World War Z is more about the visuals than the characters.

Rating: 4/10 (22 June 2013)

With the summer blockbuster movie season in the swing, audiences expect all the usual trappings that come along with such; i.e huge explosions and no plot. That's what you'll get with World War Z, a film that is flash and substance, cranked to insane levels with bucket loads of CGI and little regards for smooth and cohesive narrative which could've elevated it beyond just action and special effects.
I'm not familiar with the original novel on which this film is based, but from the looks of it, it seems to be aimed at only a specific demographic; that is those that crave mindless action above all else. There's nothing wrong with that, but I suppose those(like me) that want story and character development ALONG with action, will be disappointed as World War Z, to them, only resembles the original novel IN NAME ONLY. Superficial performances from some of the lead characters, save for Brad Pitt, dull the experience immensely as a film of this caliber demands hard, vicious violence and tense, frightening atmosphere, that, unfortunately enough, are sparsely sprinkled about in this film. There's no doubt that some of the film's action scenes are impressive, but one gets the feeling that because of it's PG-13 rating, a bane of zombie flicks, are so tame that to call it a TRUE zombie flick would be an act of blasphemous disservice. Ultimately, it would seem that with so many rewrites to the script and filming of scenes, it clearly became a case of "too many cooks spoiling the broth".
The potential for something like this to be greater than the sum of it's parts were here, but the execution of such potential into something natural, organic, and emotionally and intellectually engaging, falls equally and devastatingly flat on it's cinematic ass. World War Z once again proves the inept and ADD-riddled filmmaking process of Hollywood is once again, cropping up and utterly ruining a film's potential to be something great. I'm not sure if I want to see this film again; I'll wait for the director's cut. IF indeed such A CUT exists, then I suspect it would be an overall improvement over the theatrical release, but since it's too early in the game for such a thing, I've no choice but to conclude that World War Z, ultimately, pales in comparison to it's much superior counterparts "28 Days Later" "Night of the Living Dead" "The Walking Dead" and to a certain extent, even the bloody yet comedic romp "Night of the Comet" and other notable films of this tried-and-true genre. If a sequel is made and judging by the latest box-office numbers, I don't fail to see why. Only ardent, die-hard fans can hope for the next film that features more blood and guts, more heroism, and most importantly, more character development.