Great Movie, not the usual Zombie fare which is a good thing

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2013)

This was much better than I thought it would be, probably for the very reasons some didn't like it.
It was a real movie with story, good characters, touching moments, and real suspense (slasher/gore isn't suspense). This actually raises the stakes and probably makes it more impactful in a real way. The whole set up is very plausible. The stakes for the family are also very real. It also did a good balance of how these situations will bring out the best in most people but also the worst in many. It wasn't all "everyone is out to take advantage and evil" but there were some.
And sometimes people in the movie didn't react well or did stupid things. But that is realistic if you think about it. Most weren't trained for combat never mind "the end of the world as they know it". Stuff happens and they way it was dealt with made it more interesting.
Many movies smooth these things over so they are less realistic and therefore make less of an impact. Let's face it, the majority of zombie fair is ridiculous, even when they have a basic premise that is possible. They are like video games that you know aren't real and half the time you are trying not to laugh or get annoyed at the stupidity, just like the average slasher/gore movies. The movie isn't about the zombies, they are just the threat and the backdrop. The movie is about the people. It's kind of like The Walking Dead in that aspect.
I'm also not a big fan of movies that have action scenes that just go on forever. It's usually stupid and ultimately boring. More is often not better. This had great action scenes broken up by real human moments. Like I said, a real, well balanced movie.
I loved it and it went by very fast. People I was with also weren't too sure going in but loved it coming out of the theater.
And you shouldn't never decide a movie based on a book. They never compare well. Unless you want to go the LOTR route and make 3 movies more than 3 hours long, you aren't going to do what was in the book. As a result, even the best adaptations combine characters, merge situations,etc. Judge a movie as a stand alone piece of work.
I agree this probably isn't for kids. The stakes are more real and therefore it would be more upsetting. Unfortunately, kids are used to gore these days, but this isn't that.
There is at least one minor clip in the trailers that doesn't seem to be in the movie. There will no doubt be an extended version at some point.