World War Z Movie Review

From the moment I heard about a World War Z movie I was beside myself with enthusiasm and anticipation. That was all destroyed when I saw the first trailer for the 2013 movie. I'm a fan of Max Brooks World War Z novel, and I had high hopes for a good movie but it was blatantly evident just from the teaser trailer that the movie would have little, if anything, to do with the book. I became dead set on boycotting the movie based on the trailer. Curiosity got the best of me and I went to see World War Z in theaters and I have to admit, I'm glad I swallowed my pride.

Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family seem content. News of a mysterious infection that is rapidly becoming a worldwide pandemic is everywhere, and it's not long before the Lane family sees the plague hit their Newark, New Jersey home. Infected people quickly become rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Gerry is persuaded by the UN Deputy Secretary-General to go on a mission to investigate the disease in exchange for keeping Gerry's family safe. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Gerry must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before the entire world's human civilization falls.

Max Brooks' novel reads like a non-fiction book. It's a series of oral interviews conducted by an agent of the UN Postwar Commission with people who have interesting personal stories about the global zombie war (World War Z) and gives a broad overview of the fictional event that nearly wiped out humanity. If I were in charge of the world, World War Z would be a sort of mockumentary with interviews and footage from the zombie war. District 9 did something like this and it was fantastic! Had World War Z been structured similarly, the movie would probably have appeased a lot more fans.

While World War Z is absolutely a zombie movie, it doesn't revolve specifically around the zombies being gross and killing people. That is present and there is plenty of it, but the movie focuses primarily on the outbreak and public panic. There's a crisis and people panic and there are innumerable complications that arise from it; stampeding panicked mobs, traffic jams, looting stores for medicines and emergency supplies, people so on edge that they accidentally kill each other for fear that someone might be a zombie, etc. This is played out really well; it's actually more unsettling to watch society collapse under insane panic than it is to see a twitchy, screeching zombie tackle someone to the ground and bite into them.

Fans of blood and gore horror movies will probably be a bit disappointed with World War Z; there is hardly any blood and gore in the movie. Generally zombie movies will focus a lot on the violence and try to generate some kind of shock value from  seeing limbs torn off or blood gush and splatter from wounds. Yes, I suppose that can be fun for some viewers, but again the zombie mayhem wasn't the primary focus in the movie. This easily could have achieved an R rating by focusing more on individuals resisting zombie attacks and the bloody conflict that would ensue, but the movie has a broader scope. Taking the time to focus on the open wounds of a few individuals would have detracted from the macro-level scale of the film. It also kept the film in the much more marketable rating of PG-13. Besides, zombie blood and gore effects are so simple to make that even low-budget independent films can pull it off easily. Having a zombie film without those sorts of effects and still manage to put audiences on edge suggests that the director, Marc Forster, did an excellent job.

I loved the mood of World War Z. It was remarkably tense. I've had several people say they haven't been so on edge during a film since they saw Ridley Scott's Alien movie. I have to agree! The movie focuses a lot on mood and atmosphere and amps up the tension substantially. Many contemporary horror movies don't focus enough on creating that sense of dread and palpable foreboding. Not only did World War Z do this, it did it very well! There's a scene where Gerry has to navigate through a building full of dormant zombies and the slightest stimulus will wake them. Every little sound is like a death sentence. That is what horror movies are supposed to be like and this movie achieves that sense of tension exquisitely.

The mood, setting, and tension are beautifully done, but the script and characters are kind of flimsy. The script does an excellent job of establishing the world setting and the "rules" for its particular brand of zombies. The story itself is pretty repetitive. Gerry arrives at a place that has the situation mostly under control, and then all hell breaks loose. He arrives somewhere else that is reasonably calm and contained, then things fall apart. It sticks to a fairly predictable pattern throughout the movie. The characters weren't developed in much detail. Sure, Brad Pitt plays his role well, but the character isn't very deep. His family members even less so. I wouldn't really have cared had his family died at the beginning of the movie. Gerry's wife seems to be present exclusively for the purpose of having Gerry call her between scenes to let her know he's still alive. Again, the movie is focusing primarily on the setting and atmosphere, but I think the overall quality of the film would have been improved if Gerry at least had been fleshed out more as a character.

The special effects were pretty impressive for the most part. Yes, there are scenes that are obviously achieved by CGI, but for the most part, it all looks pretty convincing. My favorite scene is in Jerusalem where countless hoards of zombies are trying to get over the large wall built around the city and they mindlessly pile on top of each other trying to chase a single target. The zombies actually pour into the city looking for all the world like a cascading river of bodies flooding the streets. What's more, the scene takes place during the day where nothing is left to the obscurity of darkness. It's incredible to watch and made me wish each shot would last a little longer so I could just watch and appreciate how amazing the movement and detail is.

