Marc Forster to Direct World War Z

[TheVileOne]

$66 million is a successful opening for movie with a smaller budget and marketing campaign that doesn't need to remain consistent in subsequent weekends.

Even Man of Steel despite opening big had an undesirable drop in its second weekend.

 

[S. Grundy]

Everyone knows about the production issues on this film, but I'm not sure how "commonly known" the unecessary studio meddling is:

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie...five-screenwriters-two-endings-205845231.html


Apparently, the Forsters original cut adhered much closer to the source material, but the studio didn't like it (naturally).

Not really, no cut of the movie would make it adhere more to source material. The original ending had Pitt using a "lobo" weapon from the book, that's really it. And really the WHO stuff probably was for the best, as it was fairly tense and actually the best part of the movie. A giant 12 minute battle scene in Russia would have been a mess to watch, since Forster can't do action good.

 

[Gambit]

$66 million is a successful opening for movie with a smaller budget and marketing campaign that doesn't need to remain consistent in subsequent weekends.

Even Man of Steel despite opening big had an undesirable drop in its second weekend.

Man of Steel was hit with Monsters U and WWZ...That is tough that is why the 71% drop.

These new films lucked out. I mean Man of Steel would have been #1 back to back weeks if it came out a week later and it switched dates with WWZ and Monsters U

 

[danoyse]

Has the movie really done that well? It's only opened with $66 million on like a $200 million budget? What if it drops like a rock this weekend?

I think it's because it was expected to tank on its opening weekend, considering all of the negative press leading up to it. Regardless of the budget problems and whatever happens from here...it's a good turnout for an opening weekend.

 

[S. Grundy]

Yeah, it seems to be good enough for them to strongly consider doing a sequel. Though maybe this time with a smaller budget and an ending for the script.

 

[jacobed]

Not really, no cut of the movie would make it adhere more to source material. The original ending had Pitt using a "lobo" weapon from the book, that's really it. And really the WHO stuff probably was for the best, as it was fairly tense and actually the best part of the movie. A giant 12 minute battle scene in Russia would have been a mess to watch, since Forster can't do action good.

Plus we already had one big action scene, how many action scenes can you do with these zombies and still make them interesting

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I wouldn't mind if they used the Russia plot in a possible sequel, honestly. Maybe cut out the bit with his wife becoming a concubine or whatever but it would be interesting to see that, maybe spread over a whole movie.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Such a bloodless movie it was hard to suspend disbelief. IMHO it was like the big budget version of 28 Days Later with less blood and gore.

I dunno, a part of me thinks this was some sort of chemical weapon. If this is a virus, it came off as designed to me. It's not feasible to me why a virus that "kills" you makes you faster and gives you almost superhuman strength.

Cinematography in the action sequences was terrible. Couldn't see anything.

I will say I glad they changed the ending. The best sequence was probably the WHO sequence. Forster IMHO is a bad "action" director.

I really liked the movie and these complaints I see as positives actually. The movie didn't need blood and gore really. The way the zombies were presented, like a swarm the blood and guts wasn't needed. I didn't really see them as the eating human flesh type zombie, more just convert and move on. The choas of the action was great, really gave, me at least, a sense of fear, just that you don't know who is or isn't a zombie, you've just got to run and hope you don't get caught. I also liked that Brad Pitt's character was smart and looked for clues the entire time, you could see his character constantly trying to figure things out. Definitely a different zombie movie and nothing like the book, but enjoyable nonetheless.

 

[TheVileOne]

To me the greatest fear and tension was built in the last act.

I didn't get a sense of what these "zombies" are and what they are doing.

Also nothing really indicated to me that they are literally "undead."

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^I personally thought every action scene in the movie built tension very well, especially Israel and The plane scene, not to mention them getting to the top of the apartment building to meet the helicopter at the start.

It was all really well done to me, like a slow building of terror which all good zombie movies should have IMO.

 

[jacobed]

Its awesome that this is doing so well because man Brad Pitt worked his ass off promoting this thing.

