World War Z

World War Z

Overall rating: 4 stars

Chaotic, dark and unashamedly vast, but thrilling and intelligent nonetheless, World War z is a unique take on the tiresome zombie genre, with a strong performance from Brad Pitt to boot. 

The Good

It's scope is grand, but Pitt's character has a compelling story behind him, giving it much more personal focus than I imagined. Of course the story is pretty generic (a good guy saving the world to protect his family blah blah...) but Pitt is reassuringly charismatic and backed by a decent supporting cast.

It helps, with movies like these, that the source material is strong, with a smart plot and lots of potential. Whilst I haven't actually read the book, I understand that the film takes some different creative directions for both better and worst. This is controversial with fans and the author (Max Brooks), but a film which sticks to the book can be dull. For instance, the first instalment of the Harry Potter series is my least favourite, because it adheres to the source so rigidly. I see it as the film's strength, as the result is a tense and enthralling adventure.

The Bad

It's uneven. I also dislike the lack of build up. We get about five minutes at home with Pitt's family and then BOOM: zombie apocalypse. I'm not asking for hours of it (like The Hobbit) but the start feels rushed.

I didn't like the ending much, it was soft, but the solution to the apocalypse was highly creative: credit goes to Max Brooks for that.

To Conclude

Whilst uneven and long, World War Z still manages to be tense and captivating, using the strength of the source and Brad Pitt's star power to succeed.