If you are a fan of the World War Z book, you really should try to distance yourself from the book and just go watch the movie. It's pretty good on its own even if it has little to do with the book. The setting is remarkable, the tension is palpable, the visual effects are excellent and have made World War Z one of the most expensive zombie films to date. The story and characters are a bit weak, but most everything else in the movie is pretty solid. If you've read the book or even Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide (both of which I recommend), you may notice some subtle references in the movie here and there. I think the World War Z movie will ultimately be accepted into the zombie movie cannon. I recommend seeing World War Z, but it can probably wait for a home video release; the cinematography is good, but I don't think it gains anything significant by being on a big screen.

Here's the trailer for World War Z so you can catch a brief shot of that cascading river of bodies scene:

What is your favorite zombie movie? Comment below and tell me why!

District 9 Movie Review

I studied social sciences in college. I majored in psychology, but also studied sociology and anthropology. There are very few movies I’ve come across that made me as giddy and excited over its social commentary as District 9 (2009) did. You could almost call District 9 “Sociology: The Movie.” And even outside the social commentary, it’s a great sci-fi film!

In 1982, a massive starship bearing a bedraggled alien population appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. The alien species were nicknamed “Prawns.” Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United (MNU), is contracted to forcibly evict the Prawn population. Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), a timid, pencil-pushing bureaucrat is put in charge of the operation. While trying to force Prawns to sign eviction notices, Wikus is exposed to some alien biotechnology which causes his DNA to mutate. Since the alien weapons and technology only react to the Prawns themselves, Wikus becomes the key to unlocking the technology for human use. He becomes the most wanted man on the planet. Ostracized and isolated, Wikus has to rely on the oppressed and bitter Prawns for help.

I can’t speak highly enough about District 9. The acting is fantastic and believable. The special effects and visuals are amazing and eye-catching. And above all, the story is intricate, well-written, and compelling. It presents themes such as humanity, xenophobia, and social segregation. The story and setting are quite elaborate; I could go on for pages from a literary standpoint. Yet it is still presented in a very understandable and straightforward way.

While District 9 is without a doubt science fiction, it’s still verisimilar. It parallels some racial segregation that occurred in Cape Town, South Africa. In District 9 there are actions being taken to move the Prawns out of the city and to a remote location. If you’re familiar with the events of 1966 you may recall Cape Town declaring its District 6 to be a “whites only” region, resulting in all housing being demolished and over 60,000 non-whites were forcibly removed. Another point worth mentioning is how the Prawns speak in their alien language which is made up of clicking sounds. The alien language is not unlike Bantu, the language spoken by some black African populations, which to the untrained ear sounds like clicking.

There is a very strong theme of xenophobia, racism, and prejudices in District 9. The film starts out like a documentary, cutting away to sociologists for commentary or to people on the streets giving their opinion. This was a brilliant story-telling device that made the movie seem more realistic and fact-based. These nameless characters state that they don’t care where the aliens go, they just can’t stay here. Others comment on calling the aliens Prawns, saying they are ugly like the crustaceans, and they are clearly bottom-feeders. “Prawn” is indeed meant to be a derogatory term for the aliens in this movie. And really, if you simply substitute terms like “black,” “Asian,” “Mexican,” “Jew,” or any number of labels that are used derogatorily in place of the word “Prawn,” the subtext of racial prejudice becomes even more blatantly evident. District 9 is essentially an action film about xenophobia, where all races of humans are united in their dislike and mistrust of an alien species.

District 9 was a fairly low budget film that employed some very busy CGI artists. The computer animation and motion capture was remarkable. No two Prawns looked exactly alike, and even the important Prawn characters moved a bit differently. Even though the Prawn characters were computer animated, they still portrayed a sense of humanity and emotion despite having several sets of antennae and maxillipeds sticking out of their face. The explosions and alien weaponry were really fun to see as well. We aren’t really told what the full extent of the weapons are, we just see a few of them do some pretty neat things like create a lightning-strewn black cloud in the wake of an explosion or catch incoming bullets.

I really could go on about this movie, but suffice it to say I really liked District 9 a whole lot. Even the characters are convincing; it’s so interesting to see Wikus become more humane as he physically becomes less human. I highly recommend seeing this movie, but be warned, there is a lot of profanity and gratuitous violence in it. Even after several viewings I still find myself cringing. It’s so well implemented that it is not a fault, but it would probably deter some viewers. It’s certainly not a movie for young kids to see. I’ve got a copy of this on Blu-Ray sitting on my shelf along with other favorites of mine.

What is your favorite movie alien? Comment below and tell me why!