My review on World War Z

I don’t like gore and blood and guts. So any zombie movie would definitely not be on my list of favorite movies. Maybe on my least favorite ones. Then my husband asked me to watch World War Z the other day and I almost gagged. What, two hours of freakshow, ugh! But I remembered he sat through Epic and Monster’s University with my son recently so I agreed. He deserved this :) Besides, Brad Pitt said in an interview that he wanted to produce a zombie movie his sons can watch so I thought maybe it wouldn't be all that bad.

And thankfully, it wasn't. And thankfully too, I didn't read the critics’ review before watching it. Some were a bit harsh comparing it to the book, which I haven’t read and have no plans of reading since I'm not a fan of zombie books too. And yes, some even complained that it was too much PG rated. Duh, not too much twitching and oozing perhaps?

Anyway, I’m writing this as part of an audience, someone who actually liked the film even if I don't like the zombie genre. Despite the rampaging, snarling undead tearing through a metropolis. I still liked it because I liked the good old formula of filmaking I grew up with, good old fashioned edge of your seat suspense sprinkled with a lot of action and coupled with family drama. Not too much CGI where you can't actually tell who the real humans are. It is a movie you can talk about even after you go out the cinema. 

Honestly, it was quite fast paced that sometimes it felt like you were strapped on a roller-coaster ride. The first scenes may look docile, depicting Brad Pitt in a domestic setting. (Yup, he is  Dad here, complete with cooking pancakes and driving a station wagon).

But after that, boom! Hold on to your seats and his family are being chased by a pack of rabid zombies. You are lost with them in a sea of people screaming and running. The reaction of the children was realistic, panic-stricken and confused with the eldest even having an asthma attack. Meanwhile, the supermarket scene was  chaotic with the looting and the absence of law and order. It gives you a chill that something like this might really happen if a national emergency situation arises.

And their race to the rooftop for their helicopter rescue was heart-thumping too. The scenes leading to it, on the darkened halls in eerie silence lighted only by a flare and on the staircase running frantically while the zombies were  chasing them were enough to make you cover your eyes, wanting to open it when they are finally rescued.

But it is not all frantic action, there were wrenching bits too like when Brad Pitt’s character had to tell his wife that he had to leave and help a scientist find a cure so his family can still stay aboard a warship, one of the only safe havens in the world corrupted by zombies. Moreover, the scenes with his children were heartfelt too, giving the audience something warm to ponder on and it served as a little breather from the suspense. It also added a touch of humanity to the monstrosities around. And that for me is what makes this movie different from other graphic, nonsensical zombie movies. It is not all gore and violence but gives you someone relatable to root for, in this case, a father, a parent, one who only wants his family to be safe. Note, he didn't go out and declare he wanted to save the entire humankind but only his family first. He was actually hesitant to leave. And having that one character with a lot at stake is essential in telling a good story. It gives it more depth that is unusual for a movie like this.

Then after a slight lull, it‘s back to the roller coaster ride again. His travel on different parts of the world to find a weakness for the virus was a like being strapped on a ride again in rapid acceleration. The night chase in Korea on the way to the plane and his escape from fast grotesque savages on the way to the airport in Jerusalem was nail-biting. Who can forget the large mound of zombies scaling the walls of Israel  like ants?

And just as you thought here was an easy pace inside the Belarus plane, a hidden zombie was uncovered and yes, all hell breaks loose. The passengers tries to run away from the rampaging undead but how far can you go inside a 747?

Even the innocent halls of a health facility became venues of dread. Scenes with a handful of almost catatonic-like scientist zombies littering the halls, waiting for prey while Brad Pitt and his comrades tried to go around them was effective in fanning quiet panic among the audience. Quite different from the usual mass of gyrating, teeth-baring zombies you often see swarming around, scenes you’ve seen many times in a number of zombie movies.

Overall, I was surprised. I didn't expect I’d enjoy the movie even if it’s about one of my least favorite genres. Honestly, I don’t care if they didn't follow its so called book faithfully. It was their interpretation of the book. Let its author cry foul if he didn't like it. Because I think what really matters is, if the audience was entertained. 

Were they momentarily taken to another place, taken out of their everyday drudgeries and were excited, terrified after leaving the theater? Even talking about it on their way home like we did. In the end, the box-office results will show if the audience liked the film not the critics. Because it’s the first time I've heard clapping after a zombie flick.