This looks like one of the most awful things I've ever seen and I loved the book. So much for the talk about the early script being a contender for best picture at the Oscars.

11/6/2012 6:57:20 PM

Well, it's not like the book was written to fit a Hollywood narrative structure.. but this looks to be more like Resident Evil than I Am Legend.

11/6/2012 7:01:16 PM

Disappointed to see they went with the fake looking 'I Am Legend style' CGI zombies. Maybe if they didn't make them behave like cartoons they could have used real actors. 28 Days Later used real people for fast-zombies and was plenty scary.

Oh well

11/6/2012 7:15:52 PM

yeah, and while it's been a long time since I've read the book, I don't recall getting the sense that they were fast moving zombies. I got quite the opposite idea actually.

I'm trying not to judge it before I see the whole thing, but that's tough to do. They've delayed the release quite a bit. And they had to re-shoot full scenes after the edit. That is supposedly really uncommon and typically only happens on movies that end up sucking. That information combined with this teaser have increased the doubts I already had. It should have been a mini-series. The narrative structure would have worked just fine. It wouldn't be anything close to the first movie/mini-series to tell a story through flashbacks/recollections.

11/6/2012 7:53:31 PM

yea i remember the zombies in WWZ to be very similar to TWD zombies (which are similar to romero zombies)

11/6/2012 8:06:44 PM

The first Zombie movie I saw was the Dawn of the Dead remake. I like the fast zombies then but now I think they're overused. When I read WWZ I really liked the horror of the slow moving zombies. It's a different sort of scare - inevitable, dread, and that they're just more mindless.

Friend's starting on it now and I'm really excited for some reason

11/6/2012 10:09:19 PM

I think the thing that stuck out a lot from the book WAS the fact that they were slow but just SO many of them. The feeling of quantity made them scary - herds that could be spotted from space, miles wide.

11/6/2012 10:42:10 PM

Don't you lose the events where the zombies are just walking toward the soldiers who are taking them down with single fire as well? And the soldiers are lined up in rows just alternating shots. That's not really pivotal to the "tone" of the story I guess, but I think the success rate of head shots goes way down when they crazy, super fast, and strong zombies are running at you.

It appears that the zombies run up each other to get over the wall in once scene. I mean, humans can't really do that in real life. The whole idea of the story is that it's "what if zombies really happened in the real world"... and they're going with these.

Based on what I know and can presume of this movie, I wish they would just destroy it and wait for someone to come along and do it right.

11/7/2012 12:30:11 AM

Our best hope is they pull a Hulk or Spiderman and just remake it in a few years

11/7/2012 12:33:19 AM

I guess Max Brooks really didn't have any say in the making of this film. In the Zombie Survival Guide (WWZ is kind of like a sequel to it) he outright says they are slow zombies that are only really powerful in large groups. Looks like these things have super powers.

Also, tons of scenes in from the book just won't make sense (so they probably won't even be included in the film). I was really looking forward to the one about the battle of Yonkers, the Japanese kid who finds the katana, the Indian general who detonates the bomb, the pilot who goes down in the woods, and the previously mentioned line of soldiers picking off the swarm of zombies in the desert. It just wouldn't work the same with these "zombies".

[Edited on November 7, 2012 at 9:47 AM. Reason : ]

11/7/2012 9:40:36 AM

makes you wonder if leo's studio would've done a better job.

11/7/2012 10:11:52 AM

I loved the concept of zombies in bodies of water and the battles with armor and harpoon guns.
Furthermore, the blind Japanese man who defends himself from zombies in the forest and starts a new martial art that defends against the zombies. Not to mention, the k-9 unit in the military and the accompanying soldiers who lost their minds when their "partners" didn't make it back alive. What was wonderful about WWZ was the multitude of novel perspectives on a zombie outbreak and the blending of everyday heroes with the military ones.

I always imagined this as a mini-series or mockumentary.

11/7/2012 10:18:00 AM

The Paris catacombs seemed nuts at the end.

Did like the most dangerous zombies were the ones that lost their legs or were otherwise different.

11/7/2012 10:20:48 AM

i don't know anything about the book or plot, but it looks pretty interesting to me. i don't know that brad pitt is the best pick for this type of movie but he's pretty so i'll allow it

that wave of zombies coming down the steps or whatever looks terrifying

[Edited on November 7, 2012 at 10:49 AM. Reason : ]

11/7/2012 10:49:12 AM

Ya, I think it'd be fine/interesting as new IP but as a representative of a beloved book it's sort of hard to take seriously

11/7/2012 10:50:47 AM

I think one of the interesting stories was about the russian nuclear sub that found safe haven on a small deserted island with other refuges, providing power to decent sized camp before hordes of zombies came from the ocean floor over night.

