Everybody loves a good old zombie film, that’s for sure. It’s got all the survival tips we need if ever a zombie outbreak happens. But what people enjoy most about this specific film genre is the way it brings us closer to the inevitability of death.
World War Z does more than just remind us of dying. It tells us of the struggle of survival and life.
The Ambiguity and Clarity of an Outbreak
I know, I know, it sounds absurd. There’s clarity but also a vague element to the zombie outbreak in the film. What does that even mean? Well, let me tell you.
The film starts with Brad Pitt as Gerald Lane — a man who is introduced as a stay-home dad from the conversation he has with his family. We see them have a nice morning, and then get in the car to get to their respective work places and schools. But things take a darker turn soon. Everything falls into chaos and there are rabid people running around everywhere on the road, trying to bite other people.
One word: Virus. As is being told on televisions and radios. There’s a virus outbreak. They don’t tell you what it really is because nobody knows yet. Here, we are shown that there is definitely an outbreak. However, it is still left for the viewers to figure out what the virus could be.
Through out the movie, our very own Gerry travels from one place to another, and still cannot figure out what the virus really is. We don’t even know where it truly originated from. Some say it’s Taiwan, some say South Korea, and then they continue highlighting Asian countries as the source of it. But that’s not even my main point.
We find a way to bypass the virus at the end, but we still don’t even know what it is. What. even. is. the. virus?
The Intelligence and Observation of the Main Lead
Let’s be honest, intelligence is attractive. And our homeboy Gerry is smart. Smart. He doesn’t need to know what exactly caused the virus, he just knows how he should deal with it and adapt. From the beginning of the movie, he observes his surroundings and goes to work in surviving and keeping his family safe.
He counts the seconds it takes for a person to become a “zombie”, and he later notices how these infected people bypass an old man and then a young boy later in the movie.
This is what makes this movie such an iconic watch for me, even after so many years. Gerry doesn’t want to kill the infected, he wants to find a solution or a way to survive them in the least violent way possible.
Throughout the movie, we see him fight the Zekes only when it is necessary. It is his intelligence that takes him this far in the movie and helps him and his family survive. But let’s not forget how the dude already had experience being in dangerous situations, prior to the “zombie” outbreak. So, there’s that.
Still, it’s good that we have films like these to learn tips on surviving zombies.
Hiding is Never the Solution
If you’ve ever played Hide and Seek, you know that someone always finds you. Unless you’ve learned how to fly and have flown into outer space, or you know how to dig holes and have burrowed under the soil, someone will always find you. Metaphorically and physically.
Our main protagonist knows this and chooses to take the highway — in this case an army plane — and go to the heart of where they believe the issue first began. I love a protagonist who goes feet first into problems. Not head first, because they actually think before they act. Gerry is that kind of protagonist where he assesses the situation and then gets into action.
He notices an RV on the roads of Philadelphia and immediately takes his family to it. He knows that the only way to survive something is to keep going. It reminds me of that saying, “you can run, but you can’t hide.”
“Movement is life” — Gerald Lane
The Smart Guy is also the Nice Guy
Our boy Gerry knows that the situation is dire and he makes the most of it every time, while still holding onto his humanity.
In South Korea, he offers the soldiers there to join him on his quest, but they all decline. He also tries to help wherever he goes. The most prominent example is when he helps Segen by cutting off her arm when it was bitten by a rampant Zeke.
We could write this off as him testing out a theory that maybe if he stops the infection from spreading into the bloodstream, a person could be saved. But since we’ve seen him in previous scenes where he saves Tomas (the orphaned boy in the apartment in Newark), and asks the soldiers to go with him to get out of South Korea — we already know that he is good at heart. He is not a bad person at all.
Another scene where we can see his humanity shine through is when him and Segen are in the plane with civilians. It’s such a nuanced sequence but it increases his likability tenfold. He is backed into a corner on the plane and sees the infected attack the people around him. He notices the grenade on Segen’s belt and takes it off.
It’s in this moment that he looks around the cabin, and sees that everyone is being infected and there is no way to save anyone. It is then that he throws the grenade at the growing horde of zombies, blowing a gaping hole in the plane’s side.
Him being true to his mission is what makes this movie an atypical zombie film. He is going through all of this chaos to save people, and his first instinct is always to do that. His second instinct is, of course, survival.
Now for the Cons
If you’ve reached till here, and have seen my multitude of compliments for the film — buckle up. This is not going to be pretty, because it’s a zombie movie. But in terms of plot, the film is quarter-baked, for sure.
The only conflict is to survive the zombie outbreak. And I can understand that with how linear this movie is. There’s a set goal. The way to get to that goal is also always available even when the original method has been lost. And then there are no other forces at play here to jump in Gerry’s way.
People in the World War Z universe are so helpful that they continue to help Gerry and his mission to get to places. The only scene I saw Gerry being faced with bad people was in the first half of the movie when him and his family are in the convenience store trying to find medicine for his oldest daughter. Other than that scene, he faces no hostile people in South Korea or Israel, and definitely none where he crashes in the plane.
That looks shifty to me. Where are all the bad people at? Either they all turned into zombies, or they knew that Brad Pitt was filming a zombie film which should keep most of its main cast intact.
In Conclusion without Confusion
This film is the best example of linear storytelling and execution out there. It is predictable but still a treat to watch. My favorite parts are when Gerry goes to Israel and when he’s at the W.H.O facility. Those are the most entertaining parts of this movie for me, and I always get chills at how well-played out they are.
Let’s not forget the music, which is as amazing as this movie. The 2nd Law: Isolated System makes the entire vibe of this film and is hauntingly beautiful.
World War Z is a masterful work of cinema and gives the best message any movie could give to its viewers. Be smart when faced with adversity, and hold on to your humanity.
I am a simple person who writes about the things I love and enjoy. You can find more of my work right here on medium. Thank you for reading! :)
