World War Z

Let's just start this off by saying that the only real problem I had with this movie was the name.*  Years ago, we discovered the Zombie Survival Handbook; it was amazing.  I know they constantly crank out handbooks for random things, but this one was actually written pretty cleverly.  Max Brooks**, the author, then took it to the next level with World War Z, his oral history of the zombie war.***  It was a collection of accounts of the zombie plague.  You get before, during, and after accounts.  It was a great approach.

When we heard that they were making it into a movie, we were excited.  We were also apprehensive.  Considering how the book was set up, it seemed a daunting task.  In what way were they going to make the small encounters from the book flow into a film?  Apparently, the studio didn't know either, as they just decided to make a zombie movie that had loose association with the book.

Our reaction to the initial trailer was not so good.  Frankly, we were pissed off.****  Are zombies fast or slow?  Nowadays, it can go either way.  I prefer the classic, slow, shamble zombie.  I can still watch zoombie***** movies, like 28 Days Later.  I believe zombies should be slow, but I don't let my preference doom a movie before I've seen it.  In the case of  the World War Z novel, the zombies are slow.  The movie, however, is littered with zoombies.  Both Mark and I were aghast.

As the release date neared, Mark continued to rage every time a preview came up.  He did not want to see the film.  I, on the other hand, while disappointed with some of the obvious choices in the film, figured we would go see the movie anyway.  It took a couple discussions, but I finally convinced Mark we should see World War Z.

It was much better than I expected.  I am not a fan of synopses, but let me give you a quick one.  The story follows Brad Pitt, as he tries to figure out how the zombie plague began and how to stop it.  Also, the zombies are fast.******

World War Z, when you disregard the name, did a lot of things right.  First of all, Brad Pitt is just amazing.  He really, really wanted to make this movie.  Even when things looked bleak, he pushed on.  There is actually an article in Vanity Fair that details the pain of getting World War Z from book to screen.*******  When the ending didn't work, they scrapped it and did something different.  Pitt's production company was smart enough to look for help when they needed it, and it ended up working for them.

One of my big hang ups comes in the form of special effects.  I prefer practical over CGI whenever possible.  It just feels more real.  With large groups of extras, the scenes in World War Z feel genuine.  There is CGI, but it isn't overwhelming.  It's used appropriately and only as necessary.  It does not detract from the film.

The movie is also littered with talent.  The actors chosen do a good job with the material they're given.  I'm just gonna go ahead and keep giving mad props to Brad Pitt.  He's good at what he does.  On a side note, I wasn't even annoyed with the kid characters.  They're not really featured, but casting the wrong kid and make you root for the zombies to eat them.

I had a lot of expectations when I walked into World War Z.  Since I knew they didn't adhere to the source material, those expectations were low....really low.  That allowed the film to be far better than I expected.  It's not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a good zombie romp.  Go enjoy it for what it is.  After that, go read the book.  It will make you sad to see what we missed out on, but it's good experience points.

One final note, even when the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm not going to drink Pepsi.  I don't care if I saw Brad Pitt do it.

*Mark agrees with me on this point.  After the movie, I asked him if he liked it.  He told me it was okay.  When I suggested thinking about it and disregarding the name and source material, he said it was really good.

**Yes, his daddy is Mel Brooks.

***I used to read it to Mark when we would go places.  Since I didn't drive, I was in charge of entertainment.  Luckily, I don't get sick while reading in the car.  Yay for me!

****Please excuse my language.  That's just the best way for me to put it.

*****ZOOMbies....get it?  They're fast zombies!  They zoom around.  Explaining it makes it less fun.

******I wanted to make sure you didn't forget.

*******This article is seriously worth reading.  Go read it.  I'll wait.