So today, I finally got round to watch the World War Z movie!
After all the hype, years of waiting and reading the World War Z book by Max Brooks I could finally see what they had made!
Overall, the movie was okay! Compared to other Hollywood disaster films it was average... better than War of the Worlds? Possibly. I Am Legend? In places. Other zombie films? 28 Days Later? Maybe not.
I think the main thing that spoilt it for me, is the fact that I had read the book and not known that the only thing connecting the book with the film was the name "World War Z." I was looking forward to the big battles like those at Honkers a global scale and adventure. I understood that this was a planned stand alone movie, something that had only take some notes from the book, but much less than I thought. I wish I knew, so I could have viewed the film as a stand alone film not an attempted adaption.
I think in a way it is a shame that they didn't follow the book more. I know it would have been hard to adapt the book with its interview style, but the book allowed you to fill in the gaps to the story of humanities battle against the Zeds. It was like a big jigsaw, each interview fit into a place and overall you could get a good idea of the whole experience from the panic and infection to war. It had a global perspective. I mean this film attempted to show a global perspective heading to South Korea, Israel and the UK. Many of the great scenes were away from the US. As they didn't follow the story and missed on the fact of there being no cure and other certain features from the book including how infection initially spread and how they fought against them.
There was no point in the film where the humans won a battle, which is something that is missing and that is key. The ending seemed to lack an active climax, no final battle. It seemed that the whole film was leading up to something that wasn't there. With a disappointing end it lacked a clear motion in the film.
The best points of this film were the scenes in Israel that truly showed the scale and power of the Zombies, there just needed to be more of these points but in other locations. It was a good zombie film with some scary bits and times were it makes you jump!
Its a shame that the film wasn't a higher rating, zombie films are meant to be gory and scary and not all films need to have a happy ending! The book doesn't end with humanity saved, its just a continuous battle that gets better and when one day it will all be over.
I also felt the film could have been maybe a bit longer. The film 2012 had a good global scale going to numerous parts of the globe with devastation at every turn and was a very long film around 3 hours! They could have definitely done a longer film!
Hopefully with WWZ doing so well on the box office and announcing a sequel then they will take more of the book, more of those stories and do it from a whole different perspective, perhaps at a the same time from a different country, to add in those things that make the story from the book so epic. I won't be too bothered if Pitt doesn't return and I don't want the whole family situation that normally happens in these films.
Overall, the film is good but the book, the book is better! READ THE BOOK!
Its best to look at the film and the book as two separate identities. My harsh review is because of my high anticipation for the film!
Anyways I will leave you with these words from the books writer Max Brooks:
"I feel much worse for [my fans] than I would ever feel for me. There are college kids who have been waiting to see the Battle of Yonkers since they were in junior high school."
"See the movie as the movie; judge the movie as the movie. You may like it. You may be blown away. You may not be blown away. But if it's not like the book ... you shouldn't expect that."
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