 

[Matt Mortem]

This was quite a bit better than I expected. I don't really like a movie that ends with a lead in to a sequel. I like more self contained stories, but this was still pretty good. Pitt did a great job as did that side kick lady. Bring on the sequel I guess. I could go for more.

 

[bullets]

^I personally thought every action scene in the movie built tension very well, especially Israel and The plane scene, not to mention them getting to the top of the apartment building to meet the helicopter at the start.

It was all really well done to me, like a slow building of terror which all good zombie movies should have IMO.

I thought it did a great job of keeping the tension throughout. I've read the alternate Moscow ending, but I'm glad they changed it to the research facility. It did feel somewhat anticlimatic , but also leaves us with different possibilities for the sequel.

Also they did a great job pushing the boundaries of a pg13 film . There's very little blood and gore , but it never felt to me like anything was missing.

 

[Naked Shia]

I'm a zombie fans. I've seen something like 80 zombies movies, i've read several comics, books etc, i've played a lot of zombies video games. I've even reaa Seabrook's magic island, the book that introduced the word zombie in the english language (it's a book about voodoo).

Also, I read World War Z (and zombie survival guide) a few years ago. So when they announced a movie adaptation, with Brad Pitt as a producer, I was really excited. Brooks said several times he wanted WWZ to be the lord of the rings of zombie movies.

Then we got reports of A LOT of troubles during filming. They rewrote the last act. Lots of reshoots.... Most people were complaining about it probably being a turd. Lots of fans of the book were saying it would be crap because it was obviously not like the book.

First reviews were surprisingly good. And finally, I've seen the premiere. There is no denying that this movie is very different from the book. But I don't think the book could work as a movie, if adapted litteraly.

Still, they kept the big ideas, with Pitt travelling around the world, not to fight zombies, but to investigate about the origin of the virus. They also used a few scenes from the book, which are exactly like I imagined they would while reading the books, such as the scene in israel.

The scope is HUGE. And I mean really huge. the action is relentless and intense. You will grab your seat several times. There is a real sense of threat, and they manage to build some real suspense, which makes the action even better. They didn't use as much CGI as I thought they would. When they do, it's obvious it's cgi, but it works. Basically, the movie never stops, and it's exhausting, but in a good way.

Pitt carries the movie like the star he is. He's really charismatic, and he's not here for the check. His Gerry is really believable and likable. Apart from him, his wife is good, but we don't see much of her. I liked the soldier who helps him. She was great. The story is not overly complex, but it's good enough for that kind of movie.

They really did the lord of the rings of zombies movie. It's really a thrill ride, a roller coaster, and I will probably watch it again soon. The 3d did nothing to me though.

 

[kane9321]

That one zombified black doctor in the WHO lab....man, that was the one that kept getting laughs because of the faces she was making.

I laughed soo hard.....i was like "look its michonne"

 

[Iron_Stark]

I really liked the movie, not the Godfather of zombie movies, but it ranks up there.

The thing I didn't like were the zombies, first of all they ran, I hate running zombies, they should've at least sprinted like in Zombieland. Second, they sounded like velociraptors, comeon man! And apart from the zombified WHO doctor that looked like Michone, the other zombie that annoyed me was the last lab doctor that Brad Pitt did his "experiment" with.

For the sequel, they need to get Tom Savini or Greg Nicotero involved. Teach the director how a zombie should look, walk, sound and act. They should also make it that now that the pandemic has been around for some years, the zombies have slowed down.

There is more tension from a horde of shuffling zombies than zombies that sprint like Usain Bolt and tackle like a linebacker for the NFL. The Walking Dead has proven that many times over.

Oh and bring in "Lobos" and the Battle of Yonkers.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

I'm hoping the sequels can present more moments from the book. Maybe since these zombies are "fresh" they can run and stuff but after a couple years they will be like the slow zombies. I'd make for a great combo.

 

[Kane52630]

Saw this today, definitely the surprise movie of the summer. I actually enjoyed the last 20/30 mins more than the entire film. Too bad they barely mentioned the book, although I wasn't expecting much beforehand but maybe they can do a proper adaption as a miniseries or something.

