Gerry Lane, a former UN employee, and his wife Karin and their two kids are stuck in traffic in Philadelphia when a horde of zombies attacks the city. The family takes refuge in Newark, New Jersey but a helicopter comes along and lifts the Lane family to a US navy vessel where research is going on. A doctor named Dr Andrew Fassbach cajoles Gerry into finding out where the source of the infection broke out because he needs to find the origin in order to create a vaccine. Fassbach and Gerry travel to a South Korean military base where they are attacked by zombies. While trying to escape, Fassbach accidentally shoots himself and dies. Gerry is rescued by the base's surviving employees and is told by Dr Speke, the head of the rescuers that a camp doctor was responsible for the spread of the virus. Gerry is told to go to Israel where a safe zone has been established by Mossad. Some zombies attack and kill several soldiers. They bite Speke who commits suicide. In Jerusalem, Gerry meets Jurgen the Mossad chief who tells him that they had received intelligence that a horde of Zombies had attacked India and thus, they built a huge wall around Jerusalem and welcomed survivors. However, celebratory singing ignites the attention of zombies who scale the wall and attack the unfortunate people. Gerry is lifted away by commercial airliner which goes to Wales. A zombie attacks mid air and the plane crashes, but Gerry is still alive. At a WHO facility, Gerry shares his knowledge of how zombies replicate and hunt down prey. This leads to a vaccine after experiments have been implemented. The vaccine is passed to the military and to areas of survivors. As Gerry grimly states in the film's closing moments, it is not much, but it represents a bit of hope and a new beginning for the survivors. Brad Pitt does a sterling job as Gerry Lane - the globe trotting saviour of mankind. I would never have pictured him in a zombie movie but it works, in spite of his tendency to hog the screen. The film is a well paced zombie romp which mustn't be taken too seriously. It is interesting in that it is called World War Z - suggesting a global phenomenon and Gerry Lane does do his fair bit to overcome this, but the overall plot - one man beating a worldwide zombie apocalypse is a bit dumb. Saying that, for all of its plot holes and inconsistencies, the movie is good chewing gum for the eyes. It doesn't require much intellectual engagement and it works as a piece of entertaining hokum. If you can stomach the idea of Brad Pitt saving the entire world, it will be fairly enjoyable, but it is unlikely to enter the Pantheon of terrific zombie films.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
