By Wayne C. Rogers
Starring Brad Pitt & Mireille Enos
I never read the novel, World War Z, by Max Brooks. Brad Pitt, however, must be a zombie fan because he bought the movie rights in 2007, which was way before The Walking Dead appeared on AMC television. It took Pitt five years to make the film at a cost of $190 million dollars. The movie has internationally grossed over $540 million. It broke even. It didn’t make a profit. A film supposedly has to make three times its cost to break even, which is divided amongst the studios, the distributors and the theater chains.
Now, because I was unable to see the Blu-Ray edition, which was the extended version of the film with a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff on it, I had to settle for the theatrical version on a regular DVD. Surprisingly, considering all the negative reviews, I actually found the movie to be understandable and very entertaining. In fact, I was glued to the television set for the entire length of the film. For me, Brad Pitt is now the king of zombie movies.
The film pretty much starts right into the action with Pitt (an ex-United Nations investigator) and his family getting caught in a traffic jam in the city of Philadelphia. The zombie epidemic has already spread from Europe to the United States with blinding-like speed (in fact it only takes twelve seconds for a dead person to change into a killing zombie). Brad’s character, Gerry Lane, calls his friend at the United Nations so he and his family can be air-lifted out of the city. That does happen, but only after being chased by a horde of zombies to the roof of a building in downtown Philly. The catch, however, is that If Brad wants his family to be protected, he has to do what the military tells him, which is to fly into Russia and try to find a cure for the decease. This is the rest of the movie. Pitt flies to Russia and then to Israel and then to an outpost where the most infamous deceases known to mankind are studied.
Is a cure eventually found for the humans still alive? You have to see the movie, but a sequel is already in the works.
Let me tell you that these zombies aren’t slow walkers. These handsome fellows can move fast and they take no prisoners. The special effects of the movie are awesome in my opinion as thousands of zombies pile on top of each other to climb over the wall surrounding Jerusalem. Remember, zombies can’t be killed, unless you shoot them in the head.
I certainly enjoyed the pacing of the movie. It didn’t really give you time to think, but I liked what Brad Pitt’s character was able to discover and the shootouts with the zombies. A female Israeli commando is bitten in the arm, and Brad cuts the arm off without any hesitation, leaving her alive, but with a stub. Fortunately, this woman is one tough cookie and can shoot with accurately with just one arm.
One thing I liked (or didn’t like) was how our government was portrayed. It seemed very believable to me, even without Obamacare. When Brad reached a point where he thought he wouldn’t be able to find a cure, the military immediately removed his family from the ship and sent them to an island with other personnel. If you’re of no use to the government, they don’t hesitate to throw you and your family to the wolves. So much for democracy!
Being a big fan of the early George Romero zombie movies and The Walking Dead television series, I found myself impressed with this film and Brad Pitt’s acting. The whole movie more or less is on his shoulders, and he carries the weight without any problems, displaying his ultimate skills as a truly excellent actor. He makes this movie happen, and you believe in him and his love for his family. Mireille Enos (she stars in the TV series, The Killing) is the perfect actress for his wife in the movie. If Angelina Jolie had been in it, you would have expected her to go after the zombies and kick some real butt. Not so with Mireille. She’s the perfect mother hen who watches out for her children, praying her husband will return alive to protect them.
I can’t comment on the extended version of the film on Blu-Ray, or the extras that are on the disc. I do want to see them, but I need to get a Blu-Ray set for that.
All in all, I was surprised at how much I loved this movie. I want to watch it again and see if I feel the same way. Other people have told me that I’m crazy, but hey, the movie did make over 500 million at the Box Office, so somebody must have liked it besides me.
I highly recommend this movie to all zombie fans, especially if you haven’t read the novel.
