Is “World War Z” Worth the Hype?

The world being terrorized by blood-crazed maniacs and entire populations running around in blind terror is nothing new, and has been seen on screen countless times before. But what director Marc Forster attempts in this apocalyptic psychological horror is something different.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the World War Z premiere

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the World War Z premiere. Photo Credit: Dave Allocca

A film that taps into our primal fears, Brad Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator and seemingly happy stay-at-home dad whose family day out is brutally interrupted when the city erupts into chaos as a full-scale zombie pandemonium ensues.

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L-R: Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, Abigail Hargrove as Rachel Lane, and Mireille Enos as Karin Lane. Photo credit: Jaap Buitendijk

Something is causing hordes of people to viciously attack each other. A lethal virus spread through a single bite is turning healthy humans into zombies within 12 seconds of being bitten by an infected host.

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Director/Executive Producer Marc Forster on the set 

Gerry, his wife Karen (Mireille Enos) and daughters Rachel and Constance (Abigail Hargrove and Sterling Jerins) are immediately evacuated to a UN aircraft carrier, but their stay on the ship is dependent on Gerry assisting with the investigation into the cause of the plague.

Mireille Enos at the World War Z premiere in New York - Photo by Dave Allocca

Mireille Enos at the World War Z premiere in New York – Photo by Dave Allocca

With no choice but to comply, he accepts the task that takes him from Korea, Israel to the UK in search of the source of the epidemic. It’s then the action really begins as Gerry witnesses a global pandemic as the infected overwhelm the world’s armies and rapidly topple its governments.

The Times Square at the New York premiere of WORLD WAR Z - Photo by Dave Allocca

The Times Square at the New York premiere of WORLD WAR Z – Photo by Dave Allocca

A riveting high tension thriller about zombies and the apocalypse, “World War Z” certainly delivers.

Loosely based on the post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks called “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War,” it is much more thoughtful than your ordinary run-of-the-mill zombie movie.

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Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane battles zombies in World War Z. Photo credit: Jaap Buitendijk

Visually dazzling, the zombies swarm like roaches, and hurl their bodies around, jump from corners, buildings and walls all head-first. When they are not provoked, they are stagnant, slow and wandering, but once the feeding frenzy starts, it’s almost like a shark that smells blood and they swarm around their victims like roaches drawn by sound.

Brad and Angelina

Brad and Angelina

With zombie attacks on planes, helicopters, buildings, streets, offices and compounds, the scale of devastation is impressive and the stunts are carefully choreographed and enjoyable to watch.

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The infected scale the Israeli walls in World War ZPhoto credit: MPC-London

An involving and genuinely scary epic, there is a lot of attention to detail, heart-pounding action, sweeping shots and shaky frame which all keep the adrenaline going.

An entertaining global apocalypse “World War Z” is gruesome, gritty and great and is certainly worth the hype.

Samantha Ofole-Prince is a journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film. She serves as the Entertainment Editor for Trendy Africa.

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