World War Pitt.

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 2015)

World War Z (2013): Dir: Marc Forster / Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Fana Mokoena, Daniella Kertesz, David Morse: Zombie movies are finally offering a glimmer of hope. First we had the twisted romantic Warm Bodies and now Marc Forster offers up another zombie apocalypse in the fight against death and preservation of life. The premise is rushed with characters introduced briefly then its time to flee rabid zombie people. Thankfully the film regains its focus as Brad Pitt is sent with a group of soldiers to find an antidote. We are given much tension and suspense as these soldiers are pursued and sometimes mauled by zombies. After the first stop at a base they fly off to Jerusalem where an antidote does indeed exist. Directed by Forster who made the hilariously inventive Stranger Than Fiction and the James Bond outing Quantum of Solace. The third act is best as Pitt must maneuver past zombies in a facility in order to get the antidote. This creates an interesting survival method that Pitt witnesses first hand during a massive zombie stampede. While Pitt fares well surviving a plane crash and other near death exploits, other characters are so bland that they make the zombies look like winners of a personality contest. Mireille Enos as Pitt's wife spends much of the film worrying and clutching the kids in fear when after failed attempts to contact him via walkie-talkie. David Morse appears as a former CIA agent imprisoned for selling weapons but perhaps more screen time would have benefited. Much of this is pointless mayhem but its sense of hope offers viewers an opportunity to see the beginning of the end for zombies. Score: 6 ½ / 10