 

[redhawk23]

This movie was okay. The effects were a lot better in the final film, so that was pleasing. The initial scenes in Phili were thrilling.

Placing Gerry's mission of back tracking through how the virus spread to a time during the outbreak was interesting and actually added some urgency to his mission rather than it just being a post-war kind of thing.

Its kind of ridiculous though that pretty much everything that the book was about was actually only featured in a 30 second montage at the end of the film.

Ultimately I'm okay just accepting this movie as its own thing (I just wish they hadn't used the title).

 

[halo10]

I thought World War Z was above average, but not the wow factor I anticipated it to be. It’s a solid popcorn flick ..but not great, ..not a classic, IMO.
There will still be confusion in un-dead zombie vs. virus infected victims and for those who do not regularly watch "zombie" movies will find this particular z-film a bit more appealing and exciting.

Particularly the one big memorable scene in this film as revealed in the trailer is the "ant-pile" of zombies that climb walls (which I thought was a cool effect) But overall I’ve seen better zombie films and I think it faints in comparisons with zombie flicks like " 28 Weeks Later "

And I notice how the film is very careful in not displaying flesh-ripping blood gore (a far cry from even AMC's Walking Dead TV series) and which I bet the lack of gore will please the movie critics, but I wasn't even impressed with what very few jump-scare moments and I thought the turn in Brad's ( or Gerry in the film) "self-sacrifice" watered down the dramatics in the final moments.

But I did like the ideal in which explained why the zombies didn't attack those kind of living humans. (those terminally ill)
I also like the idea of humans fighting off massive hordes of zombies not just all over the USA but various parts of the world including South Korea and Jerusalem. And that Gerry (Pitt) seemed to be chased and on the run from hordes of running zombies at least every 10 minutes with every turn and corner, with just about every every place he seemed to go.

I did however think it wasn’t much character development outside Brad Pitt. There’s limited glimpses of his family and his boss but that was it. So there wasn’t anything left to focus on except just Brad Pitt.

Teamed with medical specialists and military special ops forces I would have thought that would have been a big opportunity to invite appealing characters but that felled thru. i also thought it would have added to the film if Gerry were put in a position where he had to make an agonizing decision to "destroy" someone he was close to that had been turned into a zombie.

It gets off to an exciting fast start and its’ not snooze-boring at all but aside from the “ant-pile” , I thought every other climatic scene was rather Zombie- ordinary. Basically the trailers became THE highlights of the entire film. For all its’ hoopla and hype, I just wasn’t that wow- impressed with WWZ as i thought i would be after i saw the trailers.

Don't get me wrong, i definitely wasn't bored and it was indeed a lot of chase-action and "herding" CGI special effects in it to keep it entertaining. But i just wasn't blown away in awe with me with it overall.

Although the audience of the theater I was in seemed to be pleased with their visit to see World War Z, but I think I’m myself am too spoiled off the blood-gory,flesh ripping kind and styles of zombie flicks.
On a scale of 1-10 , I’d give World War Z” a 6.5

 

[enterthemadness]

I like this movie. Never read the book. Pitt is awesome in it. From what I read about the Russia ending, the ending they showed here (re-shooting 3rd act) to me seems like the better choice.

 

[jacobed]

I agree. It's so much better

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

I also think the reshot ending was much better.

 

[Ultimatehero]

Yeah, it seems to be good enough for them to strongly consider doing a sequel. Though maybe this time with a smaller budget and an ending for the script.

I wonder if they would consider making a sequel for a lot less money so that they can make at least some profit of it. As it stands, it would be seriously lucky to even get near breaking even. But, if it's well received and they significantly reduce the budget - perhaps the sequel's increased profit will make them at least some money on the venture.

I'm not a money man, I don't know money. But, that notion with this has been in my mind recently. Unsure if that would help a series profit though having it open as a flop then succeed as a sequel...

 

[Balthus Dire]

This movie was a travesty to the book and the zombie genre in general.

That being said, it wasn't completely awful as a standalone movie. The way the horde moved actually ended up looking pretty neat. I thought Pitt was particularly bad though. He looked like he was bored or something for the whole thing.