World War Z (2013) Review

The scariest thing about this film is by far Brad Pitt´s hair, but the zombies are kind of creepy as well. The film has to be commended for trying to stand out amongst the swarming hordes of zombie movies and games. There is a delightful feeling of not having seen these kinds of zombies before, creating a bigger sense of unpredictability. The decision of having the zombie virus get control over your body in about 12 seconds creating a greater sense of panic and urgency.

The film attempts to show what it might be like if a zombie apocalypse really did happen. Small details like using the word zombie (because if it was real we would be using the word zombie to describe it) adds more realism the to the film. One problem however is that it feels like a contradiction, as it is a Hollywood blockbuster in every sense, making the realism not work. That being said, it works on some levels as a Hollywood blockbuster, at least much more so then as a realist zombie picture.

After only scene setting up the family dynamic, we were put straight into the action, which did feel a bit rushed. The first scene was good, but it alone was not effective enough to get an emotional connection the family before putting them into the horror. For me this really created a sense of distance between Brad Pitt´s character, making me not really care. Oddly enough, what then saved it from becoming utterly boring were all the supporting character that we meet during the course of the film. There was not real character to any of these, but all of t

hem had this sort of instant likability to hem, thereby making me want to see more of them (aka not having them die).

The idea of having the zombies swarm so intensely is pretty cool, but it is dragged down by CGI that is good, but not quite good enough for me to say it worked. When seeing the trailer I was really hoping it would look better in the actual film, but sadly it just looked messy. The best sequence in the film was one in South Korea, which took place during night and rain, thereby making the CGI much more passable. However, this was an overall pretty exiting sequence, as I found it to have a great sense of a dreading mood. It is a shame no other sequence really reached the heights of this sequence as I found it to be very exiting and creepy. The thing about the film though is that it is this globetrotting adventure, where some parts work very well, others not so much.

One thing I did really enjoy (though it may be a credit to the book) was the conclusion, which at first felt like a cheep solution, but as I thought of it I found it to be an effective conclusion and one that seemed logical enough for me to go along with it.

 

Despite some great moments and glimpses of originality here and there, the film still feels like a generic Hollywood blockbuster. While not hugely entertaining, it is rarely boring and the great moments are too far apart, ensuring that you will be fairly entertaining, but then probably never watch the film again.

Lastly I would like to mention that the 3D was by far the most useless 3D ever. There was no depth in the picture and I have never felt so distracted by 3D before. If you do go see, please don´t see it in 3D.

2.5/5

Pain and Gain (2013) Review

There is a certain sense of shame that I feel when I realize that I paid a ticket for, thereby supporting, a Michael Bay film. There are few directors who are as universally disliked as Michael Bay, yet there are few that are as financially successful. It is a strange phenomenon, but it lies in the fact that he delivers what could be considered the definition of mindless summer blockbuster, something that we humans have a strange affection for.

Pain And Gain is a smaller movie then what we have gotten from him lately, seriously there is only like one explosion in the whole film. That being said, it is about some of the biggest human beings alive, by which I mean bodybuilders. Based on a true story it gives the pretty fucked up story of three guys who decided to kidnap and torture rich people to the point where they signed over all their money. Of course it seems only natural that they decided to make this a comedy… in all seriousness I do think the darkly comedic part of the film is the main thing it has got going for it. Some people may be very offended by the fact that they make a comedy of these people stupidity, but personally I got past that quickly.

To start off with the positives, The Rock (the actor, not the Michael Bay film), is by far the best thing in the movie. He plays a once coke addicted criminal who found Christ and is trying to be a good Christian… while injecting himself with steroids of course. The movie is elevated to a whole new level when he is on screen as he manages to be the only one who is at least somewhat sympathetic, as well as having great comedic timing. Sadly he is for the most part the only one who hits the right notes when it comes to intentional humour. Mark Wahlberg is a hit and miss actor for me, but this is a huge miss in his department. He is not likable, funny or interesting to watch

One of the film´s biggest problems is that Michael Bay doesn´t really know what he wants the tone of the film to be. At times it seems like he is aiming for something almost satirical, but then you start to wonder if it isn´t in fact satirical, but actually serious. One of the on going themes so to speak is that of the American Dream, but I could never tell if he was ridiculing it or celebrating it and it felt unintentionally funny.

 

Another issue is the film narration, which is done by almost every major character in the film. I don´t if this was an attempt to give the characters more depth, but whatever it was for, it didn´t work, leading to much confusion about who is speaking. The narration plagued the film for the first two-thirds, but was lessened by the last act, making the final act the most enjoyable.

The lack of purpose or consistency throughout the film made it often dull as the jokes weren’t hitting, but by the third act it really did pick itself up and became pretty entertaining. It is most definitely a bad film, but it is an often-entertaining film thanks to The Rock, who forms a solid foundation for the mess around him. That being said he was entertaining enough that I did have a good time for the most part and so the film was made watchable by his great charisma.

2.5/5