World War Z. Rated M (horror
themes, violence and infrequent coarse language). 116 minutes. Directed by Marc Forster. Screenplay
by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof. Based on the
novel by Max Brooks.
Verdict: Just makes it
over the line thanks to a fine performance from a desperate Brad Pitt.
For a genre famous for
gruesome, low-budget films – such as those mastered by the founding father of
‘the zombie movie’ George A Romero with his Night of the Living Dead (1968) –
this over-produced epic has struggled to make it to the screen. Reports of
radical re-writes and re-shoots have plagued its journey to the cinema, and
while it is certainly not a disaster, its flaws are obvious and many.
Former United Nations
employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) has worked in some serious trouble zones around
the world. When the human race is threatened with extermination by a plague of
zombies, Lane is handpicked to lead the race to find the source of the
outbreak, and identify a possible defence against it.
As one expects from the
classy Pitt, he throws himself into the chaotic proceedings with real flair and
dedication – and in less capable hands, the film would have been far less effective
than it is. There is no doubt that this is a star turn, and he receives
excellent support from Daniella Kertesz, whose Israeli soldier Segen
accompanies Gerry on the final stages of his mission to halt the zombie
onslaught.
While Foster (Quantum of Solace,
Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball) has made vastly superior films to this one,
his eye for both spectacle and intimate human drama ensures that World War Z
maintains a certain kind of equilibrium that is ultimately what holds the film
together in a modestly satisfying manner.
Cinematographer Ben
Seresin (Unstoppable, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) has us spending far
too much of the time in the dark (possibly to make up for the below par visual
effects), but the early sequences in Philadelphia and later in Jerusalem, where
the zombies swarm over the Israeli’s defensive walls, are spectacular.
This review was
commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
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