World War Z (2013)
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Critics Consensus: It's uneven and diverges from the source book, but World War Z still brings smart, fast-moving thrills and a solid performance from Brad Pitt to the zombie genre.
Critics Consensus: It's uneven and diverges from the source book, but World War Z still brings smart, fast-moving thrills and a solid performance from Brad Pitt to the zombie genre.
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Movie Info
The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. (C) Paramount- Rating:
- PG-13 (for intense frightening zombie sequences, violence and disturbing images)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Horror , Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Directed By:
- Juan Antonio Bayona , Marc Forster
- Written By:
- Steven Knight , Matthew Michael Carnahan , J. Michael Straczynski , Damon Lindelof , Drew Goddard
- In Theaters:
- Jun 21, 2013 Wide
- On DVD:
- Sep 17, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $202.4M
Cast
-
Brad Pitt
as Gerry Lane -
Mireille Enos
as Karin Lane -
James Badge Dale
as Capt. Speke -
Daniella Kertesz
as Segen
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Steven Knight Writing World War Z Sequel
– Variety
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Critic Reviews for World War Z
All Critics (251) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (169) | Rotten (81) | DVD (2)
[A] lousy, ugly-looking, intensely illogical movie.
As both thrilling spectacle and escapist summer entertainment, World War Z is enormously effective, with Brad Pitt at the center hopscotching the globe in search of the origin of a zombie apocalypse.
Pitt conducts himself manfully throughout the proceedings -- he is never less than believable while facing off against this pandemic -- but if I never see another zombie in the movies, I will not feel deprived.
If you need proof that sometimes more can be less, here you go.
As compelling as Pitt is at reflecting the world's pain through Lane's eyes, the movie treats him too often as if he truly is the only one with loved ones to lose or a world to save.
World War Z hits the blockbuster equivalent of a delicate balance: gargantuan spectacle with a human touch.
World War Z is far from perfect, but Marc Forster generates enough tension to compensate.
The film works mainly on the performances of Pitt, and a strong ensemble cast that lend some credibility to a somewhat disjointed script.
World War Z is a string of unrelenting, harrowing sequences that continually manage to top one another.
Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) did so much more with less nearly a decade ago.
There are two distinct films here and both are successful on their own terms, but more gritty survivalist story over world-spanning question resolution would have been preferable.
That it never quite coheres is the point.
Action-heavy zombie movie shows traces of smarts
Despite all appearances, World War Z isn't really a zombie movie. It's a disaster movie, one in which the agent of apocalypse just happens to be walking (and running) human corpses, rather than glaciers or a meteor strike.
World War Z is a surprisingly entertaining, yet slightly generic zombie picture that shows promising scope and globe-trotting action, but suffers from too many genre cliches.
I always hate the shaky camera style but I think Marc Forster is better at it than Paul Greengrass. It's his editing... I guess I just speak Forster.
...a sporadically passable yet terminally misguided blockbuster that squanders its promising setup...
... the definitive zombie film for people who don't like zombie films yet want to say they liked one.
The ultimate strength of World War Z is its ability to consistently create ticking-clock situations for its characters after laying out very specific parameters.
Carried by Pitt's performance, "World War Z" is a sometimes intense story of the rise of the undead.
Despite speculation predicting an on-screen disaster, this is a rather thrilling and fun big-budget zombie film let down by the re-shot finale.
World War Z is often suspenseful and exciting even in the midst of clashing cinematic styles that were often incongruous but somehow come together eventually.
The film doesn't hold together in any rational way, but it still has a lingering emotional power.
... Somehow ends up being an effective action-thriller.
Audience Reviews for World War Z
There is so much wrong with this adaptation of the Max Brooks penned book, but that's an entirely different review. I just want to address what I dislike about this particular film and all its shortcomings. What bothers me most about this film is that without the association of the bestselling book, this film wouldn't be paid any mind. It's sloppy, especially when it comes to the CGI wall of zombies, which is over-simplistic and an obvious McGuffin, as are many contrived plot devices that spur forth the plot. The only similarity to the source material is the use of multiple countries, which is so obviously forced to accommodate the change in script. Brad Pitt (who is just playing himself) is given Christ-like status as he is the only one who can travel around the world, not get infected, save the life of an Israeli soldier, and find a solution to the virus. Instead of detailing the worldwide economic, political, and military interventions of a zombie war, this film just follows one inept guy as he lucks out again and again against the zombie foe. The ending is the most infuriating aspect, as it leaves everything on an ambiguous note, even though the entire film follows the one person who can supposedly save the world, and he does. Turning a book about the real world impact of a zombie apocalypse into a point and click adventure starring Brad Pitt means you cannot finagle an up in the air ending to seem deep. Either they should have streamlined it further in order for it to be another zombie film, or the book should never have been adapted, which would have made everyone happy in the first place.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Surprised to see Brad Pitt stop the zombie plague half naked in a hotel room with nothing but a cowboy hat and a blow dryer.
MoreSuper Reviewer
I got the book and I even got it signed by the author Max Brooks. Mr Brooks is a great guy, I resisted the urge to ask for stories about his parents and stuck to talking about Zombies. He knows his stuff! His book The Zombie Survival Guide is proof. So here comes my confession; I watched the film without reading the book. I have broken my own rule and I am disgusted with myself. To be honest, when talking to Mr Brooks about the film he admitted that he had not watched the film yet and had little to no input in its production which makes me wonder whether they are alike at all. I'll have to read the book *slaps self in face*. Anyway, I like the film very much. It's a reinvention of the genres, that is, a reinvention of the Zombie itself. The characteristics are the same but the method in which they are portrayed has been deconstructed. All cliches are gone and anything vaguely similar is handled differently. George A. Romero's Zombie films are all about symbolism, each episode centering on one of mankind's biggest questions. World War Z centers more on the idea of bacteria, the spread of disease, the idea of working together, unity in the face of adversity, war, etc. I'm not saying George A. Romero's films aren't intelligent but World War Z is more about intelligent design rather than philosophic symbolism. The idea of the Zombies being full of rage and running rather than walking is nothing new but the idea of them working as a unit kind of is. I immediately thought of them as worker ants which I can't say I've ever seen them as before. An intelligent Block-buster, now that is a nice change!
MoreSuper Reviewer
World War Z Quotes
- Gerry Lane:
- Movement is life.
- Gerry Lane:
- You have a better chance if you come with us.
- Andrew Fassbach:
- Mother Nature is a serial killer . No ones better, more creative .
- Karin Lane:
- How do you know they're coming?
- Gerry Lane:
- They're coming.
- Parajumper:
- That's our target get us down there.
- W.H.O. Doctor:
- He's done it!
- Gerry Lane:
- You got a name?
- Segen:
- Segen.
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