I don’t know how I managed to let this one slip through, but apparently I did. If you haven’t figured it out already, Max Brooks’ seminal zombie thriller World War Z is finally getting the silver screen treatment.
In case you were wondering, yes… the Z stands for Zombie, and it appears that they’re of the fast moving variety. I say “appears”, because I haven’t actually read the book, so I’m just basing this on the trailer you’re about to watch. I know… I’m a bad person. It’s just one story in a long list of others that I haven’t managed to have a read through yet. Readers, I promise… I won’t let you down again.
The World War Z Movie Trailer
Everything looked pretty standard here. We’ve got zombies, we’ve got soldiers… and we’ve got people running away from both of them as well. It’s nothing particularly revolutionary, but then again, there’s only so much a person can do with such a classic, well trod genre. What I don’t quite understand, though, is why in this day in age… this time of massive budgets and amazing technology, why a director would make the decision to use a CG version of a helicopter for a scene that clearly doesn’t require that. The zombies sure, but a helicopter? Give me a break.
Simple gripes aside, I’m actually looking forward to seeing this. The last decent zombie film I saw was I Am Legend, and that was ages ago. Perhaps this will be the film to fill my yearly zombie book and movie quota? I guess I’ll find out when this hits theaters in June, 2013. Until then, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Day by Day Armageddon by J.L Bourne. It’s above and beyond one of the best zombie books I’ve ever read, and you can order it online for about $10 USD.
Yes, they appear to be of the fast moving type of zombie. There is something new here that I am very excited about. There are points in the trailer where they appear to move as one collective intelligence. There are so many zombies that they almost move like liquid. They also seem to be clumping together like ants which is also new to the genre. Is that not what they would do in real life given a large enough quantity
If I remember correctly in the book we had the classic slow moving zombie. The book was set after the zombie war and was about Brad Pitt character visiting survivers to hear their story of the war. These stories were then joined up to provide a larger narative.
Ants group together into ant boats in order the cross water. Imagine a giant floating ball of zombies washing up on the beach.
Perhaps the studio is planning to do two movies then, with this one being the “prequel”?
Its possible. Its cheaper to make three films than it is to make one. Considering the source material and the problems getting the film to screen i think its unlikely but who knows.
Personally i don’t think the book would translate into a movie all that well. Unless it was like written like Magnolia with zombies. Stories within the book have the potential for movies. Like the blind guy hunting zombies in the woods for example.
Blind guy hunting zombies? that sounds interesting! Reminds me of Michonne kicking ass in the woods.
I suspect the swarm behavior is more about the limitations of the CG they’re using for the zombie crowds than it is intentional…but who knows, maybe they’ve incorporated it into the plot. Personally, I think the CG looks pretty damn fake.
By the way, “I Am Legend” is about vampires, not zombies…