World War Z

  • USA World War Z
Trailer 2
USA / Malta, 2013, 116 min (Special edition: 123 min)

Directed by:

Marc Forster

Based on:

Max Brooks (book)

Cinematography:

Ben Seresin, Robert Richardson

Composer:

Marco Beltrami

Cast:

Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, David Morse, דניאלה קרטס, James Badge Dale, David Andrews, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, Moritz Bleibtreu, John Gordon Sinclair (more)
(more professions)

Plots(1)

UN employee and committed family man Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is forced to abandon his wife and children when a global pandemic hits, turning ordinary people into violent subhuman monsters with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Due to the nature of his job, Gerry is deemed one of the very few people left on Earth with the ability to find the source of the virus and ultimately a cure, but will he be able to do so before the last remnants of humanity are completely eradicated? (Paramount Home Entertainment)

(more)

Videos (29)

Trailer 2

Reviews (12)

Malarkey 

all reviews of this user

English I will admit that all I knew about this movie was that Brad Pitt put a lot of time and money in it. So I thought it might be a decent Hollywood movie. And it was. The creators somehow combined a lot of well-filmed action and added a few philosophical questions on life and family. The finale was a nice surprise. It almost seems like the screenwriter was pondering how to end this movie and wanted to have a different take at it. Why wouldn’t he, when the movie’s biggest issue is that everything is again about zombies? There is an infection spreading, so why complicate things, let’s turn people into zombies again. Why not, when it is so fashionable nowadays, even more when they run around like Usain Bolt? That’s what they’re best at, except for eating people. Well, what can I say? That’s the way it is today. ()

D.Moore 

all reviews of this user

English A very decent spectacle. It has momentum, ideas and above all an excellent main character who is ready to undergo the worst not because some pompous patriotic duty calls him to it, but because he is protecting his own family. Brad Pitt is excellent, and although he's no superman, and I really liked how logical his character is, how he makes instinctive decisions and improvises (making a bayonet or forearm guards, plus other moments that I won't reveal - one of them has to do with the roof of a house and the other with a hand and a knife...). World War Z should be longer, though, because I couldn't help feeling that quite a lot of the plot is missing and many things or characters are somehow unexplained or unnecessarily rushed (David Morse, why everyone in Jerusalem suddenly started singing...). Otherwise, everything is just fine. Some of the situations were almost blackly humorous (Dr. Fassbach, the way North Korea fights the disease...), the ending didn't have a single flaw (except that it reminded me a bit of the ending of I am Legend). The stunts are almost perfect, the action is fortunately much clearer than in Quantum of Solace, the zombies are swarming like ants and are very (un)pleasantly unpredictable, and of all the biting swarming I probably liked the Jerusalem episode the most (despite the aforementioned criticism). And Marco Beltrami composed excellent music, but this time it is more interesting after seeing the film. A strong four stars. ()

Ads

Matty 

all reviews of this user

English "Shit happens." Forster previously demonstrated his inability to direct clearly arranged action scenes in Quantum of Solace. Despite its misleading marketing, however, World War Z fortunately is not built on a foundation of action attractions. The most powerful weapon in its arsenal is its consistent use of the zombie genre’s social dimension in the manner of Romero. The constant switching between micro and macro perspectives shows that, when chaos breaks out, the individual knows just as little as the institutions, which realistically do not subordinate their interests to the individual’s personal safety (you are either with us or you’re on your own). The fact that the narrative is not limited to what one person or group of people knows makes it impossible to describe World War Z as a film that uses a video-game narrative structure in a well-thought-out way. Despite that, Gerry’s approach corresponds to the narrative model that game studios call “string of pearls”. Only after the storytelling potential of one setting has been fully exhausted (and the notional end of the level has been reached) is it possible to move on to a different setting. But this isn’t merely a matter of monotonously collecting information that leads to more information. On the one hand, the film defies expectations in how it humorously handles the element of (blind) chance and, on the other hand, it continuously changes the context in which it addresses the zombie contagion. It works its way from the dominant family context through the military, political and medical contexts back to the family context (whose supremacy is pointed out to us with varying degrees of emotional aggressiveness throughout the film). Not only does this confirm the use of the melodramatic formula that forms the basis of most Hollywood blockbusters (really, seeking out melodrama in everything is just one of my quirks), but the chosen narrative arc also nicely serves the film’s humanistic message encouraging us to not be ashamed of our weaknesses (our humanity, which makes us vulnerable, but which is also our most powerful weapon). Thanks to Brad Pitt’s solid performance, the film’s emotional level is not completely superfluous and I unabashedly admit that I was touched by Gerry’s written plea shortly before the end. In terms of distributing information and drawing parallels between the current political situation and the fictional zombie contagion, the clever entertainment ultimately pays a price for the film’s attempt to please too many different groups of viewers. As I have already mentioned, the action scenes are chaotic, the scenes resembling survival-horror games lack original ideas and atmosphere (because we know that there will be running and biting in a few moments anyway), some scenes lack logic (the rusty bicycles were supposed to be quieter than walking?) while forced product placement is prevalent in others (unless you want to see the vending-machine scene as a caustic commentary on consumerism). At any rate, World War Z hums along nicely, has the potential for an even better sequel and, among other films in today’s zombie genre, it is also exceptionally likable due to its tastefulness (which may be a contradiction in terms, but I personally didn’t mind that the crisis also impacted artificial brains, intestines and other delicacies). 75% () (less) (more)

Kaka 

all reviews of this user

English Urgent, intense, with a slight intellectual touch. The finale is predictable around halfway through, but it does not diminish its dramatic and impressive quality in any way. It is technically brilliant and very fast-paced. This is the style that I have liked about Forster since Quantum of Solace, one that many condemn. I feel like it is slightly out of sync with today's time and many people can't digest it, but I perceive it as a very progressive aspect of his directing. Minimalistic in terms of acting and visuals, with minimal (depressive and gloomy) music, exceptionally raw and “realistic”, World War Z has an excellent feeling to it. The zombies are unbelievably believable and also one of the few that are taken seriously. ()

Isherwood 

all reviews of this user

English In spite of all the media failures (being over-budget, reshoots), Forster presents a rather unconventional zombie spectacle that works more along the lines of a flamboyant action movie in which a middle-class family and the world around them are drowning. The brilliantly paced direction (supported by good editing) pushes forward a plot vacuum that boils down to the fact that it takes the title and two or three prominent geopolitical allusions from a brilliant book, whilst then treading its own path to get to its roots, i.e., the horror in the lab. However, having a tighter dramatic arc, not limited to alternating the three locations where the protagonist arrives and the undead horde a minute after him, would not have hurt the film. [I want the Battle of Moscow, at least as a bonus on Blu-ray] 3 ½. ()

Gallery (418)