Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

World War Z
Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale

Directed by Marc Forester

It's just an ordinary day for Gerry (Brad Pitt) and his family.  They wake up, he makes his two young daughters and wife Karin (Mireille Enos) pancakes, and gather in the family car.

Then all hell literally breaks loose.  An explosion is heard, and all of a sudden a teaming load of people start charging other people in an almost animal-like instinct, pulling them out of cars and dragging them into the streets and eating them.  Then those who were victims suddenly and violently turn into the hunters, causing Gerry and his family to make a spectacular escape in a RV.

No one knows how it happened, but it seems that a virus has spread that turns the undead alive, and spreads from person-to-person in breakneck speed.  Gerry is summoned to return to his old job with the United Nations to try to find a cure for this disease, sending him all over the globe - from South Korea to Israel to Wales - in hopes of finding Patient Zero, where the virus originated.

Along the way he runs into these zombies at every turn, and begin to learn and understand them more - what makes them tick, what draws them to people, and eventually a possible solution to stop them.

Now THIS is how you make a zombie movie!  Gone are the Romero-style zombies who mindlessly amble along, scuffing their feet with their arms stretched.  These zombies travel in packs - and when I say packs, I literally mean hundreds at a time - and pounce like a tidal wave.  The scenes in Israel are some of the best I've ever seen, filled with heart-pounding fear and awe-inspiring effects.

Then the film takes a glorious turn from the spectacle to the miniscule, focusing on one small building with a few zombies, but making them nonetheless frightening.  Every scene in this film keeps you at the edge of your seat, and there's very little time to come down from the momentum.

People argue that the film doesn't fully establish the characters, and I agree.  However, this isn't a sweeping Oscar-worthy epic, it's a freaking zombie movie!  I would be bored if they spent time drawing out the characters, I want to see some undead zombies getting their butts kicked!

The only issue I had with the film is that it's PG-13, which takes away from the true terror.  I've seen enough zombie movies to know the violence and blood it needs, and this was fairly tame in comparison (for example, Brad Pitt crushes one zombie in the head with a crowbar, but we don't see it.  Sure, it's implied, but after watching "The Walking Dead" I want to see some zombie brains!).

Oh, and the best part about the film - THEY CALL THEM ZOMBIES!  Finally, a film where the characters have seen zombie movies and actually know what they are.  I hate the films that include zombies and people seem to have no clue what they are. 

I was anticipating this film for over a year, and needless to say, my expectations were very well received!

My Rating: A