lördag 20 juli 2013

World War Z (2013)


[We meet in a dark room, a room without windows. One wall and the roof is dark gray, bordering to black, the other walls are dark red. Book shelves from floor to ceiling filled with movies. This is a movie room. Mr. Hank, a veteran in his prime, looks tired, the holidays are near, but he wants to tell his story.]


It was a real surprise. I had low expectations after all the talk in the media about messing around with the script and problems during the shoot. It's easy to think of Waterworld when such things come up. Also, I might not have been Brad Pitt's biggest fan, if I may say so.


What did you know about it before you saw it?


I was fairly uninitiated. Of course, I had seen the poster and snippets from the trailer, but I knew nothing about the book or the background to the film. And I certainly did not know as much about them as some others with our hobby did.


How was the experience?


It started with a very nice dinner with my good friend Jojjenito. Once inside the movie theater we found our seats and mine was gilded with a wonderful creature to the left. Nice company both to the right and to the left, I was happy to say.


How did it start?


Director Marc Foster had a disease. He liked cutting. Cut, cut, cut. Often it would result in a fragmented movie. A good example of that is the Bond movie Quantum of Solace. But in this case it worked out great. The long opening scene was impressively good. Much because of the fast cuts. We did not really see the monsters in the beginning. We did not really understand what we saw. We didn't get it. An effective technique. As we all know, a monster we can't see is more scary. As the virus is.


It started out good then, but after a while it turned bad?


No, not really. But it seemed to go in that direction for a while in the beginning there. Gerry's daughter began to cough and have shortness of breath and I was immediately suspicious. I involuntarily thought of the illness another movie had. War of the Worlds had that disease. It was destroyed by the two children's constant screaming and obnoxious behavior. But even though everything was set for a repeat of the illness, the film took a different turn and soon we lost the wife and daughters and the film got going.


How so?


The scene in South Korea proved to be just the start of a number of succeeding magnificent scenes. Non stop action. Also, it was there in Korea that we lost the smart but clumsy guy from Harvard. At least he did manage to tell us a little snippet of wisdom about Mother Earth that helped Gerry to crack the nut in the end.


Did it all start in Korea?


No, I don't think so. Already the opening scenes from Philly were very good. I'm thinking especially of the first zombie transformation to the sound of the toy that counted to 12, the scene in the store and the claustrophobic scenes in the apartment building.


What happened after Korea?


It was then that the peak of the film came. The Jerusalem scene was one of the coolest I've seen in 2D in a long time.


2D?

    [Mr Hank jumps out of the armchair with a sparkle in his eyes.]


YES! We naturally chose 2D when we had a choice.


Why was Jerusalem cool?


The pace. The film flies forward. Gerry barely had time to land before it takes off again. After a short time with his Mossad contact all hell burst loose and then it was rock'n'roll. The scenes from the wall and the short but uneven battle for Jerusalem were superb. The scene with the helicopter crash got me even more worked up, and the last glimpses of the Israeli attack helicopters firing rockets towards Jerusalem gave me chills.


And then the movie died?


No! The airliner scene was also great. I especially liked when Gerry washed the wounds of his friend and also the hand grenade. Don't forget the hand  grenade. I was tense as a stick. The movie was exciting and engaging. She next to me huddled up in her seat purring like a cat.


But then the movie died? The classic pathetic end waited ...


Right, the pathetic ends that are so common in blockbusters. How many times have I cursed them? It seems to be more difficult to finish a movie than to get it going. But no, not this time, NOT this time! Instead, the movie went from the grand scale and bombastic action to an ending that was more like 28 days later. "Smaller scenes", characters that we actually got to know, more personality and dialogue. The last section was also played out in a closed location. The scenes were almost as claustrophobic as those in the film's beginning. It must have been one of the most brilliant things the filmmakers did, the change of focus and feeling for the scene in Cardiff.


Is there anything else on your mind?


A tiny little scene. When Gerry flew from Korea to Israel we saw a nuclear bomb being detonated down there, on the ground. They might have been flying over India. It gave me chills down my spine when I realized how people's last resort was to use the atomic bomb. A small but important detail.


Have you read the book?


No, up until a few days ago, I did not even know that the movie was based on a book. But I started reading it yesterday.


Conclusion?


4/5,  can't wait to see it again ...




[For other oral testimonies take a look in the archives: Jojjenito, Sofia, Filmitch, Jessica, Fiffi

15 kommentarer:

  1. Are you considering switching to blogging in English or is it just this post?

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. No, no, I'm not, but it seemed to be suitable for this one... You should read the book. I have a feeling it is a really great book, and I have only read the first two chapters so far! It goes in my backpack for the trip, that's for sure.

