Apocalypse Nowadays
As we all know, I am Greensboro's self-proclaimed King of the Undead. In addition to having a zombie related tshirt for literally every day of the week, I run an annual zombie walk called the Belligerent Risen Against the Inhuman Nullification of Zombies (or BRAINZ for short). I also collect zombie books, movies, comics, art, figures, etc etc etc. I know my stuff when it comes to the reanimated, cannibalistic corpses of your dearly beloved. And I've got a few gripes about something I have just witnessed.
I just watched the trailer for the movie adaptation of Max Brooks' novel World War Z.
I read this book not two months ago and loved every page of it! The way Brooks took the Romero idea of the slow, methodical, creeping zombie hoards and applied it to a global catastrophe showed depth and insight and research that just blew my mind! This is what was probably happening around the world when the group of survivors was trapped in the farmhouse during Night of the Living Dead. This is probably what is happening right now in the Walking Dead! (Which is the most amazing thing in the world, btw. But we'll talk about that in a minute) Brooks is so descriptive when it comes to how different countries and different governments and societies would react to such a horrifying event. He creates a fully fleshed out environment and background for each character and situation that the world is a completely believable place!
I also love the organization of the book. For those of you who haven't read it, it is written from the perspective of a freelance journalist, ten years after the Zombie War has ended, who has traveled the globe interviewing key figures from the war. Everyone from heads of state to soldiers, to scientists, to priests who had anything to do with the way the war progressed. Each interview is its own self-contained vignette that fits into the much bigger picture. Some of the interviewees reference different parts of the story but the only consistent character is the journalist and his part is only to ask questions here and there. It is a brilliant and not often done way of telling a story like this that is supposed to be seen as a "real" event.
One of the things I like the most, however, is the fact that Brooks did stick to the classic shambling zombie motif. There are no sprinters, to mutants, no "specials". Just the dead getting up from the ground and looming after you until you are overwhelmed. It is a much creepier idea than having one guy running after you and catching you. It's just more ominous!
As I was reading this book, I was imagining in my head how this could be made into such a thrilling and fantastic movie! If you stuck to the segmented idea of different people's stories, interconnected them with plot points, small details, and perhaps a couple recurring characters, this could be a compelling and terrifying film! I had heard rumors a long time ago about Hollywood being in talks with Brooks to make a movie but didn't think they had come to fruition. I was wrong.
For those of you who wish, here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwTxRuq-uk&feature=share
Just look at those zombies! Wait... I didn't see any... *watches it again* Nope. Still didn't see any zombies. I understand building suspense so I could understand if they wanted to play the creepy, unseen horror card for the trailer but they DID show them. They were that huge, fast moving, flesh-wave that rolled the bus and cascaded down the stairs and CLIMBED THE FREAKING WALL LIKE A SWARM OF ANTS! That NEVER happened in the book! Those, my friends, are not the zombies of Max Brooks' work of art. Those aren't even Danny Boyle 28 Days Later rage victims. They are overpowered, mutated somethings that really have nothing to do with zombies. The funny thing is, right before I watched this, I was reading an article by the great Simon Pegg in which he discussed this very tragedy occurring in a different piece of newer zombie phantasmagoria. Shown here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/04/television-simon-pegg-dead-set
My verdict, solely based on this trailer, this movie is gonna be crap. The CGI wasn't even impressive. And Brad Pitt? Come on. When was the last time he was any kind of relevant? It looks like they have tried to take one person's story out of the entire WORLD war and show us just that. You know, for cohesiveness. I can only assume they've done this because they fear that splitting it up and showing us events from around the globe would be too much for our puny human brains and we would not be able to get it. We need a dumbed down and simplified story arch in order for us to understand what is going on.
All this being said, I will most likely still go see this travesty in theaters when it comes out next June just to say that I've seen it. Also, so I can give it a real review afterwards. So anyone who wants to come sit through a Brad Pitt flick with me is more than welcome to do so. You know, for moral support.
I just watched the trailer for the movie adaptation of Max Brooks' novel World War Z.
