Review: "World War Z" takes on zombie novel and seems familiar

"World War Z" R
     Marc Forster, director of Finding Neverland, does a movie adaptation of the cult zombie novel, War War Z, by Max Brooks with Brad Pitt in the lead, running from zombies wearing surfer hair and a five o'clock shadow beard.
     Gerry, Pitt's character, is a United Nations special operations guy who now has a family and is set upon one morning by zombies while trying to get through Philadelphia. Eventually he and his family get to an apartment in New Jersey where the next day they are taken to a ship out at sea by helicopter.
     One on the Navy ship, Gerry's old boss wants him to go on a mission to Korea with a scientist to help find a cure, but when he reluctantly goes, the plan goes wrong and the scientist is killed in a zombie attack.
     Gerry manages to get to Jerusalem, which has been walled in like a fortress, and he meets a leader there with more of as stubbly beard, who thought it was a good idea to erect a wall before it all even started. The problem is the zombies are clever enough to scale walls, and soon invade the city. Then Gerry must escape by jet plane to Ireland where there is a world health organization base.
     In tow with him is a survivor who had to have her hand cut off because a zombie bit her, but she doesn't turn. She can handle a gun.
     They crash the plane and end up at the building, where they hope to discover a cure using other pathogens to mask their scent, or something.
     The flick borrows liberally from Romero and Rodriquez, and from the creators of the Bourne trilogy.  For an action film it has plenty of running and jumping, fighting and loud things blowing apart. In terms of gore, not so much, considering it's a war. The slick special effect are kinetic and the pacing never gets dull. The issue might be with purists of the book, which the critic did not read, and might object to it being just a big action flick. Some surprises happen but most scares are textbook, loud and obvious, so it's not scary. It's a good rental in the future. Don't bother with the 3D version as this moves around so much it would be painful in 3D.
Review by Adam Browne