Review - World War Z (2013)

Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale.
Directed by Marc Forster.

Synopsis: United Nations former employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.

World War Z is like most films from its genre. The only difference is that these zombies are more rabid and psychotic than other zombies I've seen in previous zombie flicks. The movie follows Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) as he embarks on a quest to find ground zero and along the way engages in a fight for his life against the undead. The director wastes no time in this movie; from the get-go we are introduced to crazy action sequences and zombie set-pieces that will blow your mind. What is admirable is that the CGI of these set-pieces and zombies do not look outrageously fake - it blends in well. I was thoroughly entertained for much of this film. No standout performances but the acting overall was decent - Brad Pitt does what he can with what he's given. The movie had some tense moments as well.

The movie slows down in the second half from all the crazy action and this is where I realize the transparency of World War Z's plot and its main character. I don't think Brad Pitt's character knew what the hell he was doing or where the hell he was going as the movie went along. When you really think about it, Brad Pitt's character did not have to be on the mission. Gerry Lane initially did not want to partake on this mission - he has no knowledge about anything re this virus outbreak. He was coerced into this mission just for the sake of his family's safety and because he was some former agent of the UN. Was this enough motivation? Maybe - but it would have been more believable if he actually had more passion and interest for the subject.

Another mistake the writers of World War Z made was to eliminate the scientist Fassbach (Elyes Gabel) so quickly. Together, Gerry and Fassbach were suppose to investigate the origin of the virus so as to develop a vaccine. This character would have added more weight to the story - but instead he was eliminated rather quickly and the movie lost a bit of its purpose.

The movie was becoming a bit drawn out and Gerry Lane was no closer to finding the origin of the virus than he was at the beginning of this movie. At the end, the writers decided to suddenly make Pitt's character look super smart by developing some ridiculous theory with the use of flashbacks and of course - becoming the saviour. Everything was just too convenient at this point.

All in all, there was never a dull moment in World War Z. Riveting action set-pieces from the start, even if it came at the expense of a solid plot and character development.

Rating: 6.5/10

P.S - There will be a sequel.