I read this book not two months ago and loved every page of it! The way Brooks took the Romero idea of the slow, methodical, creeping zombie hoards and applied it to a global catastrophe showed depth and insight and research that just blew my mind! This is what was probably happening around the world when the group of survivors was trapped in the farmhouse during Night of the Living Dead. This is probably what is happening right now in the Walking Dead! (Which is the most amazing thing in the world, btw. But we'll talk about that in a minute) Brooks is so descriptive when it comes to how different countries and different governments and societies would react to such a horrifying event. He creates a fully fleshed out environment and background for each character and situation that the world is a completely believable place!
I also love the organization of the book. For those of you who haven't read it, it is written from the perspective of a freelance journalist, ten years after the Zombie War has ended, who has traveled the globe interviewing key figures from the war. Everyone from heads of state to soldiers, to scientists, to priests who had anything to do with the way the war progressed. Each interview is its own self-contained vignette that fits into the much bigger picture. Some of the interviewees reference different parts of the story but the only consistent character is the journalist and his part is only to ask questions here and there. It is a brilliant and not often done way of telling a story like this that is supposed to be seen as a "real" event.
One of the things I like the most, however, is the fact that Brooks did stick to the classic shambling zombie motif. There are no sprinters, to mutants, no "specials". Just the dead getting up from the ground and looming after you until you are overwhelmed. It is a much creepier idea than having one guy running after you and catching you. It's just more ominous!
As I was reading this book, I was imagining in my head how this could be made into such a thrilling and fantastic movie! If you stuck to the segmented idea of different people's stories, interconnected them with plot points, small details, and perhaps a couple recurring characters, this could be a compelling and terrifying film! I had heard rumors a long time ago about Hollywood being in talks with Brooks to make a movie but didn't think they had come to fruition. I was wrong.
For those of you who wish, here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwTxRuq-uk&feature=share
Just look at those zombies! Wait... I didn't see any... *watches it again* Nope. Still didn't see any zombies. I understand building suspense so I could understand if they wanted to play the creepy, unseen horror card for the trailer but they DID show them. They were that huge, fast moving, flesh-wave that rolled the bus and cascaded down the stairs and CLIMBED THE FREAKING WALL LIKE A SWARM OF ANTS! That NEVER happened in the book! Those, my friends, are not the zombies of Max Brooks' work of art. Those aren't even Danny Boyle 28 Days Later rage victims. They are overpowered, mutated somethings that really have nothing to do with zombies. The funny thing is, right before I watched this, I was reading an article by the great Simon Pegg in which he discussed this very tragedy occurring in a different piece of newer zombie phantasmagoria. Shown here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/04/television-simon-pegg-dead-set
My verdict, solely based on this trailer, this movie is gonna be crap. The CGI wasn't even impressive. And Brad Pitt? Come on. When was the last time he was any kind of relevant? It looks like they have tried to take one person's story out of the entire WORLD war and show us just that. You know, for cohesiveness. I can only assume they've done this because they fear that splitting it up and showing us events from around the globe would be too much for our puny human brains and we would not be able to get it. We need a dumbed down and simplified story arch in order for us to understand what is going on.
All this being said, I will most likely still go see this travesty in theaters when it comes out next June just to say that I've seen it. Also, so I can give it a real review afterwards. So anyone who wants to come sit through a Brad Pitt flick with me is more than welcome to do so. You know, for moral support.
Just a couple thoughts. My main defense of (what seems to be) their approach, is that I don't think the book would translate directly to screen very well. It'd be different if it was a tv show or maybe a multi-movie deal, but inside of 2-3 hours, even after they cut out A LOT of the stories, the best I could imagine would be very choppy and still lose a lot of the ominous feelings and such. Honestly, I can't see any way to make a movie that would completely satisfy a fan of the book.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, I do think the movie doesn't look very good at this point. I think if they had brought in some really great writers it would probably be better, but it would still be more or less fan fic since they can't reasonably stick that closely to the book.
It does suck that they seem to be making them all crazy running zombies, but it looks like a summer blockbuster they're making to make lots of money which I can't really fault them for. I think that "HOLY SHIT THOSE ZOMBIES ARE CLIMBING A FUCKING WALL!!!1!!1!!" puts a lot more butts in seats than "Dude, that trailer was reeeeeeally spooky."
I loved the book, and it doesn't look like the movie will be a good representation, but it could still be enjoyable. At least it will get more people reading the book (even if they're confused by the contrast in quality).