‘World War Z’ brings new life to zombie genre

The long-anticipated release of Marc Forster’s $200 million mega-blockbuster has turned many heads. 

With an enticing, well-written screenplay, a masterful performance from Brad Pitt and an unconventional angle to the zombie apocalypse sub-genre, “World War Z” may be the summer’s hottest release.

Gerry Lane (Pitt) is a former United Nations employee ordered to lead a global task force to determine the source, and possible cure, to a raging pandemic of zombie attacks. He manages to sneak his family through a chaotic, fiery city to an offshore military base where world leaders deliberate on a final solution.  Working against time, and a marauding zombie population outnumbering humans, Lane must go on a globe-hopping mission and use his experiences to meticulously crunch each piece of the disease’s puzzle.

Unlike most zombie apocalypse flicks, “World War Z” is not styled around the unrealistic, melodramatic issues of a group of characters.  

Instead, the plague takes top priority and each scene is dedicated to immerse the viewer in the foundation of the outbreak, while sustaining a climactic build-up during a constant adrenaline rush.

The grisly, unrelenting portrayal of the infected is compounded by the superb cinematography, computer-generated imagery and a well-researched perspective on how fast a disease can spread and how difficult it can be to contain.  

Nail-biting, explosive crashes, close-encounter foot chases and high-velocity gun battles punctuated by teeth-clenching moments of  panic are no strangers to Forster’s wild-goose chase of a film, with each camera pan absorbing the utmost carnage.

The film’s unorthodox angle to the horror genre pins a fictitious epidemic against feasible containment strategies. 

At no point is there a scene that would otherwise cause a viewer to tug his or her hair in frustration, haplessly yelling at the on-screen protagonist to pursue a more common sense solution. Instead, each moment is carefully crafted in plausibility, while retaining an air of fictitiousness.

The acting, though at times detached from the archetypal, Hollywood theatrics, accommodates the plot perfectly, leaving little room for romance, drawn-out, exaggerated monologues or emotional tragedy.

From eerie, spine-tingling scenes, immersed in darkness and suspense, to fast-paced, heart-racing moments with encounters of the infected too close for comfort, the movie never fails to deliver.   

“World War Z” possesses the viewer in a constant state of mystery and
anticipation, all the while providing conceivable scenarios in an otherwise tumultuous atmosphere.

A well-written, optimally orchestrated script in tandem with Forester’s
eclectic array of directing and an A-list cast makes “World War Z” a must-see for horror junkies and movie buffs alike.