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#BorgonReviews - Movies - "World War Z"
One of my absolute favorite themes is zombies, whether it be games, movies, TV shows, or even books. For movies I greatly appreciate the Resident Evil franchise, and even like movies like Shaun of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead. And now there is World War Z. Overall I must say I really enjoyed this movie. After watching it a couple of times already, I find it has both amazing things, as well as small setbacks. So lets get started.
World War Z takes place in the modern world society and centers around United Nations' employee, Gerry Lane. The movie follows Lane as he travels the world in a desperate search for a cure to the new virus that kills people and then turns them into crazed killing machines. Of course, things don't always play out the way you hope them to. And for Gerry Lane, this is a rather common occurrence.
(If you think the review is too long or don't have time to read all of it, feel free to skip to the bottom to read my overall opinion as well as rating.)
First let's take a critical point of view at the comparison between the movie and the book. As you probably must know, World War Z is based on the book by Max Brooks. I read through it and must say I rather enjoyed it. It was set in a time after the war with the undead had ended. The book was a series of interview conducted by the character based on Max Brooks himself. It explained how the war developed in many different aspects, including economical, social, political, and military. Then they made movie, and the only thing based on the book was the world and the title itself. That's not entirely a bad thing, after all it would be hard to make a Summer blockbuster out of what is better suited for a fictional documentary. At a point in time the director was planning on basing it entirely on the book, but after beginning filming the idea was scratched and remodeled into an action-paced Zombie story. So much for the freshness of the story.
Now, to review the movie by itself. I want to review specific aspects of the film. They are: Cast and Direction, Writing, Editing, Costume and Set Design, and Background Music.
Cast and Direction
Overall I can honestly say the cast was well thought-out and certainly ensures the movie doesn't fall flat. Apart from main lead Brad Pitt, you have some other great performances by actors and actresses such as Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Fana Mokoena, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Ruth Negga. Their reactions and moods to different dramas and events in the story were believably performed. The cast eases the viewer into the action. As for direction, Marc Forster that was not at all shabby. The action starts playing out from the first minutes in the movie and then continues throughout the film. Like I mentioned before, he made a decision to deviate from the book, but he made up for it and delivered a well-directed film, although he didn't include some aspects of the book that would've enhanced the overall experience.
Writing
The dialogue and characterization of the movie deserve an average rating. Yes, it was quite inventive in some aspects, like one of the main plot points (which will be refrained due to not spoiling the movie). However, not so much in others. The movie focuses on a "hero" trying to help, but has things go wrong for him. However, things go wrong for him once, twice, and over, and over, and over again. Either Gerry has some awfully bad luck, or the screenwriters failed to notice the repetitiveness of the events in their story. Speaking of plot, World War Z's is very linear and "square". It is the type of movie that goes in one direction and doesn't really allow the viewer to weigh on different possibilities because there is clearly only one thing going to happen, and then the next, and the next. I wouldn't go as far as to say the movie is very predictable, but it doesn't take a lot to figure out things either. But we should remember that it is an action zombie movie. Many people don't go to the movies expecting an intricate and deep plot, but a lot of fights and blood and gore, which I'm guessing the screenwriters were hoping for. Sadly, however, the movie doesn't fair to well in blood and gore either. Yes, there is enough for the fights not to look fake, but the movie was rated PG-13. If you were hoping for clear shots at limbs being chopped off or weapons getting stuck in bodies, you only get part of the action. In my personal opinion, if you're making a zombie move worry more about making it good than about making sure young children won't be too frightened by the blood. It's made out of zombies, not Disney princesses.
As for the dialogue, it was believable enough and just the right level of dramatic, but then again it is an action movie where there isn't enough dialogue to judge properly.
Editing
The movie was not choppy and flowed smoothly enough that you weren't yanked out of the action between scenes. The mood was perfectly set for different scenes. Scary enough when it was dark, and keeping you on edge when there was light. Speaking of lighting, it does a great job at keeping the ambiance as well. A clear example is shown in the trailer with the scene in the stairway which is only lit by the flares in their hands. Excellent use of lighting.
Costume and Set Design
Costume Design ties in with the previous category. With such a large scale zombie movie you are always expecting the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), but always love when actors are paid to get into costume and character and play the role of the attackers. Luckily, World War Z has an excellent combination of both. Closeup scenes had actors scare and persecute other actors, while scenery and general shots illustrated just how many creatures there really were. The movie always feels much more realistic when there are actual zombies running after the hero.
As for the Set Design, or sets should I say, it is one of the aspects of the movie that had a greater impact on me. The movie chooses to start in a closed, family setting that seems very relatable and "cozy" and then zooms out to illustrate the big picture. Through radio messages, news castings, and Brad Pitt's point of view it is really shown that this is a zombie apocalypse. It is one of the few apocalyptic movies that decides not to tell the story of a single hero trying to survive with his family in the small town. Instead, it keeps true to the book in the single aspect that you really do get the feeling that the world might be ending. Kudos to the movie for that.
Background Music
To keep it short, the soundtrack of the movie was well-developed but not memorable enough. It is good enough that it doesn't break the movie, keeps it scary when it has to and gives you that rush you need in action scenes. But, it is not what you would think is Oscar-worthy, for example Inception to compare. It remains acceptable and works well in not distracting you from what is happening on the screen.
Overall Opinion
The movie is good in doing what it was made for: entertaining. I encourage you to watch it, but not to be expecting a huge plot that will blow your mind. Instead, just expect to watch some good action and have a good time. It deserves praise in that it manages to keep you interested and even surprises you at times. I have to admit it did get a good jump out of me at one point. The actors do a great job giving life to what the director envisioned, and the design of the movie keeps you immersed throughout. Again, if you're thinking of watching it don't hesitate to do so. Chances are you'll be pleased with what you see. Brad Pitt performs the role of a zombie-beating person splendidly. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the might-do-a-sequel-but-might-not esque ending, but that's up to each individual to judge.
My final rating, weighing up and down on all the aspects before mentioned, is 7 BorgBalls out of 10. Of course, this is as long as you're not comparing it to the book or to plot-driven movies, but instead rating it for what it is.
You can compare my rating to IMDB's 7.4 and Rotten Tomatoes' 68% on the critics' tomatometer and 86% based on user ratings.
Hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did and feel free to comment on both your own personal opinion on it as well as on my review down below.
#SaysJ
World War Z takes place in the modern world society and centers around United Nations' employee, Gerry Lane. The movie follows Lane as he travels the world in a desperate search for a cure to the new virus that kills people and then turns them into crazed killing machines. Of course, things don't always play out the way you hope them to. And for Gerry Lane, this is a rather common occurrence.
(If you think the review is too long or don't have time to read all of it, feel free to skip to the bottom to read my overall opinion as well as rating.)
First let's take a critical point of view at the comparison between the movie and the book. As you probably must know, World War Z is based on the book by Max Brooks. I read through it and must say I rather enjoyed it. It was set in a time after the war with the undead had ended. The book was a series of interview conducted by the character based on Max Brooks himself. It explained how the war developed in many different aspects, including economical, social, political, and military. Then they made movie, and the only thing based on the book was the world and the title itself. That's not entirely a bad thing, after all it would be hard to make a Summer blockbuster out of what is better suited for a fictional documentary. At a point in time the director was planning on basing it entirely on the book, but after beginning filming the idea was scratched and remodeled into an action-paced Zombie story. So much for the freshness of the story.
Now, to review the movie by itself. I want to review specific aspects of the film. They are: Cast and Direction, Writing, Editing, Costume and Set Design, and Background Music.
Cast and Direction
Overall I can honestly say the cast was well thought-out and certainly ensures the movie doesn't fall flat. Apart from main lead Brad Pitt, you have some other great performances by actors and actresses such as Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Fana Mokoena, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Ruth Negga. Their reactions and moods to different dramas and events in the story were believably performed. The cast eases the viewer into the action. As for direction, Marc Forster that was not at all shabby. The action starts playing out from the first minutes in the movie and then continues throughout the film. Like I mentioned before, he made a decision to deviate from the book, but he made up for it and delivered a well-directed film, although he didn't include some aspects of the book that would've enhanced the overall experience.
