World War Z

Stars: 8 / 10

Thrilling! Scary. Imagination rather than gorefest, A+ SpecFX. Stands apart in the genre. Loved it.

Director: Marc Forster
Year: 2013
Main Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos,Fana Mokoen, Daniella Kertes

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=rvi_tt

Trailer

Expanded Review:

More than I expected! WWZ kept my heart racing, one scene after another. Several high-anxiety scares, jumpy boo-scares, a plane crash, a good pace of action combined with impressive special effects, a creative outcome, a hint of social metaphor, and likable heroes make this a win-win zombie apocalyptic thriller.

Rather than a mind-numbing and stomach-churning gore fest, this film leaves a lot to the viewer's imagination, which made it all the more terrifying. We know the crowbar is stuck in the zombie's head, and yeah, NOT seeing it, but just hearing it and imagining it was 100% successful at being both gross and scary, probably more so than seeing the goo and guts would have been.

I also appreciated that the non-zombie people in this film looked very real: people looked makeup-less, hair was messy, and wrinkles were aplenty.

An additional nod to the butt-kickin' female soldier sidekick, Segen (played by Daniella Kertes) who was never stereotyped into a sex toy (for being a pretty face with breasts) nor a macho-dyke (for being a bald woman with a gun.) Segen has little dialogue, but Kertes' face and body language speak volumes! She managed to elevate what could have been a throw-away character into someone you really cared about, you route for her, you wince with her, and your heart pounds whenever she's got to go ninja!

World War Z is an unusually global zombie film. Typically, we're centered in one American or English city, following a civilian "everyman" hero, with a hotty and/or brotherly sidekick, and a handful of stranger comrades as they form a tribe of zombie-killers who outwit the foes and sneak/blast their way to either a rural or sea-bound safe haven. This film, on the other hand, takes us around the world, with a protagonist's-eye view of the horror that's sweeping the globe.

I read that the French critics hated this film, and I do have to wonder if it's partly because of WWZ's obvious pro-Israel nod... The hero, Gerry Lane (played by Brad Pitt) takes us to Israel, where they've built a giant wall. Of course, in reality, Israel did build a wall, only it was intended to keep out Islamic terrorists, rather than the hoards of undead, as we see in WWZ. The film's giant wall in Israel, and hoards of gnashing, mindless zombies, wanting only to infect (ie convert) everyone in sight, well, to me, this was a blatant metaphor for the real anxiety of facing what can be seen as a global pandemic of religiously-motivated violence and the war of religious fundamentalism vs secularism. As controversial as that may be, I do think it made WWZ a better film -- social and political commentary/metaphor is what defines a good zombie film as more than just a scary, bloody mess.

The special effects deserve mentioning: WOW. The areal panoramic shots of cities in flames were really well done. If I didn't know better, I would swear that I saw Newark and Jerusalem exploding last night. The zombies, as well, were nicely done, with very creepy teeth, and twisted, rotten features.

Finally, kudos to Marco Beltrami, for a beautiful score. I was surprised at some of the really lovely and sensitive orchestral bits, and hooray for not over-stating the suspenseful scenes with ridiculous bursts of shrill "music" (symphonic noise) - a pet peeve of mine, for sure. Bravo, Mr. Beltrami, bravo.

*** Star Rating Scale ***

How films are judged:

I rate films within their respective genres, and always consider the era in which they were made, judging a film on its own merits, as well as in contrast to others (within their genre.)

Though I try to be fair and balanced, a certain amount of personal bias does figure into the scores (of course.)

Stars : 0 - 10

0 : Unwatchable. This film is an unwatchable abomination. Consider it one of the worst movies that never should have been made. Whoever released it is a sadist. If I couldn't suffer through the whole thing, it's an instant 0.

1 : Garbage. Burn it and bury it! Unless you are being paid a King's ransom, this movie is never worth watching. Somehow, I managed to suffer through it, but there is nothing worthwhile about this movie. Nothing. Unless you are a glutton for punishment, don't waste your time.

2: Awful. This film is a stinkbomb. Hold your nose and run the other way! There was at least one scene or major element of the film that I liked, but overall, it's best used as fertilizer.

3: Bad. Mostly this movie is Awful, but there was at least one or two scenes that I liked, perhaps one actor's performance was well done, or some effort worth nodding to. It's still tripe, though.

4: Tolerable. It wasn't the worst movie, it even had a few ok scenes/qualities, but it had a lot of stink, too. This film is nothing special. I have no interest in ever seeing it again. Meh.

5: OK. I didn't love, nor hate it, outright. A take-it-or-leave-it film, but has some redeeming qualities. Typically it's not something I would want to own, but I suppose would watch it again, at least once.

6: Good. I liked it. It was entertaining and enjoyable, even if there were some major goofs or wonky bits, overall, it's a decent movie. Not much of a prize winner, it won't redefine it's genre, it won't change your life, but something in this film makes it worth watching. I would certainly recommend it to someone who loves its specific genre.

7: Distinctive. This film stands out amongst its peers. Something about this movie has greatness. There was some imperfection, but overall, this film was really well made. This film is memorable, and sticks with you. I recommend it, and it's something that I would definitely want to own.

8: Fantastic. An instant favourite. This film is exceptionally good! It's impressive, unique and beautifully produced, it raises the bar. A memorable film that stirs the mind and the emotions. You have to shake it off after you see it, because it teleports you into its world. You may find yourself thinking about it days, even months, afterwards. I highly recommend it, and it's certainly something I would want to own.

9: Practically Perfect. I love this film! It's rare to find a gem like this. Treasure it. Practically perfect in every way, you'll never tire of it, and every time you see it, it shines like diamonds. This unforgetable film will change the way you look at all others. Depending on the type of film, it may even influence your life. I definitely recommend it, and you can bet your bippy that I own it, in a special edition, whenever possible.

10: Perfection.

FAQ

Why do you write reviews?
-- I love film, and I like to share.

Why minimal reviews?
-- I like to review in a way that cuts to the heart of the matter.

I'm not going to give you a long-winded synopsis of the film, because trailers, official film websites, and IMDB already do that. I will tell you, in a nutshell, what's the premise of the film, and what I liked or didn't like about it.

Birth of the Blog:
I tweet about movies after I watch them, and thus, the idea of a blog with my minimal movie reviews was born. I wanted to collect my reviews in one easy-to-access place, as well as have the option to give an Expanded Review for some of the films.

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieSparkles

Why so many thrillers and horror movies?
-- I like the genres, so I watch a lot of them.

Where you do live?
-- central France

How/where do you watch these movies?
-- Online, mostly. Some I borrow from the library, some I own on disc, and some I saw in the theatre.

Have you studied film making?
-- Not in a professional sense, no. I took one "history of film" course at uni, I've read a handful of screenplays, books about how to write screenplays, and inumerable books and articles on film making and the history of films. I've watched thousands of films, as well as countless documentaries and interviews with/about film makers.

World War Z

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