Movie Review: World War Z + Book GIVEAWAY!

Title: World War Z

Director: Marc Forster

Actor(s): Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Thriller (Zombies)

Runtime: 116 mins

Release Date: 21 June 2013 (Theaters)
Website: World War Z the movie

Buy/Pre-order: amazon.com

Synopsis: 

 The story revolves around former United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.

My Rating:

*GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

  

My Review: Adapting books into movies is the new fad in Hollywood. With zombie mania taking over just about all aspects of multi-media, it's been getting increasingly more difficult to find a zombie tale that stands out. World War Z, based off of the popular novel of the same name by Max Brooks, is the first zombie movie in quite a few years that tries to take itself seriously. And for this reason I was intrigued. Okay, and maybe because Brad Pitt was starring in it. Zombies and eye candy, right? But anytime I hear about a movie being delayed for reshoots, I get nervous. Originally, World War Z had a December 2012 release date but due to extensive reshoots, it was decided to move the film to summer 2013. Before the movie hit theaters, I had planned on reading the book version, but once I learned that the movie was heavily deviating from the novel, I decided not to read it so I could go into the film with an open mind. I'm relieved I went with my instincts, because my 3 star rating probably would have been lower.

Here's the thing. I liked the story and the general direction WWZ was going in. Gerry (Brad Pitt), a man who once had a dangerous job as a United Nations employee, gave it all up for his family. The movie doesn't get into much detail here, but you get the sense that Gerry was tired of spending long periods of time away from his wife and daughters. It's also not stated what he currently does for a living but I sort of assumed he was a stay-at-home father and appeared quite happy at making his girls breakfast and packing their lunches. I like that Pitt's character doesn't fall into one of the many stereotypical male characters, ya know, the one where the husband/father gives up his dangerous career to make his family happy but secretly yearns to get back into the field and jumps at the opportunity when it comes knocking at his door. Nope, I never got that feeling from Gerry; he appears content and happy with his role as doting husband and father. However, this all changes when zombies enter the picture. In order to protect his family, he is forced to go back out in the field to help find the origins of this devastating pandemic. Yes, I mean literally forced. While his old UN ties help get his wife and daughters to safety, his old boss has his own agenda. If Gerry wants his family to remain on the ship with protection and 3 square meals a day, then he must go. If he refuses, him and his family will be dropped back off into the ravaged, zombie-invested city they barely escaped. I definitely felt bad for him because seriously, what kind of choice is that?

Let's back up for a moment. Gerry's previous job makes the beginning of WWZ somewhat believable as he navigates his family through the city of mass hysteria as people start changing into zombies within seconds. Although you don't quite know exactly what his previous set of skills were, you can tell by his calm, take- charge demeanor that he's had some kind of training. I actually liked his wife. Again going back to stereotypical characters, it was so refreshing to see that this wasn't the case with her. Instead of the typical, hysterical females we are used to seeing, Gerry's wife did everything he said, remained calm, no bitching or crying-- basically she appeared to have complete trust and faith in her husband and his abilities to keep them safe. Gerry's daughters on the other hand...I'll get to that later. I also liked the female soldier he meets up with later in the film. She was pretty hardcore, although she annoyed me towards the end when she...yeah, I'll get to that in a bit as well.

The zombies themselves were pretty interesting, even though you don't get a real up close and personal look at them until the end. They also deviate from some of the characteristics we are used to-- these zombies are super fast, not slow. Also, they are not drawn to people by scent. What gets these walking dead fired up is sound. They kind of walk around in a dormant like state until they hear something. Cool, right? Yeah, well, it could have been cool if it wasn't for...I'll get to that in a moment. I promise.

The last thing I liked about WWZ is the shift in priority "the cure" takes. There are so many zombie movies and books out there that focuses on finding the cure. But what if you find something that can camouflage you from the dead? I reviewed a zombie book earlier in the week called FIEND by Peter Stenson that focused more on the discovery of what they needed to do in order to NOT turn into a zombie rather than actually finding a cure. In WWZ, a kind of camouflage presents itself first, which takes precedence. I'm trying to be as vague as possible, but I guess what my point is, I like the twist and it is more realistic. After all, not all cures can be found in a week or a month. It may even take years.

