I finally got around to watching World War Z tonight, and I must say, that it was sadly as expected.

I read the book several years ago, and it was a fantastic piece, focussing on snippets of survival, politics, and social evolution. There was little gore, but it still did not pull its punches, pulling you into the world, and believing that this is how we would react in the various scenarios. It is the point around 'pulling punches' which is the crux of this film failing to be either a good adaptation, or a good zombie flick. I was hoping it would be more like 'World War Z: Gerrys story', and would be the story of one man trying to find patient zero, this could have been how the film would have succeeded.

It might at times seem like it achieves this, but it keeps tracking back to his family, taking away from the character we are supposed to be observing. Also, the family story is often weak, attempting to show peoples concern over the lack of resources due to over-crowding, before brushing it off without showing the emotional damage that would cause. This would have been an interesting story, just in a film of its own, showing a families survival on a military boat where they are not wanted, or needed, but have nowhere else to go.

So, back to Gerry, why does his story erk me so. Well, what was great about the book was how it showed the harsh reality, and how it causes people to evolve. In fact, this is how the best of the Zombie genre works, focussing on people and relationships as opposed to adrenaline and gore. His story was often just jumping from one action scene to another, with just a little dialogue, and even fewer emotional repercussions for his actions. For example, he doesn't put his phone on silent (he is supposed to be experienced in the field, but let's gloss over that one), and this phone going off causes his whole team (bar a co-pilot) to die. At no point does he seem distraught at this fact, or even consider how he should be grateful for surviving at their expense.

Finally, we have the closure. Why did we have to save the day, really? No one wanted that from this film, the glory in these films is often that it might not actually get resolved, we want the character to complete his mission of course (which wasn't to save the world, but get information), and more to hopefully evolve as an individual.

Overall though, whilst not a work of art, the film was watchable, and had some interesting elements to it (viral camouflage and bicycles), so I am glad I watched it. But if you have already enjoyed some good Zombie flicks, this may not be the film for you.

**Put's the Zzz in Zombie**

First time I saw it 3 odd years ago I was not impressed.

Decided to give it another go though today, which I wish I hadn't cause it was even worse and more dull than I remember.

Now when I say dull I don't necessarily mean that it lacks action (it has a bunch of scenes with action, and being that these zombies run superfast unlike the typical zombies in film and series perhaps even a bit more than the average) but lack of interesting characters or good actors and any sort of originality in script makes it a tired ride.

Brad Pitt is not necessarily a great actor but he seriously did his most barebones performance here, you were just on the run from zombies with cars flying over and all kinds of stuff but you barely show any sort of emotion? Borderline Steven Segal territory ocassionally, or at the very least Jean Claude Van Damme... But without the fighting skills.

So yeah not an impressive film.

As with most zombie movies the plot is rather contrived and unbelievable (even if you accept the existence of zombies) but if you want to watch zombie movies in the first place that is something that you are supposed to be immune to.

This is another variant of zombies being created by some virus and rapidly taking over most of the planet. As I said, the entire story is somewhat unbelievable. When I first read about zombies as a kid there was always some supernatural/magic stuff involved. I think I liked that “explanation” much better than the virus nonsense which just have too many holes in it. For example there is no way a virus could make human bodies roam around aimlessly inside a sterile laboratory for days without nutrition. Well, as I said, it is a zombie movie so one just have to get over these little issues.

As an action movie with zombies as the main adversary it is a fairly good movie. The action is solid, the special effects okay and the entire movie continues at a reasonably brisk pace. Pitt is also doing a decent job of his role. There are few of the other actors that are very memorable though. The scenes where the zombies pile onto each other to scale walls and even reach choppers are rather cool. The movie is not very gory for being a zombie movie. Whether that is a good thing or not depends on the viewer I guess. Personally I do not mind some gory stuff in zombie movies.

There are a few annoying parts which Hollywood always seem to have to throw in. For example, the world is on the brink of the apocalypse and Lane and his wife just doesn’t want to get involved. What the f…? Also why do people always let their kids wander away in situations where they really should keep track of them? Not to mention how clumsy people always get when they have to sneak around and be silent. These things are just annoying.

Anyway, this movie fulfils its purpose as two hours of action-filled but not too intelligent entertainment quite well.

**World War Z makes the zombie hordes even more terrifying in their relentless need to consume, coupled with their fury, speed, and inevitability. No zombie movie comes close to the horror and intensity of World War Z.**

World War Z finally presents zombies as an overwhelming wave of death and destruction, an actually foreboding menace. Other zombie films shuffle about with slow shamblers whose vast numbers make them dangerous, but not in World War Z. These zombies' are unstoppable in their lust for human flesh, desperately climbing over each other to attempt to satiate their endless hunger. World War Z makes the fall of the world to the zombie plague believable for the first time. The film's frenzied pace personifies the panic and hopelessness of survival. Brad Pitt frantically scours the globe for hope and a cure, and the breakneck speed of the plot comes screeching to a halt in the final act bringing the crazed terror up close and intimate with unending anxiety. World War Z gives us the most extraordinary and unparalleled zombie movie to date and a frightening and wild ride from start to finish.

**World War Z makes the zombie hordes even more terrifying in their relentless need to consume, coupled with their fury, speed, and inevitability. No zombie movie comes close to the horror and intensity of World War Z.**

World War Z finally presents zombies as an overwhelming wave of death and destruction, an actually foreboding menace. Other zombie films shuffle about with slow shamblers whose vast numbers make them dangerous, but not in World War Z. These zombies' are unstoppable in their lust for human flesh, desperately climbing over each other to attempt to satiate their endless hunger. World War Z makes the fall of the world to the zombie plague believable for the first time. The film's frenzied pace personifies the panic and hopelessness of survival. Brad Pitt frantically scours the globe for hope and a cure, and the breakneck speed of the plot comes screeching to a halt in the final act bringing the crazed terror up close and intimate with unending anxiety. World War Z gives us the most extraordinary and unparalleled zombie movie to date and a frightening and wild ride from start to finish.