(Living) dead-cert summer hit
By Jocelyn Noveck |
June 30, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MIGHT there be a real-life zombie apocalypse one day? Not likely, but then again, the way zombies have chomped their way into our pop culture the last several years, it's maybe a bit less implausible than it once was.
What is increasingly quite plausible, alas, is a scary global pandemic, and "World War Z," the long-awaited Brad Pitt thriller, cleverly melds that real-life threat into the more fanciful zombie premise. Talk about more bang for your buck: Once you've settled back into your seat after a good snarling zombie chase, there's nothing like the thought of a SARS outbreak to get the blood racing.
But let's just say right here that the one apocalypse you won't see in "World War Z," is an artistic one. There was lots of talk about this mega-budget 3D movie, co-produced by Pitt and directed by Marc Forster, falling on its US$200-million-plus face, what with a postponed release, a re-shot ending, endless script drafts and major crew changes along the way.
But it's pretty much what you'd want in a summer blockbuster: scary but not-too-gross zombies, a fast-paced journey to exotic locales, thrilling action scenes, and did we mention Brad Pitt?
Oh right, we did. Surely this isn't a performance to rival Pitt's work in "Moneyball" or "The Tree of Life," but given the lack of time for nuanced character development, it hardly seems meant to be. What Pitt offers the film is pretty much what his character, a level-headed former UN investigator, offers the endangered planet: Nothing too flashy, just a comfortable, intelligent presence that keeps things grounded and just might win the day.
That last part remains to be seen: The filmmakers hope "World War Z" is just the first in a franchise.
We begin in Philadelphia, on a sunny morning in the kitchen of Gerry Lane (Pitt), his wife Karin (Mireille Enos), and their two daughters. As the family drives off for the day, though, life changes in an instant. The streets are suddenly and terrifyingly overrun by packs of wild, raging zombies.
Amid the mayhem, occasional touches of humor - one serving as a prudent reminder to turn off those. Cellphones also happen to awaken zombies ...
What is increasingly quite plausible, alas, is a scary global pandemic, and "World War Z," the long-awaited Brad Pitt thriller, cleverly melds that real-life threat into the more fanciful zombie premise. Talk about more bang for your buck: Once you've settled back into your seat after a good snarling zombie chase, there's nothing like the thought of a SARS outbreak to get the blood racing.
But let's just say right here that the one apocalypse you won't see in "World War Z," is an artistic one. There was lots of talk about this mega-budget 3D movie, co-produced by Pitt and directed by Marc Forster, falling on its US$200-million-plus face, what with a postponed release, a re-shot ending, endless script drafts and major crew changes along the way.
But it's pretty much what you'd want in a summer blockbuster: scary but not-too-gross zombies, a fast-paced journey to exotic locales, thrilling action scenes, and did we mention Brad Pitt?
Oh right, we did. Surely this isn't a performance to rival Pitt's work in "Moneyball" or "The Tree of Life," but given the lack of time for nuanced character development, it hardly seems meant to be. What Pitt offers the film is pretty much what his character, a level-headed former UN investigator, offers the endangered planet: Nothing too flashy, just a comfortable, intelligent presence that keeps things grounded and just might win the day.
That last part remains to be seen: The filmmakers hope "World War Z" is just the first in a franchise.
We begin in Philadelphia, on a sunny morning in the kitchen of Gerry Lane (Pitt), his wife Karin (Mireille Enos), and their two daughters. As the family drives off for the day, though, life changes in an instant. The streets are suddenly and terrifyingly overrun by packs of wild, raging zombies.
Amid the mayhem, occasional touches of humor - one serving as a prudent reminder to turn off those. Cellphones also happen to awaken zombies ...
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