[IGH] at the Movies: World War Z

The other night, Wilderowens and I attended a screening of World War Z. I wasn't in the best of moods, thanks to bad weather and some disorganization with the people running the event, so my already low expectations, were running even lower when the movie started, but I love when a movie surprises me.

The first thing I noticed was how much better the 3D was on this compared to Man of Steel. Without any fancy tricks, there was a lot of depth to the film. Five minutes in and I was already thinking, "This is how you do 3D." Was it necessary? No. But unlike Man of Steel, where the 3D did absolutely nothing to enhance the film, WWZ used it well. There were many beautiful and interesting shots that were enhanced by the 3D.

I loved the international feel of the movie. Brad Pitt's character, Gerry, goes all over the globe, and I thought it really opened up the story. So many zombie movies stay in such a small area that it becomes easy to forget that there are attacks all over. WWZ made sure you understood that this was a worldwide situation. *SIDE NOTE - It was so nice to see New York not get destroyed for once. You get a brief glimpse, but none of the real action happens in New York and I was so happy about that. I know NY is iconic, but it gets really tiresome to see the places you walk by get destroyed on a regular basis. * 

Daniella Kertesz & Brad Pitt

This is really Brad Pitt's movie. There are several supporting characters, but because Brad Pitt was constantly on the move, they didn’t get to stick around long enough. I enjoyed his interactions with his family. When he's talking to his kids, you could see that he's only partially acting because his paternal nature was just naturally coming out. This wasn't the type of role I had expected from him. I thought he'd be playing more of an action hero, but he didn't. Gerry was a guy who had been in action and could handle himself, but he's no Stallone or Schwarzenegger. He's not looking for a fight; he's looking for answers. If anything, Daniella Kertesz' Segen was much more of a badass than he was. She's a relative newcomer, having done some work in Israel, but I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of her. Of all the other actors in the movie, she was the standout. 

The real reason why WWZ surprised me is because I didn't expect it to be as tense as it was. The writing team, which consisted of Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof, and J. Michael Stracznski, and director Marc Forster, understood that what's scary is not necessarily lots of blood and guts flying around while the zombies eat, though that is pretty scary. What really messes with the mind are the quiet moments. Those moments where the audience knows something is about to happen, but the characters don't, so everyone is holding their breath, waiting for them to find out. It's also

not always showing everything and letting our imaginations run wild. That's what WWZ did. It created suspense. I'm not ashamed to admit there were a few moments where I had to cover my eyes because I couldn't handle the buildup. In a way, WWZ reminded me of the old horror movies for the 1930's and 40's - some cheesy effects, (the climbing zombies looked weird, and the other zombies didn't look great until the end, when they had more close ups) but delivers on suspense and thrills. 

I haven't read the book yet, so I can't tell you how it compares, but the way I see it, any movie that causes me to reevaluate my zombie apocalypse survival plan is a good one. Give it try. 

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Megamind in IMAX 3D

This past Thursday, @Wilderowens and I were able to attend an advanced press screening, courtesy of 43KIXNYC, of DreamWorks Animation's Megamind in IMAX 3D. We were both very excited because we had heard good things about it, it was an advanced screening (always a treat), and perhaps, most importantly, free.

We got to the movie theater with plenty of time to spare, picked up our tickets, and headed to the top to claim our seats. We bonded with a very nice woman, in the bathroom, over the stall doors having large holes in them (ick!), headed into the theater, snagged a couple of very good seats and watched as people came pouring in with their kids, who were lucky enough to get a Megamind prize pack.

Around showtime, a gentleman from IMAX comes out and announces the 3D projector broke (this is a rarity), so while we were waiting for them to get the movie set up in 2D, we were more than welcomed to go to the concessions and get FREE MOVIE SNACKS!!! Naturally, we took advantage of this. About ten minutes later, everything was ready to go, and the movie began.

@Wysefyre's Review

Megamind is a movie the kids will love. It's visually stunning. The animation is amazing. The cast is great. Will Ferrell does a bang up job of bringing Megamind to life. Brad Pitt was perfect as Metro Man. Tina Fey was good but I don't feel like she was able to really flex her acting chops. It's not her fault. It's just how her character was written. The one who surprised me was Jonah Hill. I'm not a big fan of his. Occasionally, he's funny but he reminds me of a one-trick pony, yet in his role of Titan, I liked him. Titan is an obnoxious character and Jonah was spot on, but he also managed to add a little depth to the character. I could hear the pain Titan felt when he was rejected multiple times in the movie.

It's not a very deep story. It has a good message that I think kids will understand, and there's just enough maturity in the writing so adults won't want to gouge their eyes balls out while watching it. There are even some fun pop culture references in it, but hands down, my favorite part of the movie was the soundtrack, particularly at the end. We're talking quality classic rock, the kind that makes you want to start rocking out. Overall, it's a solid movie. I enjoyed it and will probably see it again, once it comes out on DVD.... unless someone wants to give me another pass to see it in 3D, then I'll meet you at the theater.

@Wilderowens' Review

Megamind is made for the kids but not for the adults. I actually got bored during the middle of the movie. I did feel that the movie tried to add in something for the parents but they fell short in keeping it interested for all ages. The jokes were good for the kids but not great for the adults. I did enjoy the beginning sequence of how Megamind grew up, but I grew disconnected with the story. I feel that they got so close with the story but fell short of reaching Shrek-like greatness. (For some reason, I was totally comparing this to the first Shrek, the first animated movie I have really liked since my childhood.) Perhaps I demand too much of a children's movie though.

However, this was visually stunning. That alone made the experience enjoyable. The way that animation has grown over the years is astounding. When Tina Fey's character is on top of a building and her hair is blowing in the wind, it looked like real hair. I mean, actually filmed on camera from a living person hair. The details in the animation made it so amazing. Megamind had some depth in his eyes, they weren't just cartoon eyes. Metro Man's beard had so many colors and textures that I truly commend the animators for creating some of the best and realistic animation I have ever seen.

Overall, I might watch it on a rainy Sunday when I can't reach the remote. I would totally recommend this for any child between the ages of 5 - 13 because they will love it.