Go "Z" This Movie

mild spoilers ahead—beware...

World War Z, the latest entry in today's ongoing, fin-de-siecle zeitgeist of zombie movies, pays homage not only to the familiar tropes of the genre, it does something that I found pleasantly unexpected—it bypasses visceral gore, a staple of so many of these movies, in favor of good, old-fashioned suspense. And for a movie with a budget reported at more than $200 million and several delays due to special effects scenes, the tension is most effective when you don't see anything at all—just an empty hallway, a dark corridor, a silent street.

This is a movie about sound, and the contrast between silence and chaos is one of the qualities that works most effectively. There are some distinct differences between these zombies and others that have come before it, as well as some significant similarities.

The nature of the zombies themselves does owe a great deal to 28 Days Later, especially in the nature of the disease that turns humans into savage predators as well as the speed at which they move. The things that make them different are what make this movie really interesting, so I won't give that away here.

Brad Pitt, as usual, gives a solid performance. His good looks and his ubiquitous celebrity often distract from the quality of his work as an actor. He's a former U.N. crisis investigator—a fixer, in other words—and he's remarkable skilled at his job, which is simply connecting the dots in order to diagnose the problem and create a solution. In this case, the task is monumental—circumnavigate the globe in order to save the human race from its savage mutation.

Unlike so many other zombie movies, the photography here is both epic and claustrophobic at the same time, mercifully lacking so much of the rapid-fire jump-cut editing and seventh-grade quality hand-held camera shaking that passes for "edgy" and "suspenseful" in so many movies today. The pace is harrowing without being exhausting, but you'll want to be sure to go to the bathroom during the previews and keep the drinks to a minimum—you won't want to miss a single moment after the opening credits.

The quality I liked best about the movie was how competent all the characters were. Sure, mistakes are made, but they are honest and realistic; the screenwriters didn't use "stupid" as a plot point (see "Once Upon a Time" and "Revolution," just to name two). In fact, this is a movie about smart people using their brains to save themselves and others.

Nobody screws up. The military, other governments, the U.N., the WHO—they all put their best people in action in a crisis, and they rise to the occasion. In an era where apocalyptic movies are a monthly occurrence,  the idea that we might actually be able to survive catastrophe may be the most optimistic message we've seen yet in this genre. There may be hope for us yet.

An added note: I did not see this movie in 3D, and I don't recommend that you spend the extra money on it. There are many dark scenes that would be obscured in 3D. Save the extra money for some popcorn instead.