World War Z does something few movies have ever done for me. It places me next to the protagonist and compels me on the same journey he or she is on. In this case it’s a he. Brad Pitt to be exact, as retired United Nations investigator Gerry Lane. He’s seen some bad stuff and wants no part of more bad stuff because now he has a family. Bad stuff and family do not mix. But Gerry can’t turn his investigator brain off and when the movie opens to him racing his family through an unexpected outbreak of some crazy, super fast zombie disease – he takes a moment watching someone get bit and counts how long before they become a crazy, super fast zombie. I think the count was 12 seconds. And this should give you some idea of how this movie works. It relentlessly pushes the pace at you but not in some clunky, when is this fight scene ever going to end kind of way (See Man of Steel for that). Instead everything from the opening credits drops you right down in the center of the action. There’s no overly long explanation of what’s going on. And that’s the point. You find out what everybody finds out AS they find it out. This is not the film yanking out the rug from underneath you. It just lays out information at the rate any human would find it out whilst being chased by crazy, super fast zombies.

Red Rover send Zombie right over.

The closest comparison I can make is to the masterpiece Children of Men. And yes I am using a strong word there. Children of Men is a better movie. I will not say World War Z is a masterpiece but they share something very special. As an audience member you live the pace the movie puts out. Z  is a white knuckle thriller with simple, effective, and obvious motivations. When Gerry gets his family onto a military boat, a safe haven from the zombies, he’s compelled to join in the fight for a possible cure. He refuses because he wishes to stay with his family, but an incredibly simple argument is made to convince him. The captain of said safe haven says in essence: “if you’re not going to help us, then we are going to fill your spots with people who will and you shall leave.” I mean wow. No muss. No fuss. It’s not pandering. It’s brutal and smart and totally believable.

Fana Mokoen plays UN Under-Secretary Thierry Umutoni. He acts as the eyes and ears but also the remaining heart and hope on the boat as Gerry leaves his family to go in search of a zombie cure. And even though he is a powerful man in the government, with the lack of government in a zombie outbreak, he’s really there as a formality by the military. We get a nice sense that he represents the last vestige of order from the old life.

Nobody panic, I still have the authority to order pizza.

Along the way Gerry meets various people in the military and otherwise on his globe hopping journey. Each stop acting as a location for a crazy tense, crazy fast, crazy fun chase with crazy zombies. And this film pulls no punches. They hit you with body blows right and left using characters you quickly get to know before bad stuff happens. Decisions are made fast and brutally. And this works because within the universe of World War Z, everyone acts logically and with appropriate levels of despair but not stupidity (with the exception of one phone call). So you can connect with them in short order because they say stuff that makes you think “yeah, that’s honest.” And suddenly you know who they are. When James Badge Dale as Captain Speke is presented with otherwise devastating news to him and his troops, he basically takes the “well, what’s next” stance. A smart script move indicating this guy never thought they were going to survive anyway, so hearing more bad news doesn’t get him down. Yet when presented with a glimmer of hope for the future that involves refueling Gerry’s plane, he takes it, knowing full well he might die anyway. I never questioned his logic one bit.

By dropping us in the middle, and delivering lines with appropriate brevity, when it’s time for Gerry to hop a plane somewhere else, we say “yes, let’s go there.” Rather than say “wait, why is this happening?”

Are the effects the best. No. The crowding swarms of zombies climbing walls are definitely CGI, but that doesn’t matter. This is about the scenario and living through it, not about whose green screen is the best. This is a thriller all the way and a relentless one at that. There’s humor to be found as well but it’s the right kind. The final act slows the pace down to play a cat and mouse game with zombies at a medical facility. We get a better chance to really see them in action and the audience giggled over and over again because the tension in moments grew so intense from such a simple thing as a zombie having nothing to do but look around and jerk a bit.

Simple. Simple. SIMPLE. But oh so good.

I could really use that pizza right now.

Much has been made of the reshoots and changed ending. I am fascinated to learn if the eventual home video release will include the original ending because the one they came up with is satisfying. You can sense the pace of the movie change in the final act, but it doesn’t feel wrong either. Maybe it’s a little too optimistic , but ultimately it seemed to flow from everything that came before.

This is my point. While there are a few flaws in the film and the effects are good but not amazing, the driving pace and intelligence of people’s motivations and outlook push us through to the end where my audience twittered with delight. I’ve heard people say “oh, this movie isn’t very original” or bemoaning that it’s not the Citizen Kane of zombie movies. So what, this is grandly entertaining and doesn’t pretend I’m an idiot who needs to be coddled. Also… remarkably little blood considering how many people die.

See it. Just leave the wee ones at home, cause this stuff gets for realzies, in a crazy fast zombie hurry.