Solid Zombie Movie

Rating: 8/10 (15 September 2013)

Let me just say, I'm a huge zombie fan. I'm not talking with the new wave, I have loved zombies since I was old enough to watch them and have almost worn out my 'of the dead (including Return) VHS collection over the years.
That being said, I was very happy to see a zombie movie get the budget WWZ got, and I was fairly pleased with the result. I wish that it would have been more of a horror movie, there were some Resident Evil elements here that I wasn't so sure about. In this movie, it's no secret that zombies are not some kind of hell spawn, but they are simply hosts to a particularly nasty parasite. This was a good take to try to make the zombies a little different, and also bring them a little closer to reality (they were based on Ophiocordyceps -> google it).
I have to say, without spoiling anything, I wasn't a fan of the ending. I have read about the original ending and I'm not so sure about that either. It would only depend on if it got the same kind of treatment. For me, there was no finality, and I'm not saying a decisive ending. I am hopeful (but not holding my breath) that there will be a sequel, but the movie's ending was setup to either be a final ending, or it could be a continuation. I wish they would have decisively ended it, or lead it into a sequel. There was some turmoil and indecision in the ending of this movie, and it shows. They kind of took the easy way out, and I think taking a chance in this case would have paid off.
The effects in this movie were big budget top notch effects and it shows. There are many memorable scenes from a walled Israel, zombie hordes galore, mass destruction, hysteria, the jet scene, and much, much more. I was so happy to see this as it looks a lot like what you would imagine it would look like in your mind. The scale was huge and added a large amount to making this movie as good as it was.
Pitt is on his game in this movie. He is pretty much the only character that is in every scene through the whole movie, and he has to carry each one of those scenes. He does it with a natural charisma, and I think this is one of his strongest roles. He seems to be really into this character, likely because he was so heavily involved in this project from top to bottom.
There are only two actors who get any prolonged screen time and that's Mireille Enos as Karin Lane, and Daniella Kertesz as Segen.
Mireille Enos does a good job playing the concerned wife, although her role is fairly limited. She provides a source motivation of Gerry Lane and also impacts a key scene in the movie.
I found Daniella Kertesz' Segen character intriguing. She becomes a brave and imperative ally in Lane's quest, and I really liked the addition of her character as some added support for Pitt. She doesn't say a whole lot, but she's obviously tough as nails. She is kind of the anti-Karen (Enos), which balances things out nicely.
In the end, I would say this is one of the top zombie movies of all time. Night of the Living Dead had it's plot, Day Remake had it's running zombies and fast pace, and this movie has it's realization of an infested world and high calibre acting. The ending was a bit weak, but I get whyfingers crossed for a sequel