screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan never explores the apparent godliness of this Gerry character.
When Gerry, his wife Karin (Enos) and their children are taken into refuge on an aircraft carrier, the usual conversations materialize. Something like: “I’m out of this business.” “You’re the best we got.” “Take care of my family when I’m gone.” “Godspeed.”
Gerry is then easily transported around the world to find a solution to this outbreak. He stops in many areas, looks around for a bit, realizes the zombies are coming and then heads to another country. Along the way, he receives some clues that help him put the pieces of the puzzle together. Again, there’s no explanation as to why Gerry is so adept at drawing conclusions that no one else can apparently discover.
The zombies are ferocious and certainly the highlight of the hum-drum movie. They “turn” rather quickly and spring toward their victims, overwhelming them like an army of ants on a pile of sugar. There are times watching World War Z that the fear factor increases to an edge-of-one’s-seat level. It’s not that we’re invested in the characters and care so much about this manufactured world. It’s more that the special effects and supporting actors who bring these zombies to undead life are so believable and scary. The zombie quotient has steadily increased since the days of George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead.
The acting is acceptable, but every single one of the big names in the movie has done better work. There’s a real feel of going through the motions on this one.
World War Z is a perfectly enjoyable summer movie, but that’s about it. The entertainment value far exceeds anything else, and that’s a shame. Think about Steven Soderbergh’s exquisite Contagion. That movie had similar themes (although no zombies), and the energy level was pumping. The difference between the two features is that Contagion leaves the audience thinking about greater issues while World War Z leaves the audience thinking about nothing in particular.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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World War Z
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2013
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Directed by Marc Foster
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Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan; based on the novel by Max Brooks
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Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and Fana Mokoena
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Running time: 116 minutes
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Rated PG-13 for intense frightening zombie sequences, violence and disturbing images
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Rating:
