13 Movies You Really Wanted To Hate (But Actually Couldn’t)

11. World War Z

lucy scarlett johansson
Paramount Pictures

Max Brooks' epic novel details the worldwide chaos caused by a zombie outbreak, and how each country reacts to it. The book is packed to bursting with great characters, epic action and a fascinating look at how different cultures would react to the crisis. Then Brad Pitt decided to make a movie of it...

Why You Wanted To Hate It: Because the filmmakers made it clear they were ignoring the book, and just using the concept as a springboard. The traditional zombies of the book were turned into marathon sprinters, and it was given a PG-13 rating, which ruled out bloodshed. Combined with the various production nightmares and reshoots it went through, the odds of WWZ being any good looked grim.

The Reasons You Couldn’t: In spite of the many issues, the movie was actually a decent blockbuster with great setpieces. It turned the story into a traditional “Brad Pitt saves the world” narrative, but once the action kicked off the movie turned into a relentless chase and one that was easy to get swept up in.

The book is still miles better, though.

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