WORLD WAR Z

By Marcus Ayala

There is a zombie craze going around now thanks to the show the walking dead and
I’m loving it. Zombie films have been around since the original night of the living dead
came out in 1968. While the films got more silly in the 80s, the 2000s made them scary
again. World War Z is a big budget Hollywood film with a story on a global scale.

What sets this apart from other zombie films is that it does not take place in one
central location like a particular city or house. The world wide effect of this zombie
outbreak is shown in America, Israel, and southern Wales. At the center of this is Brad
Pitt’s character Gerry who used to work for the UN and is called to help find a cure by
finding the origin of the outbreak . Even if you aren't a fan of Brad Pitt you can still
appreciate his performance for such a well written role. A character who is a good
family man and will risk venturing into the zombie apocalypse to keep them safe. The
film dives right into the action with Gerry and his family running for dear life as their city
is overcome with zombies. This opening and all of the following action sequences are
incredibly intense and thrilling. These zombies are fast and strong. One bite from them
turns you into zombie under a minute. Every time Gerry sets down somewhere, chaos
ensues and he uses his wits to get out of it. Along for his journey is an Israeli soldier
named Segen and she is one tough young woman. Her character doesn't say much but
the actress is a natural. What surprised me most about her is that story allowed her to
survive so many thrills. The performances of the minor and supporting characters are
believable and really engage you into the gravitas of the story.

Two of my favorite scenes are those that take place in Israel and on a plane. Israel
has built huge walls to protect itself from zombies but ends up being engulfed in
zombies. I love seeing a city fall apart under zombies and helicopters futilely shooting
at zombies as explosions go off in the distance. It’s a sad sight but intense and epic.
Gerry ends up on a plane with one zombie that quickly spreads to the other passengers
and I was surprised at his solution to use a grenade. This scene was wild and even
though you know he will survive, you still are in suspense.

The visual style to this film is gritty and realistic like that of a spy action movie. The CG
effects in the film are mostly of the zombies hordes and they look real enough to make
you frightful for the human characters. The amount of zombies seen in this film is
impressive. There are scenes of zombies running in such large amounts that they look
like massive waves hitting rocks on the beach. The conclusion of the film doesn’t give
into mindless violence but gives us a clever defense against the zombies. Gerry tests
this defense at a research facility by risking his own life. This scene builds up so much
tension that once it’s resolved you’re happy you can breathe again. The movie really
works cause you grow to care about Gerry’s fate and his mission.

The film sets itself up as the first chapter in an ongoing story and I can see the next
chapter being even more interesting especially if they explore the origin of the zombie
outbreak. This film is unrelenting from beginning to end and if you aren’t into zombie
films, you can enjoy this film as an action thrill ride.