If you are still with me so far, thank you for being patient. Because I am sure at this point you are wondering what possibly could be so bad after talking so highly about the movie. Here is where it all went wrong.  Remember how I said World War Z is the first zombie movie in awhile that tries to take itself seriously? Well, one thing I CAN'T STAND is a movie that tries to take itself serious yet is filled with cliche after cliche. Like I said above, the movie starts off solid. Gerry and his family are stuck in city traffic when zombies start to make their debut. They steal an RV which is smart since it's (a) big enough to push other unmoving cars out of the way and (b) can possibly serve as a temporary home instead of being cramped in a car. I was slightly annoyed with Gerry's daughters; I guess since his wife didn't fit the typical stereotype, they figured to make his kids do all the whining and not listening. But whatever, small price to pay if the rest of the movie goes smoothly, right? Just when I am thinking this, one of his daughter's has an asthma attack. And it JUST so happens they forgot the inhaler at home. Why I didn't see it coming when they had talked about packing the inhaler before they left the house, is beyond me. But it should have been my first warning that more cliches were coming. The asthma attack forces them to stop at a grocery store that has a pharmacy inside. Okay, cool, they can grab the meds and some supplies. Once they go inside, it is complete chaos. People, including police officers, are running up and down the isles, ransacking the place. So what does Gerry and his wife decide to do? Yup, you guessed it. They SPLIT UP. WTF! Isn't written somewhere or in some Survival 101 Guide, NEVER SPLIT UP??? Because you know what happens when they split up. Gerry's wife gets accosted, one of his daughters is screaming her head off. Oh, and let's not forget the RV is gone when they finally get back outside. Yup, cliche after cliche...

...And the cliches continue. Once they learn that sound is what attracts the zombies, you can guess what the rest of the movie is filled with. Yup, people making noises over and over and over again. Here are a just a few examples:

1) Riding rusty, SQUEAKY bicycles in the RAIN in hopes to get to the plane faster. Really??? They were better off walking quietly and letting the hard rain cover their footsteps!

2) The epic scene in the trailer where the zombies scale the walls in hordes. The only thing that saved that scene was how awesome it looked. But you know what caused it? A whole CITY of people singing and if I remember correctly, the sound was even louder because the singing was being projected through speakers.

3) Towards the end, Gerry and a couple of others need to get into a certain part of a lab that is overrun by zombies. Gerry says no guns since it will attract sound. Do they listen? Nope. Soldier chick not only takes a gun with her, but uses it. You're smart enough to imagine the consequences of that.

4) Gerry appears to forget his own advice to stay quiet as possible as he and his little group: (a) walk on broken glass, (b) "accidentally" kick something across the floor, (c) push a creaky door inch by inch instead of just opening it quickly.

World War Z had a lot of potential. The focus of the story was engaging, the non-stereotypical characters were refreshing, and the zombies were interesting. But why ruin a perfectly good movie with cliche after cliche? I'm not stupid. I get movies like this need to build suspense and I can handle a scene here and there. But when characters keep making the same mistakes over and over again, I can't help but get annoyed and extremely frustrated. Oh, and I forgot to mention the 3D. Or should I say, what 3D? I am not a huge 3D fan like some people, but after being blown away at seeing Man of Steel in that format, I figured what the hell. I now wish I hadn't because I can't remember one scene that was shot in 3D. A definite waste of a few extra dollars. A sequel to World War Z is apparently already in the works and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I can see the potential because of the way WWZ ends. But I cringe at the thought of sitting through another 2 hours of cliches.

GIVEAWAY

 Enter for a chance to win 1 of 3 e-book copies of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, the novel this movie is based on! I have 3 e-copies of the book so 3 winners will be announced. This is an International giveaway!  All are welcome to enter! Ends 7/31
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Book Review: FIEND by: Peter Stenson + World War Z Poster GIVEAWAY!

Title: FIEND

Author: Peter Stenson

ISBN: 0770436315

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Horror Fiction

Theme(s): Meth Addiction, Zombies, Apocalypse

Length: 304 pgs

Binding: Hardcover

Published: 9 July 2013; Crown

Buy: amazon.com

Synopsis 

There’s more than one kind of monster. 

When Chase Daniels first sees the little girl in umbrella socks tearing open the Rottweiler, he's not too concerned. As a longtime meth addict, he’s no stranger to horrifying, drug-fueled hallucinations.  

But as he and his fellow junkies soon discover, the little girl is no illusion. The end of the world really has arrived. 

