The Zombie version of Contagion

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2013)

"Life as we know it is coming to an end in 90 days. It's on us to change that."
Marc Foster is a very versatile director. I loved his work in Finding Neverland, an imaginative drama. He's also directed The Kite Runner, Monster's Ball, Quantum of Solace, and Machine Gun Preacher. He has worked with very different genres and for the most part I have really enjoyed his films. World War Z was no exception, and he proves now that he can make a great suspenseful thriller. I was at the edge of my seat for the most part of the film and there were several heart pumping moments. I hadn't had so much fun in the movies for a while. Of course the film has its flaws, but I was highly entertained with this Summer blockbuster starring Brad Pitt who once again single handedly carries the film. The film reminded me in some ways of Soderbergh's Contagion although this film is more linear and straightforward focusing on one character. It isn't your typical horror zombie film where you have a lot of blood and gore everywhere. In this film most of the frightening scenes take place without showing much. I thinks this is much more effective in a movie than focusing the attention on the gore. O was really pleased with the film. I have to admit I had never heard about the novel which was written by Max Brooks, but I have heard this film is only loosely based on it and has taken several screenplay liberties. The screenwriters did a decent job with the story, but the real fun was watching the fast paced zombies chasing after Brad Pitt.
The film centers on Brad Pitt's character, Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator who has decided to retire and spend the rest of his life serving pancakes for his wife, Karin (Mireille Enos), and two daughters back home. Everything changes when a strange viral epidemic begins to spread very quickly affecting every human being and turning them into zombies in question of seconds. These zombies aren't your typical slow paced zombies, they actually move pretty fast and aren't so dumb. Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena), Gerry's former boss at the UN, calls him back for duty considering the urgency of the situation. Apparently Gerry was one of their best investigators and so they ask him to try to locate where the virus may have initiated in order to find some sort of vaccine to treat the disease and stop it from spreading before it is too late. This investigation takes Gerry across the globe, beginning at South Korea, then Israel, and finally ending up in Nova Scotia. Along the way he encounters several secondary characters that give him insight as to where the disease might have begun. A former Israel military officer named Segen (Daniella Kertesz) joins Gerry in his pursuit.
The film is packed with suspense and thrills and will have you at the edge of your seat from the very beginning. It probably begins stronger than how it ends, but it still is a great experience. I loved every second of this film and was completely entertained despite the lack of character development and the lack of any explanation whatsoever as to how the disease may have begun. Marc Foster succeeds in creating a suspenseful and gripping movie and despite all the production problems they seemed to be experiencing during filming, the film still ended up looking great and surpassed my expectations tremendously. Don't expect it to be a gory zombie film and you will be very pleased with this exhilarating film.