Zombie Love

Well, kids, I finally went to see World War Z. I wasn't sure what to expect since I purposely didn't read any of the reviews and only saw one of the trailers. It didn't help that as I was leaving for the theater, one person told me it was "really good" and another person told me it wasn't. But then again, that's exactly why I don't read movie reviews nor talk to people about a movie prior to seeing it. I don't want to be biased when I arrive at the theater, not to mention that I want to come to my own conclusion. So if you're like me, and if you haven't yet seen the film, don't read any further.

For those of you who are still reading, I have to say that I really enjoyed the film. It felt like a global version of The Walking Dead with fast (fast!) zombies. I have to believe that the author of the novel, Max Brooks, has read The Walking Dead comics. Too many similarities to be coincidence. Still, I thought the plot was original enough to hold the audience's interest. I personally haven't read the book so I don't know what's different in the movie, but I really liked the cinematography and special effects. The quick cuts that the editor uses in the first chaotic sequence shows everyone running, including the zombies, so the audience has a hard time distinguishing who's human and who's not. I think this is genius because that's how the zombie apocalypse is going to be: a sea of confusion and panic. Yes, I said, "going to be." Come on. We all know that it's coming - the question is: When?

I also liked the disjointed way in which these zombies moved. Very disturbing. And to see the global scale of the apocalypse, thanks to Marc Forster (director) using a lot of aerial shots for the final addition of the computer graphics, was intense and fun. In fact, for this movie being as intense as it was, I was completely surprised that it lacked the gore that we're used to seeing in a zombie-related story. There were no shots of people's necks being torn away like taffy, there was no blood spurting from jugulars, nor did we see any zombie heads being smashed in. Yet, I was still left clutching my seat while I went along for the ride.

Okay, it's time for the jumpers. I actually counted the number of times the film made us jump out of our seats: three. I sat between two of my friends who aren't as "comfortable" watching horror films as I am and I have to say that may have been the most entertaining part of the evening. The friend to the left of me was already jumping during the trailers that played before the feature! Awesome! And there was one point during the film where the three of us jumped in unison. That made me smile from ear-to-ear.

Thank you, World War Z for a fun ride and for my newly discovered form of protection against zombies. When the apocalypse finally happens, I'll be sure to wrap Vogue magazines around my arms with duct tape. Genius. Pure genius.

Until next time,
L