WORLD WAR Z

Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos

A few days before Halloween I thought it would be fitting to watch a scary film.  As I checked my arsenal folder of films, I noticed I didn't have any horror films (mainly because I am not a fan of this genre). 

Then I saw World War Z - zombie invasion would surely qualify as scary in my opinion.  So I settled down to watch.  At first, surely the very thought of a group of people getting infected with some sort of virus which turns them into zombies is quite frightening for me.  

But as the movie progressed and I saw the extreme lengths Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) went through to find a 'cure', the idea became less scary and more of a joke. The kind of joke that is passed around several times, it becomes stale relatively faster than you can reach the punchline.

I mean really the fact that the scientist who will extract the vaccine dies (rather carelessly as hitting his head when he slips) within several minutes of the film should tell you it can't be taken seriously.  It seems like Brad Pitt took on this project so he could (a) be the sole hero to the rescue and (b) make a film that will certainly earn him huge brownie points with his young kids.  But then it is Brad Pitt after all and I may be wrong but I don't think that award winning performance would be an apt description as far as his acting skills go.  

Probably that he is too good looking to be taken seriously but judging from his array of films so far, none really scream Oscar worthy acting, right?  So after I got over my initial fear of zombies wreaking mayhem over the universe, I simply settled back and enjoyed this popcorn popping type of mindless entertainment (sans the popcorn, of course).

The film itself is well edited with violent and disturbing images of zombies on the attack in almost every frame.  Even though he goes all over the world (Israel, Scotland) to find the 'solution', the flow of the film is still intact and balanced.  The computer generated images naturally helped in bringing the dramatic intensity factor into play.  

Then just as you expected more 'action', the film ends on an open ended sequence.  This uncertainty cues in a sequel is in the works in the distant or near future.  It would be interesting to see the different premises that will be played before a final closure is brought about.  But until then, life goes on ... preferably without any zombie attacks!