I knew the second I found out that they were making
World War Z into a movie, I'd be seeing it. I apparently REALLY enjoyed it (as memory does not serve I loved it all that much) I gave it 5 stars on my Goodreads account. ha!
Then I found out Brad Pitt would be in it (more on him later, probably. I actually have no format for what I'm about to write.), and I knew it was more likely to be good than bad.
How I tend to recall books is not by specific details, but by general concepts, conclusions I came to, and emotions they invoked. I love quotes, which is why I write down the good ones and in my favorite book underline or highlight. Blasphemy, I know. Onward...
THE BOOK
Part of the reason the book is so good (and I heard it was recommended reading for high school seniors which was what piqued my interest enough to actually pick it up. A zombie book? For high schoolers? What the actual fuck, right? What kind of school endorses this? Bizarre at best, negligent at worst.) is because it deals with projections of what might actually happen when an apocalypse hits in terms of what would occur if we almost completely broke down on a global scale. We may have all visited government shut downs, rampant violence, etc in our minds, but what I remember about this book is that this delves into skills and services, the good side of human nature when confronted with complete chaos and disaster. How important is a business executive when there's clothing to be made? Food to be harvested? Ad designers vs waste water employers? Can you sew some blankets or train some horses to help you carry water? It brings us back to the beginning. Money is of no value. What do we have to offer just as talents and abilities? How do we rebuild and support each other? And it isn't just America, it's worldwide. We're forced into being equals for survival. We're forced to help each other and be of service or die. It's interesting to stretch our minds to a reset button of sorts.
THE MOVIE
I didn't find out it was rated PG-13 until just before I saw it. I was a teensy leery of the CGI during the previews. I really was hoping this wouldn't be another showcase of "yay graphics look what we can do!" I honestly went into it with an open mind though. I didn't revisit the book before going, and I'm glad for that. ("Comparison is the thief of joy.").
I think that the PG-13 rating served it incredibly well. And here's why: The story is what's important here, not gore, violence, or even cussing. It might've even been a scapegoat to stick to the storyline! It's not a horror movie, and I'm relieved they didn't try to make it into one. It's also, and this I didn't realize until afterwards, not a comedy. It takes itself seriously. Some serious movies don't, and it may or may not work for that particular movie ("it was surprisingly funny!"). This one doesn't fuck around. It definitely has tense moments and jump-scares, but on the whole, Walking Dead is 10 times gorier.
I can't get into all the geopolitical sides to it. Mostly because I'm not interested. I might just be reporting as a girl who read a book and saw a movie. I'm okay with that.
BRAD PITT
There was a time when a girl couldn't say "Brad Pitt is my favorite actor." without getting a side-eye. Oh. Of course. His "act." "ing." But hey, some talented people just happen to be painfully good-looking. They're still talented. There's a scene near the end that I won't give away where he's just walking. It occured to me that no other actor could've pulled off that scene.
IN CONCLUSION
YAY. Go see it.
