Flawed, but fairly entertaining for the most part

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2013)

I thought this movie was decent. That's the key word, decent. Zombies are rather big these days, since Walking Dead exploded onto the scene. These zombies aren't from the old school, that's for sure. They are fast, vicious, unrelenting, and absolutely unruly. They also do this creepy little convulsion thing as well. Even though this movie was almost two hours long, I did feel that the movie was rushed a little bit, especially with the zombies. While they are fast and vicious, they are perhaps a little too fast. What made George Romero's original dead trilogy so effective is that it was carefully thought out. The action is often quite exciting, but it doesn't know when to fully slow down at times. Zombie carnage is often all over the place, and it became a bit much for me. I realize this movie is vastly different than Romero's vision, but I still felt things moved too fast at times. It does have a fantastic airplane sequence which is truly thrilling, but I was a bit disappointed. I also would have liked more scenes with Pitt & his family. The first 35 minutes or so was riveting stuff. They felt like a real unit, and I was fully immersed in their plight. Then Brad Pitt leaves them, and that's when it starts to wane a little bit. While the action doesn't know when to slow down, the middle of this film doesn't know when to increase the pace. The middle section is slightly plodding. Not much gore here to speak of, either. Brad Pitt was excellent. I have nothing but great things to say about his performance here. His strong willed character and the ability to shine when the pressure is on made him all the more endearing. I'm not a big Brad Pitt fan, but he was awesome as the lead. He was the perfect family man. Mireille Enos had a subtle way about her that made me love her. Her performance as the Mother was great. I really do wish she had more screen time, because she was very good. I must give special mention to the daughters in this film, played by Sterling Jerin & Abigal Hargrove. It's a rarity that I like kid actors, but I adored both of them. David Morse has a bit part as well.
Final Thoughts: I know I've critiqued this film a bit, but I did enjoy myself for the most part. It is rushed at times, but it made almost two hours pass nicely. It's far from perfect, and it does have issues, but it's definitely above average. Well worth a watch. I'd be up for Brad Pitt kicking some zombie ass again for World War Z II.
7/10