The funny thing is, Chase’s life was over long before the apocalypse got here, his existence already reduced to a stinking basement apartment and a filthy mattress and an endless grind of buying and selling and using. He’s lied and cheated and stolen and broken his parents’ hearts a thousand times. And he threw away his only shot at sobriety a long time ago, when he chose the embrace of the drug over the woman he still loves. 

And if your life’s already shattered beyond any normal hopes of redemption…well, maybe the end of the world is an opportunity. Maybe it’s a last chance for Chase to hit restart and become the man he once dreamed of being. Soon he’s fighting to reconnect with his lost love and dreaming of becoming her hero among civilization’s ruins. 

But is salvation just another pipe dream? 

My Rating:

 *GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED*

My Review: Unless you've been living under a rock, zombies have made a comeback in popularity. They are everywhere-- in books, at the movies, and on television and they are here to stay...at least for a little while. And with this influx of zombie mania comes those individuals who just want to jump on the bandwagon to make a quick buck. The hard part is to weed through the coal to find the hidden gem. FIEND by Peter Stenson is one of those gems, a novel that borrows bits and pieces from material of the past (such as Shaun of the Dead) to give us that familiar feel yet somehow is able to maintain a sense of originality. Strangely enough, as I sit here and attach a zombie label to this book, there is a hesitation. One can argue that FIEND is more a story about addiction that just so happens to have zombies in it (I made a similar comment awhile back when I reviewed another "zombie" novel called This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers). Think Trainspotting meets Shaun of the Dead. And let's not forget there is a love story here as well. Because FIEND can fall into more than one category, it was a little challenging for me to review. Hopefully my analysis below makes sense and doesn't come out a mess.

Here is what I liked about FIEND. The story takes place within the course of a week. Instead of chapters, each section is broken up by a day of the week. Combined with Chase's (our main character) first person narration, it was a very quick read and gave it a journal like feel.

To add to Stenson's unique style of writing is his imaginative use of figures of speech, in particular similes, and sensory details. Here are a couple of examples:  
"Blood spouting like Old Faithful."  
"She pulls at the intestines like saltwater taffy."  
"She's still there and her dress isn't a Jackson Pollock anymore, just red. So's her hair."  
"I turn to see Typewriter at the top of the stairs and then look back to the girl sitting there like a used tampon." 
If you haven't figured it out yet, let me clarify. This novel is not for the faint of heart or for those who are easily offended due to offensive language. The story and images the author creates with words are raw and dirty. Some parts are so vivid that I seriously felt sick to my stomach at times, and I'm not even talking about blood and guts. I'm talking about the effects of being a hardcore meth addict and the way Stenson uses the senses to describe these habits, the picking of scabs, their bodies and hair greasy and filthy because they haven't bathed in days (and that's before the zombies make an appearance), smelling like "period blood". Hey, his words, not mine!

What I really liked about FIEND and what makes this novel stand out is its unlikely hero, or I should say antihero. Chase is a meth addict and what I like even more is that Stenson didn't make him a stereotypical addict. Most people assume that if a person is on drugs it's because they had a shitty childhood, come from an abusive home, or maybe their parents battled addiction and they are just a product of their environment. But we rarely get to see the other side. As the story unfolds, Chase reveals that his family had money. His parents loved and supported him and did everything within their power to help him get clean. While I did sympathize with him at different parts in the story, I found it harder to find sympathy for a person who had a pretty decent life but pissed it all away because he wanted to rebel as a teenager. And even Chase felt shame at times because of this very fact.

Stenson also interjects well-paced humor throughout FIEND and has created quite a few interesting characters. Chase's best friend is nicknamed Typewriter and he just so happens to be the only fat meth addict that he knows. There are quite a few cinematically funny (at the same time nail-biting) moments when zombies are bearing down on them, Type gets physically stuck, and Chase has to help him out. Yet just when you think Stenson has stereotyped him as the fat, wimpy best friend that is scared of his own shadow, Type does something courageous. He's the one who teaches Chase how to shoot a gun. He's the one who drives them out of more than one sticky situation and waits for Chase even when zombies are snapping at their heals.  But if I had to pick a favorite character, it must be the Albino, Chase and Typewriter's meth cook. Yes, I said THE Albino because that is how he prefers to be addressed. Not only is he one of the most paranoid, smartest, and eccentric of the bunch (he's the only one who prepared years in advance for a zombie apocalypse), he also serves as the comic relief in the story. I'm not going to give you any examples since the majority of his comments are quite vulgar and I don't want to offend anybody (which really makes no sense if you plan to read this book, but whatever), suffice it to say that THE Albino is one character you will not soon forget.

