I had the opportunity to see an advance screener of World War Z last night, thanks to Cinemit and GoFobo. I was skeptical about the movie, after hearing that there were re-shoots only a month before the movie was scheduled for release. I had modest expectations when it came to this movie and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Zombie movies are really hit and miss and I was curious to see how it would be portrayed in a Summer Blockbuster.

*Warning before reading below, I do own this book but I have never read it. I will not attempt to compare the two in any way.

Gerry Lane (Pitt) a former United Nations employee is forced to travel the world and figure out why a Zombie epidemic has broken out.

*Some spoilers below*

The Good –

Marc Forster (Director) – He really had his hands full with this movie. He had to bring a widely popular book and make it a Summer Blockbuster. On top of both of those, Forster had to make it about Zombies. I think he did a successful job, and had everything you could ask for in a movie. It was an action packed thrill ride that kept you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the film, he did a great job of building the story, piece by piece, to have a great pay off in the end.

Brad Pitt – This movie would’ve been really nothing without him. His presence alone brought the blockbuster feel to the movie. The film is simply based on Gerry Lane and Zombies; so Brad Pitt really had to bring it to the table. The 3rd act of the film may have been Pitt at his complete best. It was so good it made this film.

Writing, Visual & Score – Ben Seresin (Cinematography) & Robert Richardson (Original shoot) brought a beautiful film. You could see the CGI’ness to the movie, but it didn’t deter from how great it looked visually.

Marco Beltrami’s score put things together really well, and went good with the flow of the movie.

Matthew Carnahan, Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof (Screenplay writers) did an amazing job putting this film together. It kept you interested from the start to finish, and they should be applauded for that.

Fana Mokoena & David Morse – Their roles weren’t huge in the film, but when they were on screen, they were effective and good. Morse has always been one of my favorites to watch, and he nailed it in this film as well.

The Ending – I read online that they changed the ending to give it more of an intimate feel. I feel they accomplished that and so much more. Ending of movies can really make or break a film. This ending, took a really good movie, and turned it into a great one.

The Bad –

One could complain about how Pitt survived with his great heroism. Whether it was taking Zombies on a plane, surviving a plane crash, or just randomly being on the right plane to get him to the World Health Organization (where they are trying to make a Zombie vaccine). If you are being nit-picky, those are areas that you could question. If you believe in movies like I do though, you really didn’t have much of a problem with this.

The Ugly –

The 3D part of the movie –

Sadly, one or two scenes in this movie were nothing worthwhile to see in 3D. On another note, I really can’t stand 3D movies either.

The Verdict –

4 out of 5 stars

This is what a Summer Blockbuster is all about. This is easily one of my favorite movies of the summer. It had everything you could hope for in a flick. The acting wasn’t Oscar worthy by any means, but Marc Forster & Brad Pitt team up to bring us an action packed thrill ride you will enjoy from start to finish.

World War Z hits theaters this Friday and is rated PG-13.