Good Zombie Adventure, Decent Action Flick, Mediocre Thriller

Rating: 6/10 (15 June 2014)

The zombie genre is dangerously overexposed at the moment. For the last ten years filmmakers have churned them out, in what is mostly motivated by the basest of financial considerations. Luckily World War Z takes the zombie concept in a slightly different direction than traditional films. In the same vein as 28 Days Later, only on a global scale, WWZ is arguably the culmination and most fitting depiction of the concept of the "Zombie Apocalypse," and one hopes its final reiteration. While it is too deeply flawed to really recommend to anyone outside zombie and action fans, the zombie genre couldn't hope for a better send off.
The film is reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion only much less dull. Though Contagion had the advantage of having an interesting antagonist, it also got bogged down telling one too many personal stories. In the end, Brad Pitt's central character, as unrealistic and epically significant he is in WWZ, is compelling enough to hold our attention. This movie doesn't really necessitate a bad guy, though a little more characterization might have helped. There are some good cameos I must say, but Pitt is what holds together this shambolic travelogue of a story. And considering the situation, his blunt exposition never seems forced. His character's simple mantra and guiding survival tactic (always keep moving) defines the attitude of the film. No one could accuse this reworked script of being too talky, that's for certain. As action sequences goes, it is quite striking.
But the film's problems are evident in its generic clichés and predictability. Brad Pitt's character is essentially a superhero, which in any other movie wouldn't be a problem however in a movie that stresses gritty realism and a foundation in hard science it just seems awkward. One scene in particular will test your suspension of disbelief, and maybe even ruin the film for you. As I mentioned before, the film was adapted from the book of the same title, and its ending reworked at the last moment. Whether the new ending played better than the original we may never know, but the tonal shift from bombastic to more subdued climax makes sense. The film would have been well served to provide us the opportunity to absorb and process what we seeing more often.
My only real complaint is that it never differentiates itself from the rest of the genre in any meaningful way, content to rely upon established zombie mythos and imagery found in any video game or B-horror. Though initially shocking in their animalistic disregard for their own bodies much like some swarming insect, the film none the less makes use of countless stock grayish, growling zombies, last-second escapes, and flickering fluorescent lights. In the decade since the masterpiece that was 28 Days Later, nothing in the zombie formula has really changed; good enough proof that the zombie phenomenon should probably cut its losses while it's still ahead.