Writing
The dialogue and characterization of the movie deserve an average rating. Yes, it was quite inventive in some aspects, like one of the main plot points (which will be refrained due to not spoiling the movie). However, not so much in others. The movie focuses on a "hero" trying to help, but has things go wrong for him. However, things go wrong for him once, twice, and over, and over, and over again. Either Gerry has some awfully bad luck, or the screenwriters failed to notice the repetitiveness of the events in their story. Speaking of plot, World War Z's is very linear and "square". It is the type of movie that goes in one direction and doesn't really allow the viewer to weigh on different possibilities because there is clearly only one thing going to happen, and then the next, and the next. I wouldn't go as far as to say the movie is very predictable, but it doesn't take a lot to figure out things either. But we should remember that it is an action zombie movie. Many people don't go to the movies expecting an intricate and deep plot, but a lot of fights and blood and gore, which I'm guessing the screenwriters were hoping for. Sadly, however, the movie doesn't fair to well in blood and gore either. Yes, there is enough for the fights not to look fake, but the movie was rated PG-13. If you were hoping for clear shots at limbs being chopped off or weapons getting stuck in bodies, you only get part of the action. In my personal opinion, if you're making a zombie move worry more about making it good than about making sure young children won't be too frightened by the blood. It's made out of zombies, not Disney princesses.
As for the dialogue, it was believable enough and just the right level of dramatic, but then again it is an action movie where there isn't enough dialogue to judge properly.
Editing
The movie was not choppy and flowed smoothly enough that you weren't yanked out of the action between scenes. The mood was perfectly set for different scenes. Scary enough when it was dark, and keeping you on edge when there was light. Speaking of lighting, it does a great job at keeping the ambiance as well. A clear example is shown in the trailer with the scene in the stairway which is only lit by the flares in their hands. Excellent use of lighting.
Costume and Set Design
Costume Design ties in with the previous category. With such a large scale zombie movie you are always expecting the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), but always love when actors are paid to get into costume and character and play the role of the attackers. Luckily, World War Z has an excellent combination of both. Closeup scenes had actors scare and persecute other actors, while scenery and general shots illustrated just how many creatures there really were. The movie always feels much more realistic when there are actual zombies running after the hero.
As for the Set Design, or sets should I say, it is one of the aspects of the movie that had a greater impact on me. The movie chooses to start in a closed, family setting that seems very relatable and "cozy" and then zooms out to illustrate the big picture. Through radio messages, news castings, and Brad Pitt's point of view it is really shown that this is a zombie apocalypse. It is one of the few apocalyptic movies that decides not to tell the story of a single hero trying to survive with his family in the small town. Instead, it keeps true to the book in the single aspect that you really do get the feeling that the world might be ending. Kudos to the movie for that.
Background Music
To keep it short, the soundtrack of the movie was well-developed but not memorable enough. It is good enough that it doesn't break the movie, keeps it scary when it has to and gives you that rush you need in action scenes. But, it is not what you would think is Oscar-worthy, for example Inception to compare. It remains acceptable and works well in not distracting you from what is happening on the screen.
Overall Opinion
The movie is good in doing what it was made for: entertaining. I encourage you to watch it, but not to be expecting a huge plot that will blow your mind. Instead, just expect to watch some good action and have a good time. It deserves praise in that it manages to keep you interested and even surprises you at times. I have to admit it did get a good jump out of me at one point. The actors do a great job giving life to what the director envisioned, and the design of the movie keeps you immersed throughout. Again, if you're thinking of watching it don't hesitate to do so. Chances are you'll be pleased with what you see. Brad Pitt performs the role of a zombie-beating person splendidly. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the might-do-a-sequel-but-might-not esque ending, but that's up to each individual to judge.
My final rating, weighing up and down on all the aspects before mentioned, is 7 BorgBalls out of 10. Of course, this is as long as you're not comparing it to the book or to plot-driven movies, but instead rating it for what it is.
You can compare my rating to IMDB's 7.4 and Rotten Tomatoes' 68% on the critics' tomatometer and 86% based on user ratings.
Hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did and feel free to comment on both your own personal opinion on it as well as on my review down below.
#SaysJ