That thought seemed scary that there could be millions of zombies walking aimlessly on the ocean floor. That and the sewers wars.


All this talk is making me wanting to read the books again.

11/7/2012 11:00:14 AM

^ and not making me want to see the movie the first time.

11/7/2012 11:11:30 AM

Quote :

"i don't know anything about the book or plot, but it looks pretty interesting to me. "

I've read the book and agree. Of course I have the ability to separate a piece of work from its source material and not get all butthurt when it's not an exact replica. lots of people making assertions over a few seconds of film

11/7/2012 11:50:35 AM

se7entythree, I would really recommend reading the book. The book is good, and not just if you're into zombie stuff. This movie could have really transcended the "zombie" genre of movies if it were a faithful adaptation. What people who are familiar with the book are upset about is that it looks to be just another typical hollywood "zombie" movie... except with a huge star in the lead.... a lead character who isn't much of a character in the book at all.

That being said, you make a great point. This thread is about the movie. And I'm sure the perceptions of those who haven't read the book could be far different than those who have read the book.

11/7/2012 11:51:40 AM

everyone knew that making a "faithful adaptation" of the book into a 2 hour feature film was impossible

11/7/2012 11:57:54 AM

book would translate to mini series pretty well i think.

or 'documentary style' could be interesting? haha.

11/7/2012 12:02:56 PM

where's Smath74 to bitch about book spoilers

11/7/2012 12:05:00 PM

neither a mockumentary nor a miniseries would justify the amount they spent to attain the rights to the book. that meant a blockbuster summer time megamovie. That meant one main character with a love interest and some sort of a resemblance of a central plot, the book had none of these. The only responsibility I believe this movie has to the book is to maintain the global scale of the story which set the book apart and would set the movie apart as well. you can bitch as much as you want but anyone who has read the book KNEW that it would be impossible to adapt into a feature film screenplay.

11/7/2012 12:28:47 PM

And that's why it shouldn't have been a feature film. At least not if anyone actually wanted to put the book on screen.

I'll also say that it's not simply that the story is global. Let's face it, that is actually one of the toughest parts to capture in a 2hr film. How is our central character going to visit all of these places in a 2hr film unless a ton of time elapses? Again, imo, that's the toughest part to actually capture in 2hrs.

What is unique about the story, imo, is that it's a more "realistic" look at how people, governments, etc. would re-act to such an outbreak. It's much more about that than the actual zombies. But the "type" of zombies changes those reactions drastically. Additionally, it's about the unique circumstances that would arise from such an outbreak... beyond simply "omg, there are walking dead people who want to eat living people.... we have to survive!"

That being said, Paramount and the director have supposedly said that the plan is for this to be a series of movies. Which gave me hope in that they could capture more of the global aspect since it would be told over multiple movies. Unfortunately, a lot of the buzz is that there are some serious problems with the movie. Re-shoots have taken place post-edit, it's been delayed multiple times, etc. And the likely hood of the others being made will depend on the success of this one.

[Edited on November 7, 2012 at 1:01 PM. Reason : .]

11/7/2012 12:57:06 PM

Don't HBO miniseries usually bring in a shit load of money? World War Z done in a Band of Brothers style minseries would have been epic

11/7/2012 1:08:05 PM

I get it now... Or at least I hope I do. Maybe this movie is a prequel to the actual book itself. Maybe this is the narrators experience during the zombie war prior to his interview journals post-war. Maybe.... But I would actually accept this. This would mean that a real production of the book may still be possible without calling it a remake. I think I am on to something.... Maybe.

11/7/2012 2:48:36 PM

^Even if that is the case, the zombies are still as agile and fast as Spider-Man.

11/7/2012 4:09:26 PM

yeah the spider-man zombies don't do it for me

11/7/2012 4:18:06 PM

Quote :

"Don't HBO miniseries usually bring in a shit load of money? World War Z done in a Band of Brothers style minseries would have been epic"

or even presented in a similar way that 'Contagion' was.

