World War Z
2013 · Directed by Marc Forster
Original language: English
- action
- horror
- science fiction
The story
Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.
What it’s like
Restless handheld camerawork gives World War Z a documentary jitter, with wide establishing shots of crowded cities that turn into churning, sun-washed chaos: Philadelphia streets emptied under flat overcast light, Jerusalem's ancient stone walls glowing in harsh Mediterranean glare, a Newark tenement lit by fluorescent flicker. The palette leans toward desaturated greys and browns, broken by bursts of blood-orange emergency lighting and the cold blue of night-vision. Sound design does much of the work, with a pounding, percussive score swelling under the rattle of gunfire and the rising shriek and scrabble of the infected, and quieter stretches where the only noise is breathing. The vibe is taut, urgent dread with a current of global anxiety, best suited to an evening with the lights low and full attention, or a long-haul flight where the pacing can carry you. Scenes move briskly from one location to the next, and the film's hero is a weary, gritty everyman slowly reconnecting with his family as the stakes escalate. Expect frequent, intense zombie violence, bloody but largely bodiless, with mounting jump scares and brutal, sudden deaths rather than prolonged gore. It suits viewers who want big-scale spectacle and tension, not a quiet or gentle night in.
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