'World War Z' movie definitely differs from the book

I hope everyone had a great weekend at the movies. I haven't seen our cineplex that crowded in years. The parking lot was totally full in the middle of a gorgeous, sunny Sunday afternoon. It seems that we weren't alone in skipping outdoor activities in favor of a nice, air conditioned, dark theater. Despite my love of being on the water in the summer, I have accepted that I need my almost weekly movie fix just as much.

I'm going to give you a snap review of the film we just saw: World War Z, and I hope I do it justice. Let me say at the outset that I did not hate it as much as oh, say, The Host, but I sure didn't like it nearly as much as Max Brooks' book. I'd expressed concern that the differences might result in a bad film, and in some respects, that's exactly what happened. I managed to get through the World War Z movie without cursing at the screen out loud with one simple coping mechanism.

The trick for me, and this might not work for everyone, was to simply forget every single thing I knew about the World War Z book and just start fresh. If you can't do that, you might have some serious issues with director Marc Forster's big screen adaptation. This film does not wrestle with nearly as many political and social issues as Brooks' 2006 book. And it is most certainly *not* told in the style of the novel, with U.N. worker Gerry Lane interviewing survivors of the zombie war. In the book, Lane is just a guy trying to make sense of everything that happened, and how the zombie apocalypse affected humanity as a whole.  In the movie, Brad Pitt stars as Gerry Lane, a former U.N. investigator who winds up as a hero. He's not just the narrator in the World War Z film, he's the guy who essentially saves the world (at least for the time being).  

So there you go. That's a huge difference, right? One of the biggest reasons I liked the World War Z book was the whole issue of how each country dealt with what was happening. I know it's total fiction, but part of me wondered if the breakdown isn't exactly what would happen IF some sort of pandemic like this began spreading. It's a horrifying thing to consider, but that's what made World War Z such a great horror read.

I'm not sure what the heck Marc Forster was thinking. Did he just hate the book that much? I mean, a few of the changes I understand. I had grave misgivings about any attempt to make the film because of the way the book is written - but why not just make a movie that chronicles some of the frightening experiences of each individual?

World War Z, to me, isn't even really a film adaptation of a book. It's a total retelling, period. Now, is the retelling good? Do you need to rush to the theater as fast as a World War Z movie zombie to see it? I say no, but if you wind up loving the film, don't fuss at me too much. Visually, I thought World War Z had great moments (the opening scene, when the zombies invade Philadelphia, was pretty cool). As for the HUGE debate about the fast-moving CGI zombies, well, I personally thought the effects looked great. That didn't make up for the problems I had with the movie, but it helped me pass the time.

The debates are raging now about the differences between the World War Z movie and the book, and with very good reason. If you are cool with spoilers, I'd highly recommend checking out this piece, which lays out seven of the biggest differences. You'll see quickly what I mean.

For me, I was disappointed with the World War Z movie for several reasons: The story seemed utterly ridiculous at points. Even the mighty Brad Pitt doesn't get that many lucky breaks. The overall narrative seemed very disjointed, and yes, the ending (that ending!) was so abrupt I felt like I was being pushed out of the theater.

I saw World War Z with someone who hadn't read the book, and he remarked that it was just "way too confusing." He also said he wanted more about the way the countries were handling the pandemic, and he wanted to learn a little bit more about the zombies themselves. He didn't find them at all scary or frightening, and he wasn't alone: I heard several chuckles each time one of the chomping zombies was on screen.

It took me all of 12 seconds (the exact amount of time between a human being bitten and becoming a lighting-quick, CGI zombie-thing in the film) to get a copy of Max Brooks' excellent book in my friend's hands. I expect a huge "thank you" will be forthcoming. I also recommended that he watch Contagion if he'd like a movie that actually explains the science behind a pandemic (a zombie-free pandemic, but still). If he wants true horror? I'd recommend Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, which seriously scared me to death.

Did anyone else see World War Z this past weekend? What did you think?

Photos courtesy of CNN.com and Hollywood.com