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Movie Review Monday: World War Z

6-21-13-WORLD-WAR-Z-PosterSalutations good people!

Welcome to another Movie Review Monday! This week's film is World War Z, starring Brad Pitt.

This movie (loosely based on the book of the same name) is an interesting one for many reasons. First off, it had many production issues, creating a huge budget for the movie (nearly $200 million) as well as needing re-shoots to do the entire end of the movie over after the original cut didn't jive with the powers that be (the explanation of the original ending has some spoilers, so wait until you've watched the movie to find out how it was supposed to end).

The movie is also intriguing since it is so loosely adapted from the book. I haven't read it but I know at least that it is a journal retrospective of how the zombie apocalypse happened whereas the movie is more of a race against time action thriller. An adaptation of a book of faux interviews is difficult to be sure, but it could have been something more original with such a unique basis to pull from.

Alright, onto the movie itself. I watched the uncut version available on Netflix, which has more blood and violence than the PG-13 version shown in the theaters (check out the differences here after you watch the movie). I would recommend seeing this one since it is more of what the movie should have been. The violence gives the movie more of a tense, visceral feel that builds upon the best parts of the film.

For my actual review of World War Z; I enjoyed this movie. I enjoy the zombie genre enough and I like this different interpretation and worldwide scale to the story. Brad Pitt does well carrying the film, being in pretty much every scene. The zombies are great and I appreciate all the practical effects they used paired with CGI when it was needed. The tense action and investigative drama of the plot is engaging as you journey with Pitt's character to figure out this global epidemic.

While it could have been something completely different and original and isn't perfect, I enjoyed World War Z and would definitely recommend it. Stream it today and I hope you enjoy it as well!

Thanks for stopping by!