11/7/2012 5:00:26 PM

^ interesting that you say that because that's actually how it's been described.

http://screenrant.com/world-war-z-movie-trilogy-sandy-145838/

11/7/2012 6:47:47 PM

Even a trilogy wouldn't be enough. A 10 part mini series of an hour or 90 mins would have touched more of the scope of everything if they could tie it all together.

The problem is that all of the stories are decentralized to give scope and not humanize one or two characters. Granted, a few of the stories are sad when one or two nameless characters don't make it, but its the sadness with still being a bit detached from the character's personality.


I for one will probably not see it on the big screen, but redbox or netflix? Yup. Add to que.

11/8/2012 12:25:36 AM

Quote :

"where's Smath74 to bitch about book spoilers"

sorry, i like to enjoy movies and TV without knowing the plot beforehand.

11/8/2012 6:03:49 AM

I just don't like how my favorite scenes won't be in the movie. Like the bit about the ISS astronaut.

11/8/2012 11:29:13 AM

^ i forgot all about that one. I'm gonna have to re-read it soon.

^^^ yeah, let's start a kick-starter fund to get this re-made as a mini-series.

11/8/2012 12:02:02 PM

I think it would make for a very good animated series.

11/8/2012 12:03:40 PM

They should have just made a World War Z channel that shows nothing but "short stories" that replicate EXACTLY what was in the book 24/7

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/11/08/brad-pitt-world-war-z-photo/

Quote :

"Visual effects supervisor John Nelson (Iron Man) said World War Z’s zombies lean more toward sci-fi transformation victims rather than supernatural resurrection subjects. That led to a lot of research into animal behavior, especially for creatures under the amok-time sway of predator appetite or spawning urge. “They are like predatory animals that can’t control themselves,” Nelson said. “I worked with tigers [while shooting Gladiator], and if you watch them when a horse goes by they go batty, even if they know they can’t reach it. When Zs see humans they do same thing, they activate. They launch themselves.” ... Unlike most fresh-water fish or spermatozoa, the zombies in the movie are resourceful when it comes to helicopter attacks. At one point in the film, a surging crowd of Zs climb up and over each other to create a writhing, wobbling column of infected flesh. “Everyone has seen everything in this genre,” Nelson said. “So of course we looked to try to find something new. And we have some.”"

[Edited on November 8, 2012 at 12:37 PM. Reason : I, for one, welcome our new fast moving zombie overlords]

11/8/2012 12:28:42 PM

^There is something similar to that in the book. A few stories talk about the futility of walls because the zombies (keep want to call them Zs or biters ) surge against them, eventually piling up on each other and effectively creating a ramp over. I always got the feeling that this was only a problem as number built up over time though.

11/8/2012 12:42:59 PM

That was when attacking walls though, surging to attack a helicopter =

11/8/2012 12:54:23 PM

^^ there's a movie exactly like that... Starship Troopers...

11/8/2012 8:20:07 PM

I'm confused, why is Brad Pitt the only one who can save the world?

11/8/2012 9:55:33 PM

reminds me nothing of the book.

except they are zombies?

11/8/2012 10:15:07 PM

reminds me nothing of the book.

except they are zombies?

11/8/2012 10:15:07 PM

looks like the prequel to I Am Legend

11/8/2012 10:18:29 PM

I can dig it

11/8/2012 11:28:19 PM

meh, i'll still see it. (and i'll try to pretend it has nothing to do with the book)

11/8/2012 11:29:45 PM

Brad Pitt's family is killed in a helicopter crash during the initial evacuation. Pitt stays behind as he is the only scientist who can possibly come up with a cure.

11/9/2012 12:32:43 AM

Nope, he's a UN reporter (per movie descriptions)

11/9/2012 12:43:32 AM

looks good! of course they can make anything look good in a preview but i really want to see it. if/when i read the book, it won't be til after the movie (like i'm doing with TWD).

hey, jack's in it too!

[Edited on November 9, 2012 at 8:18 AM. Reason : ]

11/9/2012 8:17:40 AM

^Oh man, on both counts you're missing it. They're such fantastic stories. I totally understand the position though

I think the trailer makes for something exciting, but it still seems like such a drastic change. If it's a trilogy, I hope they'll take the time to develop many of the side stories in the book.

11/9/2012 8:48:16 AM

why would i intentionally ruin a show i am very much enjoying & a movie i could potentially enjoy? if the adaptations are as awful as everybody makes them out to be, then it'd just be stupid to read the original text first.

11/9/2012 8:49:32 AM