I don't want to get into too many details about the zombies themselves as I don't want to spoil everything, but I do like that Stenson tries to inject some unique qualities. The one thing I will say is that they...chuckle or...giggle instead of the moaning we are used to. This is why Chase and his little posse call them "Chucks". It may sound silly but imagine a little girl covered in blood and dog intestines coming at you while giggling. Creepy, right? 'Nuff said.

Another thing that I found interesting and probably is the most important aspect of the novel is the philosophical questions that Chase ponders throughout the story. For example, Dead vs. Undead. Aren't they already dead, living that kind of lifestyle? What makes them any better than zombies? At first I didn't quite get it because even though he is an addict, how can you compare a living, breathing human being to a zombie? But oh was I wrong. Just when I started to like Chase, there would be a flashback scene or a part where he remembers something horrifying that he did in the past in order to get high. And let me not even get started with some of the things he does and choices he makes throughout the novel that shocked and disgusted me. But that is what I think the point of the story is. How far will an addict go to get their next fix? What this story left me asking is this: are they trying to survive the apocalypse or are they doing it for their next fix?

So here is what I had issues with. There were a few minor things that I still feel torn about and it really all depends on how you look at it and what the author was actually trying to convey. While I did like Stenson's unique writing style, it took some time getting used to. As I stated above, it is written in first person narration but here is the problem: there are no quotation marks used with the dialogue. A part of me liked the unstructured format because it made me feel like I was reading Chase's personal journal. But because no quotations were used with the dialogue, there were times when someone was speaking or multiple people were having conversations around Chase and I couldn't figure out right who was saying what. I had to stop occasionally and reread to figure it out. At times even Chase's thoughts got jumbled up when other people were talking. Thankfully, Stenson gave each of his characters distinct voices, so it wasn't too hard to figure out. But confusion did happen and who wants to get pulled out of a story because they have to stop and reread a section since they can't figure out who said what?

It probably is no surprise that characters start to be picked off towards the end. I really can't get into too much detail here because I don't want to spoil anything. But my issue lies with the hot and cold feelings I kept getting with certain characters. There are times throughout the story where I felt I had a good sense of the type of characters I was reading about. But then they would do something that seemed way out of character. At one point I got so angry that I wrote a list of things I wanted to call the author out on but then I started to wonder. Is it the addiction that caused these characters to do random things that were shocking and unexpected? I'm still torn on this one.

My last issue is the way FIEND ends. I would have to agree with other reviewers that it was almost as if Stenson got tired of his own characters and just walked away. It ends so abruptly that I thought the galley I had received was an unfinished draft. But no, it's the way the story ends. Sometimes ambiguous endings are cool and thought provoking. But I fail to see the ambiguity. I was at first extremely distraught, and felt like I had invested my time yet was rewarded with no type of closure. But again I am torn because...I have this feeling that...this is not the end. I won't say any more but after I had some time to calm down and think, I do see the potential for a sequel. I can only hope that is why Stenson ended things the way he did.

Some may argue that FIEND by Peter Stenson is not a zombie book but rather a story about addiction that just so happens to have zombies in it. I can see this novel appealing to those who are interested in learning or reading about meth addiction. Also, if you are like me, FIEND may appeal to those zombie fans that are looking for something different, a new way of looking at things, a fresh pair of eyes to see a zombie apocalypse through. However, if you like zombie novels that reveal the who, what, where, and how-- how they turned into zombies, what caused it, where is the cure--you may be disappointed. Because none of these issues are the focal point of this story. The only thing that is figured out rather quickly is how to prolong NOT turning into a zombie...the rest I will leave for you to figure out. But I will give you a hint. If you've had the chance to see the movie version of World War Z,  then you know it's not so much about finding the cure, but something that can buy them time. But these...revelations that give Chase in FIEND and Brad Pitt's character in World War Z time are equally as dangerous and life threatening. But hey, comparing FIEND and WWZ is a whole different can of worms better explored another day.

GIVEAWAY

Since it is "Zombie Week" on my blog, I have a treat for everyone! Enter below for a chance to win 1 of 3 17 x 10 inch Limited Edition World War Z movie posters! I have 3 of these posters to give away, so 3 winners will be announced. Sorry, but this giveaway is for US residents ONLY. Good luck!
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