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Summer is a time for large budget movies and larger than life characters. As we escape the heat we look for our movie escapism to entertain first, ponder the fate of humanity later. In that spirit I took to two of the big budget films last week - Man of Steel and World War Z. As a disclaimer, I am the average movie goer. Not a comic book fan nor well versed on Superman lore. At the same time I take pride in the fact that I live in a zombie and vampire free zone, especially given the recent rash of TV shows dedicated to the undead. All things being equal - Zombies win the June blockbuster battle and it wasn't even close.
World War Z
Premise: Zombie apocalypse descends on Brad Pitt and his family during morning rush hour. What ensues is a quest to understand where the origin of this onslaught is in the hopes of finding a way to stop them and their destruction of the human race.
Why it works: The secret to World War Z is that it is a suspense thriller disguised as a blockbuster monster film. Broken into three distinct acts the movie has a relentless opening pace as Brad Pitt's Retired UN investigator Gerry Lane his wife and children get caught as the zombie 'flu' takes hold of Philadelphia. The second act follows Lane as he searches for patient zero, a journey that takes him to South Korea and Jerusalem depicting two vastly different approaches to staving off the zombie onslaught. This second act also provides the movies underlying core premise.
The film is lightening paced and frantically shot in the hands of a director who takes very few pauses before hitting the accelerator full throttle. What I appreciate about World War Z is when we do take those pauses they are well utilized to expand and explain the plot unfolding as well as offering philosophical implications of why this outbreak has seized hold worldwide -“Most people don’t believe something can happen until it already has. That’s not stupidity or weakness, that’s just human nature.” observes a key character when questioning the rapid takeover the zombies have achieved. These moments in the script are smart, pragmatic and written with a sense of urgency. The movie is removed from recent blood/gorefests like 28 Days Later. On the contrary it relies heavily on quiet anticipation of what the next scene holds for the viewer offering more than a fair share of jump from your seat moments. The last third of the film actually slows the pace down to a dull pulse while ramping up the suspense to the point of the film feeling claustrophobic, in a good way.
Not everything works, there are a few frustrating lapses of common sense at key moments in Lane's journey. Overall they are minor quibbles in what stands as terrific two hour roller coaster ride. Pitt's action anti-hero works across the board and he provides a deft hand in drawing sincere emotion at key points along the way. You need not be a fan of the undead to take on World War Z, thrill seekers will find this blockbuster a satisfying combination of large scale summer action with a healthy serving of philosophical consideration of how we look at pandemic outbreaks that threaten society as a whole.
Man of Steel
Premise: Superman's origin story gets a modern technology update with a heavy emphasis on Krypton and big departure from comic hero lore.
Why it Misses: From practically the first frame of the film Man of Steel is fighting against itself. By the end of the 2 1/2 hours I came to the conclusion that this is a tale of two movies edited into one that never quite works. Superman's earth story is told in flashback (with surprisingly strong performances by both Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). Those flashbacks are laid over a narration by the hologram formally know as Jor El (a weirdly cast Russell Crowe) providing the viewer with a broader understanding of Krypton and why their planet was destroyed. Somewhere in this exposition is a story about isolation, humanity and where heroism is born. Unfortunately that story is muddled by an action movie that is more keen on showing us what special effects can do in 2013 to the point we are numb from sensory overload by the close of the first hour. Given the fact that two extended fight sequences are still to come makes this movie a laborious exercise of patience without payoff. The absurd over the top performance of Michael Shannon as General Zod is less menacing than it is irritating which causes a major problem in the final battle sequence because the character is so banal I no longer cared what came next or what it was setting up for future sequels. Man of Steel also plays into one of my leading movie pet peeves, the stereotypical neanderthal military who ride against our hero shooting first and asking questions later. It's lazy, pedestrian and cheap.
However the capital offense that Man of Steel is guilty of is the crime of a movie taking itself too seriously. What makes most superhero movies accessible and fun is the film's ability to be self effacing and witty (see Iron Man). Even Christopher Reeve's earnest portrayal of Superman possessed a sense of being 'in on the joke'. Here the movie is devoid of that much needed relief and self awareness. As a result we are left with a film fighting to decide what it wants to be when it grows up and having absolutely no fun doing it.
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