Usually you’d send kids to bed early for a zombie movie. But in the case of World War Z, a classic villain of humanity is reanimated in an almost child friendly twist that the whole family could enjoy. However, this decision to make the movie more family oriented may have been what prevented it from being a truly great film.

World War Z revolves mainly around Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), a former UN inspector whose past is as mysterious at the end of the film as it is in the beginning. The thick of the story begins when a drive through Philadelphia traffic rapidly escalates to the loss of over half the world’s population in less than ten minutes, surprising the viewer more than the characters, which seem to take the massive loss in stride.

On this note, let me point out the movie’s character development, or lack thereof. Gerry Lane may be the main character of the story, but he is almost a complete mystery from  beginning to end, so much so that it’s hard to care what happens to him. I didn’t even realize Lane’s full name until halfway through the movie. I found myself no more emotionally  invested in Lane’s character than any random background character. I actually started to think the supporting characters had more interesting roles even though they had far less  screen time.

The task of making a zombie film with little to no gore is no simple task, and World War Z certainly met it head on. The lack of expected graphic violence is instead replaced by  intense action sequences that leave the heart racing, yet occasionally push the boundaries of believability too far. The result is often disbelief rather than terror. Several times  throughout the film you see a zombie fall from an incredible height that would have broken him, only to see him move on like nothing happened. He may be dead, but jeez…he still  has bones.

Most of the atmosphere in the movie, after catching up to the initial jumpstart, is excellent, guiding you perfectly into the scene along with a masterful soundtrack into a never  ending emotional rollercoaster. The soundtrack enables even the most trivial of moments to seem emotional. This is almost a godsend in a film where the characters generally lack  likability or attachment, or are whacked out of the story by a conveniently placed zombie.

The feelings of dread, terror, and horror are ever present, and the suspense is powerful enough that I held my breath several times in anticipation. Had the characters been as  powerful, World War Z could have been one of the best zombie films ever made.

 Overall, World War Z is a good movie. But it is sold short by the fact while the directors obviously tried to create an overwhelming sense of urgency, the viewer is too busy trying  to untangle the plot to appreciate it. As an overall grade, I’d give the film 3 out of 5 brains– something which you’d expect to see more of from this film. An action movie disguised  as a horror movie, World War Z is a success and failure…at the same timeWhile its plot is much like a rollercoaster—you never really know where you’re going until you’ve already  passed it –after you finish the film and think on it, it begins to make a bit more sense. Strangely enough, I liked the movie better an hour after it ended than I did while watching it. The plot was so incomprehensible that my brain simply needed time to catch up.