Review - World War Z

For most, World War Z will be a movie that they will either love or hate. I was split down the middle with it. There were things to like but then there were things not to like. 

Zombies seem to be the in thing at the moment with The Walking Dead on TV and The Last of Us wowing gamers worldwide. Both of these are examples of how zombies can be brought to the screen successfully. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood decided to capitalise on this.

I'm a sucker for a zombie movie and they always entertain me but with World War Z, I was hoping for more. With a budget nearing $200 million and Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt in the lead role, everything was set in place for World War Z to wow global audiences.

That isn't the case. Instead, World War Z just feels like a run-of-the-mill zombie movie that offers nothing new and makes all the safe choices. 

Brad Pitt stars as Gerry Lane, a former employee of the United Nations, who finds himself trying to protect his family after a zombie outbreak suddenly occurs. After getting his family to safety, Gerry is sent on a mission across the globe to try and find the source of the outbreak so a vaccine for the infection can be made. 

There wouldn't really be much point in me explaining other characters in the movie as, from the get-go, the movie only wants people to care about Brad Pitt's Gerry. Yes he is a major Hollywood star but how about we focus some of the action on other people in the world as this is World War Z

Some may think this is harsh but I don't think the movie matched the ambition its budget and marketing suggested it would try and reach.

What I did like about the movie was the visual impact of the zombies when they attacked. Gone are the days where zombies move at a snail's pace. Nowadays zombies attack faster and stronger. If you don't like running you are not going to last long at all. In World War Z the zombies attack as a swarm. This makes for some impressive scenes, such as the horde of zombies that clamber over a wall protecting Jerusalem from the infected or the aftermath when Gerry is trying to escape Jerusalem, with zombies swarming the streets.

The end for me was a bit weak and with a sequel on the cards there were better ways they could have ended it. To many this will sound like I didn't like the movie at all but that is not the case. In no way was it unwatchable. There was enough there for an entertaining film but part of me was a little let down after the trouble they went through making the movie.

World War Z finds itself someway behind The Walking Dead and The Last of Us regarding the impact on the zombie genre however, it plays it safe enough to make sure it doesn't end up as a flop of the genre.

Verdict: 2.5/5

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