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Brainless Brad! Pitt's dumbed-down zombie film World War Z faces box-office disaster
dailymail ^ | 20 June 2013 | By Chris Tookey

Posted on 06/21/2013 3:03:29 PM PDT by dennisw

So, after all the hype and rumours of disaster, what’s World War Z like? Well, even though it’s directed by Marc Forster, it reminded me of the action films made by Roland Emmerich, which range from the nearly sublime (Independence Day) to the totally ridiculous (10,000 BC).

It’s slap-bang in the middle of that quality spectrum, round about the level of Godzilla.

Movies don’t come bigger than this, and zombie flicks usually come a lot smaller. In Shaun Of The Dead, the undead had to content themselves with snacking on a handful of British actors in a deserted pub. Here it’s the future of humanity that’s at stake. This time, instead of Simon Pegg, Brad Pitt is available to save us, and the skies are soon full of crashing helicopters, screaming jets and stunt people being sucked out of aircraft.

The film is impressive in its big set pieces. The initial panic on the streets of Philadelphia is thrilling, as is the fall of Jerusalem to the undead horde and an airborne sequence that might easily have been called Zombies On A Plane.

But the film is horrifyingly feeble when it comes to characterisation. All we know about Pitt’s Gerry is that he loves his family, but no one has given this hero any exceptional qualities. The same goes for the other characters: as uninteresting a lot as I’ve seen in a disaster movie.

We never know why the powers-that-be at the United Nations think so highly of Gerry. He’s resourceful, but doesn’t seem particularly brave, bright or knowledgeable. It is a central weakness that, without any particular expertise, he solves the mystery of how to fight the zombies before anyone else.

Negative reaction: The last 40 minutes of the film where rewritten and reshot

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: bradpitt; worldwarzzzzzzzz
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

I did miss that. He didn’t act like one, he acted like he loved his country. Oh well, I still really enjoyed it a lot.


61 posted on 06/21/2013 7:00:49 PM PDT by chae (I was anti-Obama before it was cool)
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To: Durbin

I’m a fan of The Walking Dead. Pretty sure WW Z won’t come close. But I’m still interested.
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I just got back from seeing WW Z. The critics were not too far off the mark. The film was more funny than scary—I’m not sure I remember a time in an “intended to be serious” movie where zombies elicited laughter from the audience rather than fright. And that laughter came out a number of times. Also, a couple of the zombies were more annoying than either funny or scary. Oh well, at least I got to spend some time with my son at the show.

I think the extras playing the zombies in WW Z would have done well to have taken Zombie Acting 101 from the Zombie extras in The Walking Dead—now that show has Zombies the way Zombies should be, frightening.


62 posted on 06/21/2013 7:28:22 PM PDT by House Atreides
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To: Zhang Fei

Apocalypto gets better every time I see it, every character in it is fascinating, even a little kid or a seemingly/usually nondescript old woman is fascinating to watch.


63 posted on 06/21/2013 7:36:02 PM PDT by ansel12 (Libertarians, Gays = in all marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws.)
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To: napscoordinator
Christ Tookey hated Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto: Was it any good?

The audience got a pretty good idea of what it was like to be hunted for food by Aztecs or Mayans. It's not for the squeamish, but the pacing is like the original Indiana Jones, only with no let up or English dialogue.

64 posted on 06/21/2013 7:36:50 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: ansel12
Apocalypto gets better every time I see it, every character in it is fascinating, even a little kid or a seemingly/usually nondescript old woman is fascinating to watch.

For a movie with no English dialogue, it's remarkably accessible.

65 posted on 06/21/2013 7:38:29 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always.)
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To: House Atreides

66 posted on 06/21/2013 10:13:15 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear
If that is Olympus has Fallen then

It wasn't. It was from White House Down.

Whenever a movie is made, there's always an 'A' version, 'B' version, etc.

The 'x' version will be called White House on the Down Low.

67 posted on 06/21/2013 10:17:25 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

Where to start? :/


68 posted on 06/21/2013 10:32:44 PM PDT by Stingray (Stand for the truth or you'll fall for anything.)
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To: dennisw

My wife just read the book and said that while it was well-written, the story itself was hokey. May read it myself to see what she’s talking about.


69 posted on 06/22/2013 3:48:51 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: House Atreides

In other words the WW Z zombies did not come off as genuine zombies like you have seen in walking dead and other well executed zombie movies. With such a huge budget they Z should have at least gotten that part right


70 posted on 06/22/2013 4:56:29 AM PDT by dennisw (too much of a good thing is a bad thing - Joe Pine)
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To: CholeraJoe; Delta 21; Nikas777; NoAmnesty; Yorlik803; TheOldLady; The Comedian; OB1kNOb; ...


I haven't seen this movie, and I'll wait for it to be on iTunes to do so.
But, I want to see it.
71 posted on 06/22/2013 5:23:06 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (IRS = Internal Revenge Service)
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To: wku man
I can't wait to see it, and the fact that movie critics hate it makes me that much more excited about it opening. Sorry, I go to movies to be entertained, and "My Left Foot" isn't my idea of an entertaining flick.

This movie is mindless entertainment, but that is why I went. I wanted to to see zombies, fires, explosions, and more zombies on fire and exploding.

That is what I paid for and that is what I got.

anyone that goes expecting more is going to be disappointed, or doesn't understand the purpose of zombie movies.

72 posted on 06/22/2013 5:30:36 AM PDT by verga (A nation divided by Zero!)
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To: cherry

agreed....lost me there too but that doesn’t mean the reviewer is wrong about this movie


73 posted on 06/22/2013 5:31:21 AM PDT by xp38
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear; UCANSEE2
If that is Olympus has Fallen then wait until it turns up in the bargain bin. The plot had holes you could drive a truck through.

I will not be seeing "White house down" with the racist Jamie Foxx in it. I don't care what kind of reviews it gets.

74 posted on 06/22/2013 5:36:38 AM PDT by verga (A nation divided by Zero!)
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To: napscoordinator
We have another opportunity when White House Down comes out in a week or so. Hopefully you will enjoy that one better

You are aware that Jamie Foxx is the racist that said the best part of Django was "shooting all the white people."

I won't spend one cent supporting his racist butt.

75 posted on 06/22/2013 5:43:15 AM PDT by verga (A nation divided by Zero!)
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To: RandallFlagg

A zombie ping list? I have got to be on this. I need to know when the DNC voter drives happen...cheers!


76 posted on 06/22/2013 6:29:44 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: RandallFlagg
I love the book, and the companion survival guide... I think if they had called this movie anything but WWZ, I would be paying to see it in the theatre, but the only thing in common with the book, is the title and the main character name.

I would like to see Zombies vs. Vampires. :-)

77 posted on 06/22/2013 6:32:43 AM PDT by RikaStrom ("To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." ~Voltaire)
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To: Caipirabob

You’re on. Thanks.


78 posted on 06/22/2013 6:51:55 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (IRS = Internal Revenge Service)
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To: RikaStrom

You oughta check out the WWZ audiobook. VERY fine piece of work. Loads of famous actors doing the voices of the characters: Mark Hamill, Rob and Carl Reiner, Alan Alda.....


79 posted on 06/22/2013 6:58:15 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (IRS = Internal Revenge Service)
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To: RandallFlagg
i'm starting to feel sorry for the poor bastards since Zombies are the only group you can slaughter, burn, crush, kill, destroy with impunity and not be called a bigoted, sexist, racist, homoloath because they have bad PR unlike our real enemies the RATS and the goathumpers...
80 posted on 06/22/2013 7:02:14 AM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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