World War Z

Rating: 6/10 (7 July 2013)

I heard about this film many months before its release, because I heard about the leading actor being involved in a new zombie movie, and the title was certainly well chosen, from director Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, Quantum of Solace). Basically former United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is stuck with his family in a heavy traffic jam in Philadelphia, and on the radio they overhear a rabies outbreak spreading worldwide, and then all of the sudden explosions go off and people start biting and attacking other people, these are zombies. People bitten become a zombie after 12 seconds, and after escaping the disaster, and spending the night in the safety of an apartment, they are picked up by a helicopter sent by Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena), also Gerry's former UN colleague. They are taken off the coast of New York City to a U.S. Navy vessel, and the analysts and military personnel discuss the outbreak, Dr. Andrew Fassbach (Elyes Gabel) says it is a virus they must find the origin of to find a cure to those infected as zombies. Gerry, being expert as a former UN investigator, is sent to investigate, he is given the dilemma that if he does not agree his family will be taken off the vessel, and the team travel military base Camp Humphreys in South Korea where the word "zombie" was first heard. After getting out of another attack he is informed by survivors that the zombies are attracted by noise, and that the best way to kill them is to shoot or hit them by the head and incinerate the body, and imprisoned for treason former CIA operative Gunter Haffner (David Morse) tells him to go to Jerusalem, Israel. Once there they meet Mossad leader Jurgen Warmbrunn (Ludi Boeken) who explains about troops some time ago fighting against undead soldiers, and following this the country quarantined itself, but they still allow all nationalities of uninfected civilians to enter, and due to the noise from inside the zombies manage to climb the high wall to get in and attack. During the attack Gerry noticed certain civilians being ignored by the infected, and he escapes with escort soldier Segen (Daniella Kertesz), who is saved from infection having her bitten hand amputated, but on the plane a zombie stowaway attacks, forcing a grenade to be exploded, causing suction for the infected, while the passengers are safely belted, but the craft crashes. Gerry and Segen seem to be the only survivors, and they reach their diverted destination, a W.H.O. (World Health Organization) research facility in Cardiff, Wales, and to the scientists Gerry explains his theory that the zombies will not bite people already seriously injured or specifically terminally ill, as the host would not have a virus spread and reproduce, he says it is not a cure, but is could work as camouflage. He volunteers to try and get to the wing containing a range of terminal but curable pathogens to inject himself and try this theory, but the wing is surrounded by infected zombies, so he and two others make their way as quietly as possible without obvious detection to the wing. Gerry makes it to the storage vault while the other run and get out before the door is bolted, he injects himself with a sample and waits a few minutes for it to spread in his body, and he opens the door to a zombie who simply looks at him and walks past, and he successfully walks through the facility without any zombies trying to bite him. In the end Gerry returns to his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and two children in the safe zone in Freeport, Nova Scotia, a vaccine is created to be supplied worldwide for people to inject themselves and become camouflaged from the infected, soldiers are able to kill and incinerate the masses of zombies, and humanity continues. Also starring James Badge Dale as Captain Speke and Lost's Matthew Fox as Parajumper. Pitt is I agree a bit too calm most of the time, but he is a reasonably good choice as the man trying to help stop worldwide chaos, I also agree that there is not enough bloodshed in this film, most zombie movies you would blood and guts all over the place, and there are no big scares, but the story has good ideas about pandemic solution, and the conclusion to the problem is clever, it is exciting enough to enjoy with its special effects as well, all in all a likable action horror drama. Good!