World War Z Directed by: Marc Foster Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: June 21, 2013
TRAILER SCORE: 6/10
Thoughts by TSR: This appears to be “World War Z” in name only. I read Max Brooks’ novel earlier this year and liked it well enough, but one thing I’m not going to be getting up in arms about is the apparent lack of the novel’s structure (it would be better suited for HBO anyway). While that is worth noting, there are some other issues to be had with this trailer.
For one thing, this barely reads zombie to me. The outbreak starts well enough – the cop being struck while yelling at Brad Pitt is incredibly effective – before quickly turning into a mess of weightless CGI. One of the best moments is when the swarm runs straight off the building. That’s chilling and memorable, but the rest could pass for a chronicling of a particularly lively group of Black Friday shoppers (equally chilling, I admit). I will say that I like the calm before the storm stuff with Pitt, Mireille Enos, and their two daughters. Hopefully the familial bond will serve as a throughline rather than it devolving into the Brad Pitt running from zombies show.
The production troubles on World War Z are well known, but I still hold out hope that it can turn out alright. I accept that it’s not going to be the novel, and that’s fine. With Pitt and Enos at the center, I'm hopeful that this can end up being a solid entry into the zombie subgenre.