World War Z Film Review

World War Z - "A week ago there was a memo sent from this installation containing the word Zombie"

A year before release red flags popped up, with one of the most plagued productions in history it was not looking good for World War Z. They had to re-shoot the entire 3rd act and Brad Pitt feuded with Director Marc Forster about script changes. Fast forward to release and ironically back from the dead World War Z is fantastic from beginning to end. A true blockbuster, a global trotting one that pretty much begins 3 minutes in and doesn't let up. Extremely fast paced we witness the initial spread of the virus that brings the dead back to life. They chose to use fast paced zombies as opposed to the brain dead walkers which I think for this film was a wise choice, they pose a more credible threat, harder to repel. Brad Pitt plays Gerry Lane an ex United Nations investigator who is pulled back into work to find the source of the outbreak in the hopes of creating a vaccine. After he is made a priority by the offshore US forces his family is evacuated to the safety of an aircraft carrier he is then given a choice, help stop the outbreak or be booted off the ship.

Gerry Lane is given a C-130 transport and a security team escort. This film really does feel global which was nice to see usually zombie films are set in the USA and we have to use out imagination but in this we see South Korea, Israel, India, America, Russia & Whales all go down as hoards of infected sweep the globe. I didn't mind the PG-13 rating as I didn't need the traditional zombie gore to be entertained. Brad Pitt really is a movie star, I cared about his character and his families well being, the film is also littered with cameos from famous actors who all deliver top notch performances. The set pieces in this film are amazing, particularly when they arrive in Israel where that have managed to erect giant walls to create a safe zone for survivors, and as seen in the trailer it doesn't last long. That entire set piece as we see the city fall is amazing, they run through hoards of screaming people and infected trying to get to a helicopter pad and it's heart pounding entertainment.
What makes this film a little more relatable is the fact that Gerry Lane isn't a hero or some amazingly skilled soldier he's just an investigator that doesn't fight unless he has to, essentially he's on the run for the whole film because it's pointless fighting millions of infected.

It's a great day for women it seems in the zombie apocalypse, the film brilliantly exploits the female soldiers in Israel, they are tough mother fuckers that aren't to be messed with, it was great to see it wasn't one big testosterone fest with men saving the day, through various circumstances a lone Israeli female soldier teams up with Brad and acts as his security force for the last half of the film and she is nothing but bad ass, a well trained killing machine. The re-shot 3rd act of the film is fantastic, this is where the horror elements come into play I won't spoil anything but it's the strongest segment of the film set in a semi-abandoned hospital. What's more to say really? It's fun, exciting, scary & overall a fantastic time at the theaters! I recommend everyone see it so we can get a sequel, I can't wait to see where he goes next. 5/5

Bechdel Test: There are multiple female characters however they don't converse, this film fails the Bechdel test