Film review: World War Z (8 out of 10)

Zombies, like vampires, have been popping up on the big and small screen on a far more regular basis in recent years.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Jun 2013, 10:23 BST

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A wall of zombies in World War ZA wall of zombies in World War Z
A wall of zombies in World War Z

Let’s face it, a film or series about the undead, ready to grab you and turn you into one of their gang is as good a basis for a thriller/horror as you can get.

So what could Brad Pitt’s latest offering provide that hasn’t already been served up elsewhere?

In terms of tension I suppose not a great deal.

A wall of zombies in World War ZA wall of zombies in World War Z
A wall of zombies in World War Z
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But World War Z (zee or zed, take your choice) is well-paced, has a plot that for the most part makes sense and never loses sight of the human element.

Pitt is Gerry Lane, a United Nations employee who has given up acting as a trouble-shooter in the world’s hot-spots for a family life with his wife and two daughters.

However, he is drawn into a crisis when zombies start rampaging across the world. After one bite from these teeth-chattering head-banging former humans you end up charging after the nearest normal person in an attempt to convert them.

Lane’s attempt to find the starting point of this plague and possibly a cure takes him across the world, meeting all kinds of hazards on the way.

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There’s always a danger these days in big action movies that you feel you are just watching a computer game that you have no control over.

However, despite plenty of ‘dark corridor’ moments the action has been well thought out by director Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, The Kite Runner) and his crew.

Whether it’s in the pouring rain and dark in South Korea or in the wide open spaces around Jerusalem in blazing sun the tension is wracked up.

If you have seen the trailer you will realise that these zombies aren’t the shuffling kind; they run as fast as they can when they sense a human and stop at nothing (windows, walls, cliffs etc) to get to their prey.

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Pitt, not suprisingly, is in virtually every shot and is good enough to carry the movie.

There are plenty of small roles, though, and the film’s added strength is that everyone slots in pretty well.

However on the downside, apart from the odd zombie flying towards you, the 3D isn’t used particularly well.

Film details:

World War Z (15) 116mins

Director: Marc Foster

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Peter Capaldi

Screening courtesy of Cineworld Crawley

Steve Payne

Related topics:Brad Pitt