The is the scariest movie I have seen in a long time

Rating: 10/10 (21 June 2013)

This movie worked and moved in a class all on its own. It brings the concept of zombie movies up to a serious point, the way Dark Knight elevated comic book movies into a serious realm. I want to start of responding to some points made by others.
To start with, trying to compare this with other zombie movies borders on a bad idea. This may indeed be yet another zombie movie, but it takes the idea of zombie apocalypse to a whole new level. And also offers something all the more precarious that none of the others have really ever put forward, hope. I have noticed people trying to compare it to 28 Days Later. This is an immense mistake for one major reason. 28 Days Later is not a zombie movie. It seems like one but in reality none of the infected are dead. Not zombies.
As far as Brad Pitt being in this, to be quite honest I was skeptical. I couldn't picture Brad Pitt fighting zombies and taking him seriously. He surprised me. He did an amazing job in this movie. Far better than people have given him credit for.
Despite what many others have said, the zombies are actually quite realistic. Though when moving in mass (you will see in Jerusalem) you can tell there is CG involved it doesn't take away from it. Especially when seeing them up close. The make-up easily rivals Walking Dead. As far as the athleticism of the zombies, that can be easily explained. They are not limited by pain. Nearly every human body is capable of great speed, strength, agility, and dexterity. What stops us from doing all of those things, is pain, and our own sense of exhaustion. Take away the ability to feel pain, to get tired, to need air and food, and you have an unstoppable machine. Give it a single minded determination and you have a World War Z zombie. In an interview someone said that the zombies in this movie are treated as if they were, "a force of nature." They succeeded.
The misfortunes you see that occur through out the movie, are so realistic and possible you can almost feel the doom to yourself proceeding each event. This not only leads showing great acts of selflessness and courage but also deplorable acts of cowardice and stupidity.
I loved that this didn't rely on super amounts of gore. Modern horror movies no longer rely on suspense, surprise, and that adrenaline rush that leaves you nearly hyperventilating for the hero. Nope, just blood, and guts, and the biggest shock value possible. This movie doesn't leave you feeling like your popcorn is going to make a repeat performance. It gives you an adrenaline rush. One thing people also always talk about is the fact that zombie apocalypse couldn't happen. But the reality is that it could. All it takes is a virus, a single virus, and everything is possible. That sounds crazy, but new virus' are found all the time, develop and evolve all the time. Someone points out that zombies are such an improbable possibility, that unless some is saying, "what if it it possible?" then there is no hope for survival.
Though I do not get where anybody would get the ludicrous concept that this movie is even remotely sexist, I guess everybody has to find a PC controversy to make themselves feel better.
The need for Brad Pitt's character to emotionally develop throughout this movie is almost cliché. His character didn't need to emotionally develop, he needed to intellectually develop, which he did. To say that everything was felt and only impacted skin deep, completely misses the fact that zombie apocalypse isn't the place for emotional growth, and wasn't paying attention to how things played out between Gerry and many of the other characters.
Now after this bit by bit response to other complaints, let me say this. This movie kept me on the edge of my seat (and many others in the theater as well, the only reason I noticed was because the guy behind my husband came close to falling off his seat and into my husbands lap.) I never hide my face during horror movies, but I did through this. It scared the heck out of me, and yet it left me contemplating. This is, without a doubt, the best zombie movie I have ever seen.