World War Z

The Empire Theatre that opened recently in my home town is a bit of an enigma, or perhaps it’s a bit of a

theatre wrapped in disappointment. There is a ten screen Cineplex that has been around for a decade or so, that serves its purpose. However, my friends and I have gotten used to the AMC (now another Empire) loaded with twenty four (24!) screens. When the Empire was announced, we surely expected another spectacle like that, but what we got instead was another ten screens inside a dull gray on top of gray building. The seating is somewhat uncomfortable (why must all seats recline?) and there was no points program similar to SCENE from Cineplex. In all, there is little reason to go across town to the brand new theatre.

Since we weren’t going to the Empire very often, we decided to enter all their contests, in the hopes of scoring free tickets (or any other prize). Somebody has to win, right? Then it finally happened: he called me a few days ago to let me know that he had won advance screening tickets to World War Z. It is probably the first time that either of have won anything, and it proved that people do actually win at these things. For a lifetime it felt like a potential scam.

Monday night we found ourselves heading to the theatre with a host of questions. This is a step outside our normal theatre experiences: neither of us had been to an advance screening before. And for a movie that we were genuinely excited to see is the icing on the cake. Our main question was: who would be there? How many people won the contest? As it turns out, a whole bunch. We were seated next to two officials of some sort, as indicated by their (dress) clothes, badges and that they had a buffer between them and the rest of the theatre folk. The theatre gave out a couple of prizes (zombie apocalypse bug-out bags). Generally, the theatre was brimming with excitement. The lights dimmed, then brightened, then dimmed and so forth. Technical problems were resolved after a few moments, then the movie started.

It was such a pure experience: no advertising, no movie trailers. Instead, we go straight into the film without hesitation. Everybody stumbles to put on their 3D glasses as they are caught unprepared, but the satisfaction of getting the movie going was felt throughout.

World War Z starts off strong and keeps going, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. It’s a quick introduction to Pitt’s character and family, then straight into the zombie action without any hesitation. It does feel a bit familiar at first to other zombie films, but then we catapult into a bit of Bourne territory. When the chaos begins Gerry (Pitt) is in his element and we’re treated to smooth, controlled chaos amongst a sea of panic. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s also terrifying. I thought the fast zombies in the remake of Dawn of the Dead were scary, well; this is something else right here.

The zombies are animals, and original. Perhaps the source material is incredibly brilliant (I haven’t read the book) but I was really impressed with the “zombie rules” they have established. They are relentless, ruthless, uncompromising and brutal. As my friend pointed out, the zombies will pile through a doorway to get through, and you can hear their bones breaking as they pound and force their way in, without regard for themselves. And that’s what sets it apart from other “fast” zombies in movies like 28 Days Later, and what makes them even more terrifying. If a zombie movie can be described as realistic, well, then this is that movie.

The realism doesn’t extend to just the zombies, but everything else as well. Here, I can see them drawing from the source material. Wrap magazines around your arms to protect from bites. Move off-shore. It’s all quite clever, and brought to the big screen in ways that make sense and believable.

So we walked away from the screening very happy, and there was much discussion afterward about the film. Now, it’s time to enter some more contests.