Over the weekend I went to see  World War Z, the new zombie blockbuster starring Brad Pitt, loosely based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks. ‘Loosely based’ being something of an understatement, as apparently, apart from sharing the same title, the film bears little resemblance to the book.  Read more about the differences here…

I have not read Brooks’ novel myself, so was able to enjoy the movie for what it was: an action-packed zombie thriller. And thrill it did. I found it sustained the tension throughout, didn’t go overboard with the gore or the CGI and (aside from the plane scene – I won’t spoil it) was surprisingly plausible for a big hero-v-evil blockbuster.  And, sure, I’m never averse to watching Brad Pitt for two hours, but I thought he played the understated hero particularly well. He doesn’t go all jedi-warrior on us which makes his character all the more believable. (On a side note, I’m liking Pitt’s recent more subtle performances  – anyone seen MoneyBall?). Did the film offer something incredibly new and original compared to other zombie/outbreak flicks? Probably not. But I would say it’s up there with the best of them.

The film’s opening credits – a collage of scenes of traffic jams, urban sprawl, overpopulation, military force – and the “let’s make the audience think about this plausible scenario” voice-over that tops and tails the film, hint at Brooks’ deeper novel which is subtitled  ‘An Oral History of the Zombie War’ – set after the zombie war, and more of a social/geopolitical commentary about our world and humanity.  And perhaps, with news of a sequel already brewing, they will make more of this in a second movie.

However, even with the focus on the action and suspense, the movie did leave me with a sense of how plausible a viscious and global viral outbreak could be. I’m keeping a copy of Dr Dale’s Zombie Dictionary: the A-Z Guide to Staying Alive in my bag, just in case…

Anyone else been to see the film? What did you think?

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager