WORLD WAR Z: A Review

Details

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz  

Certificate: 15

Runtime: 116 mins

Budget: $200,000,000 (estimated)

Review

It’s the moment all zombie and action fans have been waiting for – the release of World War Z.

World War Z stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, an ex-UN investigator who is called upon to uncover the mystery of how the zombie apocalypse started, and hopefully put an end to the global pandemic.

Straight from the start the movie doesn’t disappoint. Within minutes (after a brief introduction of the characters and the scenario) zombies are everywhere, causing mayhem and tearing people apart. Gerry and his family are naturally in the midst of things, and you get that rush whilst watching as if the undead were really chasing after you, just like in the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later when Robert Carlyle is running frantically from a fleet of the infected.

There are a number of other shots in the film that are visually impressive. However I can’t help but feel the best shots are the ones shown in the trailer, such as the undead trying to tower over the high walls surrounding Jerusalem or the explosive outbreak on a plane. Nevertheless the film doesn’t fall short in providing breath-taking pictures of hordes of  zombies; although at times I did crave more one-on-one close-ups with them, as the film does focus mainly on the zombies as a collective rather than individually.

UNDEAD MOUND: Zombies pile on top of each other in ant-like style

The Mail gave a bad review of WWZ, and criticised Pitt for labelling the movie as “original” and “genre-bending” saying it is nothing of the sort. The Mail pointed to the behaviour of the zombies as a sign of unoriginality as they are similar to those in Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn Of The Dead. However I don’t think the fast-moving nature of the zombies is a bad aspect, in fact I think it’s what makes the film so bloody great. I love the energetic, aggressive nature of the zombies seen nowadays as opposed to the old fashioned ‘walkers’. They’re more exciting, and carry a much higher level of fear. WWZ adapts the speedy undead even further, making them more driven and sprightly. They almost tumble after their prey with ant-like behaviour. For me, 28 Days zombies will always be the best, but WWZ portrays them in a spectacular new light that is at times simply jaw-dropping.

Pitt’s performance is nothing less than what you would expect from the four-time Oscar nominee. I believe he was the perfect fit for the role, and as the film progresses you gain a real sense of attachment to him. Besides Pitt there is no one who really stood out. Not because they were bad, but because the focus is nearly wholly on Gerry throughout the film. Mireille Enos plays Gerry’s wife Karin, which before watching the film I did find odd. Normally you would expect Pitt to be paired with someone a little more flamboyant, but I think Enos’s role as Gerry’s wife is believable and I think she was a good choice for the role. I am a fan of TV series The Killing in which Enos plays the main character, and it is good to see her getting a chance with a blockbuster. Mathew Fox was billed to a fair degree in advertising material before the release of WWZ, which is strange considering his role in the film is minimal at best.  

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS: Pitt plays UN investigator Gerry

I found WWZ thoroughly entertaining throughout, yet there was one aspect I feel was slightly underwhelming. For me, WWZ was at its peak during the beginning and the middle of the film, and sort of teetered off in the final 3^rd. After the aeroplane scene, the non-stop chaos comes to a halt and the ending is somewhat of an anti-climax. The ending came as a bit of a surprise, and lacked the temperament and explosiveness of the rest of the film. It could have easily carried on for another half an hour, and explained the closing scenes in more detail. That said, I’m not saying the ending is bad, not at all. The ending would actually be fantastic if it was fitted somewhere in the middle of the film. It’s tense and gripping, but just lacks that knockout blow the film deserves.

Verdict

Despite some negative criticism, I thoroughly recommended WWZ for all you action-heads out there.  It’s fast, exhilarating and at times downright crazy! Yes there are some aspects of the film that could have been developed further, but that was always going to be the case when creating a 2-hour long film from such a complex book. Director Marc Forster does a great job in making you feel as though you are part of the action, and has you on the edge of your seat. This is definitely one to look out for…

Please feel free to comment below and let me know what you think of World War Z!

Sequel?!

Before the movie had even hit theatres here in the UK the word ‘sequel’ had been touted around the web, and there are positive talks of a possible trilogy provided all goes well…

Pitt told Yahoo Movies: “We got plenty of material to go on to do a second or third thing if this thing works”. He also told MovieWeb something similar, stating that: “There is enough [material] to mine from the book. We could barely get a fraction of the book in [the movie]. So we'll see. We'll see”.

Director Marc Forster also hinted at the possibility, provided the film does well at the box office: “"Let's see how this goes. We hope this movie goes well and we shall go from there”.

So there’s clearly a hint of something there for WWZ fans to get excited about!

SNITCH: A Review

Details

Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper
Certificate: 12A
Runtime: 112 mins
Budget: $15,000,000 (estimated)

Review

So the lead character’s the 6 ft 4 inch giant known as The Rock. Better prepare ourselves for another action packed cheesefest, right? Well actually, no...

As soon as the name ‘Dwayne Johnson’ is heard along with ‘new film’, nearly everyone gets an idea of what the movie is going to look like. But with Snitch, this preconceived idea couldn’t be more wrong. Ok, it’s not a movie about a lovable family dog that goes missing, but it’s certainly refreshing.

Johnson stars as John Matthews, a father who goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.

If Snitch followed the same pattern as Johnson’s other flicks, you would expect Matthews to be an expert in martial arts who sets out to kill anyone who stands in his way. However Snitch is different in that it plays on suspense and drama, and doesn’t soak the film in action.

Johnson’s portrayal of Matthews is solid. It’s not award-winning, but it’s good to see him in a different role and showing us that he’s not just a one trick pony. Matthews is a realistic family man in the sense that he is not a superhuman brawler. He shows fear and concern, and doesn’t through a punch throughout the whole film. His role is believable and engages the audience.

Other cast members worthy of note include Barry Pepper (Flags of Our Fathers, Saving Private Ryan, and The Green Mile) as Agent Cooper and John Bernthal (The Walking Dead) as Daniel James. The Emmy Award winning Pepper puts in another great performance and fails to disappoint yet again. John Bernthal stars in his first major production since The Walking Dead, and looks as though he’ll be sticking around. He plays a similar sketchy role to TWD’s Shane, but does so with more finesse.

The overall plot is reasonable enough, yet at times it felt rushed and too fast paced.  Matthews gets involved with the gangs at an unrealistic speed, and in no time he is working with the top drug cartel. The ending also shows glimpses of Johnson’s usual self as he fights off gangsters with a truck and a shotgun, but is nothing more than what you would expect from the WWE star.

The film as a whole is fairly predictable, but with this type of film it can only be expected. There are a few little surprises along the way, and the writers have done well to plug little plot holes with subtle explanations.

Verdict

Snitch is the perfect film for those lazy evenings when you just want to slob on the couch and be entertained.  If you’re looking for solid action then this is not for you. But if you’re looking for an easy watch with likeable characters and a good plot, then you might just have found your film. Snitch offers cheap thrills without the cost of overworked action scenes, and allows the audience to get involved with the characters. It’s nothing to get excited about, but is it's not one to dismiss.

Please feel free to comment below and let me know what you think of Snitch!

RED DAWN (2012): A Review

Red Dawn has received a remarkable amount of bad criticism, and my message to you is: “Don’t let it put you off”.

It’s certainly not worth a rating of just 13% from Rotten Tomatoes and a 1-star rating from the Guardian.

Yes, this new remake is cheesy, unrealistic, and at times downright absurd. But what else would you expect from a movie about a group of American teenagers who try and defend their hometown from a North Korean invasion? It literally has ‘cheese’ stamped all over it.

Expecting any less is like watching P.S I Love You in the belief that it’s going to be full of Green Street-like violence.

I’m not saying that Red Dawn is the action movie of the year, not by any means. All I’m saying is don’t dismiss this movie based on all of the negative reviews, make up your own conclusion.

But just in case you do need a bit of guidance, let me share with you my experience of Red Dawn.

I’ll start with the positives, the first being Chris Hemsworth (right). He plays Jed Eckert, an off duty marine who not only leads the group, but teaches them how to fight. I like Hemsworth in nearly every film he’s been in (particularly Thor and The Avengers), and his acting is first class yet again. He plays the hard-hitting marine with real conviction, and is without a doubt the highlight of the movie.

I also like Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Supernatural, The Possession) as Tanner, and Brett Cullen as Jed’s father, Tom Eckert. Both play strong, respectable characters.

However, there are a number of characters that are not necessarily likeable. This is mainly down to the fact that there isn’t much character building within the film except from between the leading few. That said Jed’s naïve and reckless brother Matt Eckert (Josh Peck), isn’t exactly one of my favourites either. Throughout the film his impulsive, inconsiderate behaviour is so frustrating and irritating, which isn’t thrown a lifeline from Peck’s acting. Yes, Peck was lovable and fun as Josh Nichols in Drake and Josh, but I don’t think he has the ability to perform at this level. I also couldn’t help notice him constantly pulling an obscure smirk, which was very unusual during sad situations.

The action scenes are definitely over-the-top and laughable at times, but no more so than Die Hard or The Expendables. There are explosions from start to finish, and teenagers firing guns better than military professionals, but that’s the whole point of it.

I read a review on IMDB saying that Red Dawn was: “A complete waste of time unless you are a male in his early teens”. This film is geared towards young males, but I think anyone who is laidback and after cheap thrills could enjoy this movie. I definitely wouldn't call it a waste of time. I don’t recommend going to see it at the cinema, but it’s fun, action packed and worth turning to if seen on TV.

Additional info:

Although a remake of the 1984 film of the same name, Red Dawn holds striking similarities to an Australian film called Tomorrow, When The War Began which was released in 2010. Both have an almost identical storyline, but TWTWB had a significantly lower budget (an estimated 25m AUD compared to Red Dawns 65m USD) and still received better reviews, with Rotten Tomatoes rating it at 64%. 

VIKINGS: A Review

Game of Thrones returns to our screens on March 31^st for the season 3 première, and it can’t come quick enough!

But if you find yourself bursting with anticipation, fear not, there may be something to ease you through this month’s wait - Vikings.

Hitting US screens every Sunday night on the History channel (meaning Monday in the UK with a little help from the web), Vikings is centred around the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) who wants to sail to unknown lands against the wishes of his Viking ruler, Jarl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne) . Without giving too much away, I think we all know what he tries to do next…

Before watching the first episode, ‘Rites of Passage’, I was a little sceptical, thinking to myself: “This is either going to be really good, or really bad”.

But after watching it, I found myself wanting more, not because it was so great, but because in just 40 minutes it was hard to gauge a solid opinion. Perhaps a double-bill would have been more persuasive.

That said, from what I saw the show does have potential.

The acting is first-class and not cheesy as some might think.  Travis Fimmel was excellent in The Baytown Outlaws, and he plays Ragnar with real conviction. The well respected Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, Stigmata, End of Days) unsurprisingly plays a great villain, and it is also worth noting Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgård's performance as Ragnar’s eccentric friend Floki. 

What I also like is that all of the main characters are likeable yet tough. Even Ragnar’s wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) can put up a fight, never mind his bullish brother Rollo (Clive Standen). This allows the audience to really engage with the characters, and is one aspect of the show which really stood out to me; it’s not always the plot which makes the series, but the characters.

When it comes to the cinematography, it isn't as visually stunning as Game of Thrones at this stage, but it is still well executed. The action scenes are violent, brutal and gory, and wouldn't seem out of place in the Spartacus series. There are also some fantastic shots of the Irish landscape.

Overall Vikings is well worth a watch, and from the looks of things, it’s only going to get better. 

So if you’ve got a spare hour, why not give it a go? You’ve got nothing to lose… except a few bags of crisps and a couple bars of chocolate!