World War Z

[taksraven]

Saw it at the Australian premiere (with Mr Pitt making a *40 second* appearance in the theatre at the start, just to say "watch the film" essentially.) Thanks for all the free booze Paramount Pictures.

Watched it. Enjoyed it. PG 13 US classification so a lot of the violence is more implied than explicit (fine with me). Pretty cool. Take your girlfriend/wife/boyfriend/whatever to go see it in a packed cinema on a Friday or Saturday night. It's that sort of film.

[Duke Togo]

Saw it at the Australian premiere (with Mr Pitt making a *40 second* appearance in the theatre at the start, just to say "watch the film" essentially.) Thanks for all the free booze Paramount Pictures.

Watched it. Enjoyed it. PG 13 US classification so a lot of the violence is more implied than explicit (fine with me). Pretty cool. Take your girlfriend/wife/boyfriend/whatever to go see it in a packed cinema on a Friday or Saturday night. It's that sort of film.

Have you read the book? If so, how would you compare?

[Gakken85]

Probably skip this in the theater for 2 reasons

1. It looks like it doesn't follow anything that made the book so much fun.

2. I'm sick of zombies. For real.

[Mr March]

Reviews are mediocre so far. Best praise most can muster is it's good for a disposable summer movie and has a few thrills. This doesn't sound like a full price theatre-worthy flick. Maybe a netflix or download.

[Duke Togo]

Reviews are mediocre so far. Best praise most can muster is it's good for a disposable summer movie and has a few thrills. This doesn't sound like a full price theatre-worthy flick. Maybe a netflix or download.

80% right now on RT. Still early, though.

[Mr March]

57% on Metacritic.

[Duke Togo]

57% on Metacritic.

Metacritic isn't worth discussing in any context. It's a troll-fest.

[Mr March]

And RT is yes-men trying to 100% every dumb movie they like. They deserve Armond White

[Twoducks]

Judging from the trailers, It looks like the only thing from the book they kept is probably the global scale. In the movies case, having Mr. Pitt changing country for each of the obligatory action moments.

Hope they at least don’t botch up that angle too much. First time they are showing the rest of the world in a zombie flick.

[myk]

Just got back from a midnight showing.

The story went from rolling around in bed with your wife, to eating pancakes and then caught up in a zombie apocalypse in like, 2 minutes; not nearly enough time build up the "infection" phase of the story. The middle of the movie was moderately engrossing with its fair share of scary moments, tragic encounters, but the ending was the most anti-climactic and disappointing of any movie of recent memory.

Ultimately, it had its moments but in the end it was a let-down. Then again, for the last few years I've been hoping for a sequel to 28 Weeks Later, and this was it!

[Ivan]

Have to admit I really enjoyed the film, at least much more than Man of Steel. I heard a lot about script re-writes and re-shoots, so was pleasantly surprised at how coherent the final product was. The re-work was barely noticeable in my opinion. Yes, I was disappointed that the social and political themes were basically gone (though I never read the book), but overall it's still a decent summer movie. The realistic approach (family man as supposed to zombie warrior) made it a lot more watchable then disasters like Resident Evil 5. Brad Pitt's solid performance also helps alot.

[Duke Togo]

I actually enjoyed it up until the end. It had plenty of issues to be sure, but its essentially a less-solid (but still entertaining) version of Aliens--only with zombies. But then they ruin it with the montage ending that ended the movie about a half-hour short of what it should have been. The ocean flotillas, the great slaughter of zombies using new (old) tactics, and the China revelations are completely missing in the movie.

I am greatly disappointed because of the lack of a proper ending. Otherwise its a perfectly entertaining summer flick. My 2 cents? Netflix it, or wait for cable.

[Gakken85]

I'm thinking about seeing it tonight, but idk if it's worth the money.

[areaseven]

Saw it last night. Basically, it's Die Hard with zombies, as Brad Pitt is this indestructible hero that survives multiple zombie raids and a plane crash throughout the movie. Yes, the plot feels rushed, but the point of the film is to put the viewer in the middle of the mayhem. My biggest gripe is the camerawork, which appears to have been done literally by zombies.

Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland are still the two best zombie movies over the past decade, but World War Z comes pretty close. It's everything the Resident Evil movies should've been.

[mpchi]

Watched it on Friday. Quite enjoyable overall, and pretty tense the whole way through. I think the best part of the movie is put you in the middle of mayhem in an outbreak and experience the chaos such event can bring, and keep you on the edge. But don't expect a lot of character building, background stories, or the WHYs and HOWs of the event. It left a lot of things unanswered, and you pretty much just follows Brad Pitt's character being inserted in the middle of the action and follow his footsteps to hope finding a cure, while hell broke loose everywhere in the world. Its a fun ride, but nothing deep nor very touching, and how it ends may seem underwhelming to some (but fine by me). I would rate it a 7.5/10.

[Duke Togo]

As a fan of the book, I should add it's almost nothing like the novel. The only thing they have in common is a world-wide epidemic.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Duke Togo

[Black Valkyrie]

Saw it at the premier, must say what a boring movie, D.

[DarrinG]

Saw it - enjoyed it. Went fast.

I understand pretty much. WE - the mass of humans are mostly the problem. Expect some culling. The U.N. is the Savior, along with their vaccines...

"Mommy - what is marshall law?"

Would see a part II ...

[azrael]

I heard a lot about script re-writes and re-shoots, so was pleasantly surprised at how coherent the final product was.

Well then, here's how it might have ended... Here's How 'World War Z' Originally Ended Before the Reshoots.

[David Hingtgen]

So should I read the book instead of seeing the movie?

[anime52k8]

Probably skip this in the theater for 2 reasons

1. It looks like it doesn't follow anything that made the book so much fun.

2. I'm sick of zombies. For real.

So what if you didn't think the book was fun at all and you're not completely sick of zombies yet?

Edited June 25, 2013 by anime52k8

[Duke Togo]

So should I read the book instead of seeing the movie?

I re-read the book yesterday, and the movie seems even worse having done so. How could they have missed the mark do badly? It's flabbergasting.

Read the book, skip the movie.

[Duke Togo]

Well then, here's how it might have ended... Here's How 'World War Z' Originally Ended Before the Reshoots.

And it's still grossly wrong, not to mention stupid.

[azrael]

Read the book, skip the movie.

Here's a visual for people wanting to know what the differences are (courtesy of The Oatmeal):

[Twoducks]

I re-read the book yesterday, and the movie seems even worse having done so. How could they have missed the mark do badly? It's flabbergasting.

Read the book, skip the movie.

When that phrase is the best slogan for a movie you know it is bad.

Could it at least be called a loose "28 Months Later"?

A decent mini series really based on the book would be a nice way to finally end the zombie fad on a high note..

[Duke Togo]

When that phrase is the best slogan for a movie you know it is bad.

Could it at least be called a loose "28 Months Later"?

A decent mini series really based on the book would be a nice way to finally end the zombie fad on a high note..

Hell, they could have done it as a trilogy based around the three major periods of the novel: the pandemic and the great panic, fortification and survival, and the total war offensive. They didn't even have to stick with the format of the novel (a recounting of past events).

They were handed the template for a sprawling blockbuster franchise, and turned it into "Brad Pitt saves the world from zombies in less than two hours."

[dizman]

I watched the movie the other day, it wasn't terrible. WWZ was fun to watch at least but I'm going to agree with Duke and say read the book skip the movie.

[Duke Togo]

I watched the movie the other day, it wasn't terrible. WWZ was fun to watch at least but I'm going to agree with Duke and say read the book skip the movie.

That's the thing: taken by itself, its an entertaining movie. Sure, it has some problems, but it's still pretty decent. Add in knowledge of the book and it turns to crap.

[Negotiator]

lindelof re-wrote the ending so not gonna touch this.

[myk]

That's the thing: taken by itself, its an entertaining movie. Sure, it has some problems, but it's still pretty decent. Add in knowledge of the book and it turns to crap.

I'm on page 4 of the book and it's already better than the entire movie...