Fast, Furious, and Infected

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2013)

This film is recommended.
Things have certainly changed in our fast-paced world. Our need for speed has become insatiable. Never is it more apparent than in the zombie genre. The dead are no longer walking. Today's zombies have been redesigned for maximum efficiency. Danny Boyle's ground-breaking 2003 horror classic, 28 Days Later energized that genre, and so does this skillfully-made offering entitled World War Z, the latest apocalyptic cautionary tale in a long line of disaster-oriented movies this summer. (This year's primary theme has showcased the bleakest possible view of our future and paraded those films before us with very mixed results.)
In WWZ, the scenario takes a global look at the zombie fever as we hopscotch to various locations (Philadelphia, Jerusalem, Korea, Wales). The virus cannot be contained and we are almost immediately classified in Code Red epidemic level. The film is Contagion revisited as a horror genre exercise in terror. Gone are the slow-moving brain munchers, monsters one could outwit and out-walk in the past. This newer model is fully equipped with a metaphysical souped-up V-6 engine and can travel at breakneck speed, literally speaking. These undead are the new fast and furious with a "yum,yum eat 'em up" attitude.
Brad Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a United Nations investigator who is trying to find a cure to stop this pandemic. But first he must somehow manage to get his own family out of harm's way before confronting the problem head-on. Throughout the film, Gerry is put in action hero mode, having to be brave and resourceful as he faces off against the attacking hordes in an effort to discover the virus' origin and stop this epidemic. The reasons why Gerry is the world's only savior and foremost zombie exterminator remain unclear, but it is Brad Pitt after all. Who else can save the world when Tom Hanks isn't available?
Meanwhile, the zombies swarm, multiply, and destroy what is left of human mankind, like crazed Walmart shoppers on a typical Black Friday rush (and just as terrifying). Director Marc Forster seems more concerned about CGI effects and creating horrific tension. He sets up one action sequence after the next to insure full audience interest and stages those set pieces quite effectively. (Particularly memorable are the siege at the fortress sequence and an in- flight zombie encounter that is edited for maximum tension and a scene involving ) The gore factor is surprisingly low by today's standards, which might disappoint some hard-core horror aficionados, but I applaud the filmmaker's restraint. WWZ is a fast moving and suspenseful diversion. Production values are all first-rate with special kudos to the sound effects editing team and Marco Beltrami's seamless musical score.
However, the film spends hardly any time on character development or much narrative. Pitt carries off his role well, within the limits of the script that is more invested in pumping up the adrenaline rush than emphasizing the personal dramas and dilemmas of its characters. The talented Mirelle Enos as his wife, Karin, is not given enough screen time to help build more emotional impact as are many secondary characters who tend to be dispatched the moment they arrive on the scene. (Was that Matthew Fox who delivered one line of throwaway dialog or was my vision impaired?)
But World War Z is essentially an action/horror movie that delivers much of its thrills and excitement due to Forster's vision as a director and the film's strong visual imagery. Seeing this film on the big screen will only enhance the movie-going experience. And if the world's gotta end, well, at least Brad Pitt is there for good company. GRADE: B
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