World War Z

In spite of all the media failures (being over-budget, reshoots), Forster presents a rather unconventional zombie spectacle that works more along the lines of a flamboyant action movie in which a middle-class family and the world around them are drowning. The brilliantly paced direction (supported by good editing) pushes forward a plot vacuum that boils down to the fact that it takes the title and two or three prominent geopolitical allusions from a brilliant book, whilst then treading its own path to get to its roots, i.e., the horror in the lab. However, having a tighter dramatic arc, not limited to alternating the three locations where the protagonist arrives and the undead horde a minute after him, would not have hurt the film. [I want the Battle of Moscow, at least as a bonus on Blu-ray] 3 ½. (09/29/2013)

I will admit that all I knew about this movie was that Brad Pitt put a lot of time and money in it. So I thought it might be a decent Hollywood movie. And it was. The creators somehow combined a lot of well-filmed action and added a few philosophical questions on life and family. The finale was a nice surprise. It almost seems like the screenwriter was pondering how to end this movie and wanted to have a different take at it. Why wouldn’t he, when the movie’s biggest issue is that everything is again about zombies? There is an infection spreading, so why complicate things, let’s turn people into zombies again. Why not, when it is so fashionable nowadays, even more when they run around like Usain Bolt? That’s what they’re best at, except for eating people. Well, what can I say? That’s the way it is today. (10/15/2013)

According to Max Brooks, World War Z became more serious after the experiences of the past years. It used to be just a different, smarter zombie movie with Brad Pitt produced by his company Plan B. The main asset was Pitt's classic hero, the ultimate likable guy, who looks good no matter what, and of course, it's him and no one else who can save humanity... with his cuteness. Today, the sight of a global pandemic is somewhat more chilling. (02/18/2022)

A very decent spectacle. It has momentum, ideas and above all an excellent main character who is ready to undergo the worst not because some pompous patriotic duty calls him to it, but because he is protecting his own family. Brad Pitt is excellent, and although he's no superman, and I really liked how logical his character is, how he makes instinctive decisions and improvises (making a bayonet or forearm guards, plus other moments that I won't reveal - one of them has to do with the roof of a house and the other with a hand and a knife...). World War Z should be longer, though, because I couldn't help feeling that quite a lot of the plot is missing and many things or characters are somehow unexplained or unnecessarily rushed (David Morse, why everyone in Jerusalem suddenly started singing...). Otherwise, everything is just fine. Some of the situations were almost blackly humorous (Dr. Fassbach, the way North Korea fights the disease...), the ending didn't have a single flaw (except that it reminded me a bit of the ending of I am Legend). The stunts are almost perfect, the action is fortunately much clearer than in Quantum of Solace, the zombies are swarming like ants and are very (un)pleasantly unpredictable, and of all the biting swarming I probably liked the Jerusalem episode the most (despite the aforementioned criticism). And Marco Beltrami composed excellent music, but this time it is more interesting after seeing the film. A strong four stars. (06/27/2013)

Urgent, intense, with a slight intellectual touch. The finale is predictable around halfway through, but it does not diminish its dramatic and impressive quality in any way. It is technically brilliant and very fast-paced. This is the style that I have liked about Forster since Quantum of Solace, one that many condemn. I feel like it is slightly out of sync with today's time and many people can't digest it, but I perceive it as a very progressive aspect of his directing. Minimalistic in terms of acting and visuals, with minimal (depressive and gloomy) music, exceptionally raw and “realistic”, World War Z has an excellent feeling to it. The zombies are unbelievably believable and also one of the few that are taken seriously. (07/05/2013)