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- Neil Middlemiss
World War Z 3D Blu-ray Review
One of the surprises of this summer’s movie releases, World War Z, is a $200MM zombie movie. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s also a zombie movie that’s more action and drama than horror and terror, absent of blood and gore. Partner that with a PG-13 rating and it shouldn’t really work – but remarkably it does. Leading up to the summer, World War Z had become notorious for its production difficulties and considerable budget overruns. However, with Brad Pitt in the lead role, a slate of convincing visual effects, and a sprawling global feel to what ultimately amounts to an intimate pursuit (as we follow Brad’s character on his investigation into the outbreak in order to ensure his families safety), the mix of ingredients come together with force, producing an unlikely smash hit and easily one of the most entertaining surprises to come out of an explosion and destruction-filled summer blockbuster roster.
Studio: Paramount
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/MVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD, Other
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Rating: Not Rated, PG-13
Run Time: 115 Min (PG-13, 122 Min (Unrated).
Package Includes: Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, UltraViolet
Amaray Case with slipcaseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 09/17/2013
MSRP: $54.99
The Production Rating: 4/5
“Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has. That's not stupidity or weakness, that's just human nature.”
Former United Nations (UN) investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) barely survives with wife Karin (Mareille Enos) and two daughters as Philadelphia descends into raging chaos, overrun with people turned savage, attacking with speed and ferocity anyone in their way and, by way of biting, turning the victims into more of that savage crowd. The events of Philadelphia are sadly not isolated. A pandemic of epic proportions has gripped the entire globe, from the United States, to Africa, to Asia and beyond. At the request of Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena) the Deputy General of the UN – and so that his wife, daughters and a young boy they picked up in the chaos can stay safe aboard a U.S. Navy command ship – Gerry heads to South Korea to begin his investigation into the cause of the pandemic, and to do everything in his power to help stop its spread.World War Z is furiously paced, broad in feel, and surprisingly intimate in its drama. This success of the film is born in large part from the source material, Max Brooks’ novel of the same name (though the film strays considerably from the source material), and director Marc Forster’s desire for the film to feel organic in its drama and scale among the intense set pieces. Additionally, Brad Pitt’s presence and performance add grounding and sincerity even as the extraordinary unfolds. I recall from the marketing campaign that, despite the suggestive ‘Z’ in the title, the word zombie was entirely absent. A smart move. Some may have been dismissive of a zombie film (unfairly so) had it been more apparent in the advertisements, but by couching the premise on a human catastrophe featuring powerful images of swarming, raging people, there was not a small amount of intrigue – enough to pull in the summer movie-going crowds.In fact it is in the nature of the zombies that World War Z excels. Zombie films, and the remarkable AMC show The Walking Dead, typically feature slow moving figures whose shuffling presence in tight spaces or in large numbers creates fear and tension. This is the familiar motion of the undead and it has created many claustrophobic and gut-wrenching sequences of horror and terror. But the river of raging people, moving like insect swarms, is wholly new. We may have seen something similar in Danny Boyles effective 28 Days Later, but those fast moving people were infected with a rage virus and were not technically zombies. And so the behavioral difference of the undead (one of the many changes from the source material) and the shift from blood and gore account for much of the broader appeal World War Z achieved.By all accounts, World War Z should have been an expensive embarrassment. Budget overruns, major script rewrites during production, extensive reshoots, and a completely retooled ending are typically symptoms of a doomed film, if not one with a severe uphill climb to quality and audience appreciation. Paramount, displeased with the original cut sought input from screenwriter Damon Lindelof who suggested retooling the grand spectacle of the original third act – at some cost – to bring an improved lucidity to the pace and action.Despite the much publicized production tumult, World War Z is a terrific piece of entertainment. While there are some plot conveniences of note, a remarkable survivability of Brad Pitt’s character, and a cliché or two thrown in for good measure, Z delivers both intense action, eye candy, and a certain realism that affords the film a strong foundation upon which the smaller story of Gerry doing all he can to protect his family finds time to breath among the grander spectacle. As he travels from South Korea to Israel to Wales, UK, Gerry encounters interesting characters along the way. Though we don’t spend much time with any of them, beyond the Israeli soldier Segen (performed with certitude by Daniella Kertesz) and members of the World Health Organization facility (which includes Pierfrancesco Favino and Peter Capaldi who will be taking over as the new Dr. Who), each makes a mark on the film and our investment in Gerry’s search for answers.
Video Rating: 4/5 3D Rating: 3.5/5
Audio Rating: 5/5
Special Features Rating: 3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Reviewed By: Neil Middlemiss
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