      Radera
    2. Yeah, I'm definitely going to do that. I've heard so much praise about it, and I'm currently in a zombie frenzie thanks to my running app.

      Radera
    3. Run to the store and buy it! You can kill two birds with one stone! :-D

      Radera
  2. Då du inte tänker byta kör jag på svenska då min skrift på engelska är värre än den på svenska ;)
    Både Jerusalem, Philadephia och Cardiff var bra upplagda även om de två förstnämnda led av QoS-syndrom men jag är allergisk mot dessa klipp-och-snurra-runt-med-kameran-excesser.
    Filmen har sina stunder men jag kände att den var för anpassad för en blockbusterpublik tex avsaknaden av blod och lite annat smått o gott. Må så vara att jag läst boken först, något som kan vara förödande för en film men den kändes lite blodfattig ;)

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. Håller med om att hans klippteknik har mycket övrigt att önska. Precis i början funkade det för att det adderade till kaoskänslan som huvudkaraktärerna upplevde. Men senare i filmen hade det varit bättre om klippningen i vissa scener varit lugnare.

      Jag har ju INTE läst boken, men jag började på den igår. Jag misstänker att jag efter jag läst ut den kommer ha både en och två åsikter om filmen, i perspektivet om filmen som bokadaption.

      När det väl blev en storfilm med Brad Pitt kändes det givet att det inte skulle bli en blodig skräckis. Så jag blev inte besviken över just det, men som sagt ovan, jag hade inte läste förlagan när jag såg filmen...

      Radera
  3. Jag har också lagt undan Max Brooks böcker här hemma för genomläsning. Kul att den gick hem så starkt! Familjen och särskilt döttrarna är lite irriterande, men inhalatorimplikationerna hölls ändå på en hyfsad nivå. Sedan tycker jag att det funkade riktigt bra att gå från det intima familjeperspketivet till det globala tillbaka till det mer intima i Cardiff.

    Tvingades tyvärr till 3D. Det störde inte, men tillförde heller inget. Vi behövde i alla fall inte betala för glasögon vilka dock var av en märkligt tung typ som gjorde ont på näsan när man hade vanliga glasögon också. Retligt...

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. Dessa förbannade 3D-visningar. Näsont och säkert ett frejdigt pris på biljetten?

      De skötte familjekomplikationerna bra! Det verkar som att många noterat det. Bort med den Spielbergska fokusen på familjen i en film som denna säger jag...

      Jag har just börjat läsa boken och ser fram emot några dagar med den i hettan. Fast i skuggan, jag SKA vara försiktig :-). Hoppas du kommer till att läsa den också...

      Radera
    2. På filmbolagsvisningen fick vi batteridrivna jättetunga 3D-glasögon, undrar om det var såna du hade Sofia? Interaktiv 3D eller vad det nu hette, antar att det krävs till visningar på salonger som normalt sett inte klarar av 3D. Men irriterande prylar var det, jätteotympligt för näsan. Jag hade gärna valt att se filmen i 2D om jag hade kunnat. Precis som vanligt alltså ;)

      Henke, kul att du tyckte så mycket om filmen att du valde att skriva om den på engelska till och med. Kan vi se fram emot ett inlägg på franska/tyska/spanska/mandarin när du ser årets första fullpoängare? ;)

      Radera
    3. Det ska till något väldigt speciellt för att 3D ska vara värt besväret.

      Självklart! Fast årets första fullpoängare har jag redan skrivit ju. På svenska!
      Spring breakers

      Radera
    4. Det har du ju rätt i, jag tänkte mer att du startat en språklig trend på bloggen, att det var med WWZ allt började. Förhoppningsvis kommer det blev fullpoängare i år ;)

      Radera
  4. Kul upplägg på recension och nu vet jag ju varför också. Ja, jag håller ju med om det mesta.

    Lite kul att det är blod i postern i din sista bild. Så mycket blod fick vi inte se på hela filmen. :)

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. Ja, vad gör man inte för att roa sina läsare...? ;-)

      Fick man se blod över huvud taget? Jo, Brad Pitt hade lite i ansiktet vid något tillfälle och det droppade ur honom efter flygkraschen. Men man fick lite valuta för pengarna om man gick på filmen för att få se blodet.

      Radera
  5. Helt ok manus, regi och skådespeleri, men...zombiefilm och PG-13 blir liksom lite som McDonald's; gott men lite slätstruket.
    /Bengt

    SvaraRadera
    Svar
    1. Därom har du helt rätt. Om den varit snäppet hårdare och därmed barnförbjuden hade den nog kunnat bli ännu bättre. Boken är också mycket intressant, den kan jag rekommendera.

      Radera