Zombies & Domes

The Sunday Salon.com
I seem to average one action blockbuster movie per summer. For some reason if I see a good one, it fills the void for awhile. But would it be: “Iron Man 3,” “Man of Steel,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness” or “Pacific Rim”? No, ultimately it was none of them. Instead I was lured to Brad Pitt and the zombies last Friday night in the apocalyptic movie “World War Z,” and luckily it did the trick, filling my fix of action packed adrenaline for awhile with some whopping special effects.

Of course it has hardly anything to do with the book by Max Brooks, or so says my husb who read it and told me not to bother since he didn’t think it was very good. In the book, they interview survivors after a long war with zombies, while the movie captures a zombie pandemic in full swing and the worldwide pandemonium that ensues.

Some readers are displeased it didn’t follow the book, others are happy the movie went its own way. I think it does a pretty good job for a summer action flick. It has suspense, it has scary zombies, it has Brad Pitt as a U.N. worker trying to save the day before the whole world becomes infected. It held my attention like a decent zombie movie should do.

But I probably had set a pretty low bar for “World War Z” going in because of all the problems I heard the filmmakers had in production. The film was way over budget, it had to be delayed and re-shot, and rewritten. Gosh it sounded like it nearly imploded judging from the June article in Vanity Fair. I think it was pulled back from the brink. Despite all that, the movie’s done well and is better than most expected. It’s pulled in $170 million in 3 weeks and likely will re-coop its budget. It’s been quite a surprise after all.

But then I had faith since I like zombie stuff in general, and Brad, too, for that matter. I’ve seen three seasons of “The Walking Dead” (oh Andrea, what happened?!) and I’ll watch the apocalyptic zombie movie “I am Legend” whenever it’s replayed on TV, which it is quite often. I think “I am Legend” is scarier and better than “World War Z,” though “Z” is more of a 3D extravaganza. In both films, the zombies can run fast! Whereas in “The Walking Dead” and the original “The Night of the Living Dead” the zombies are dawdlers in comparison. The new zombies just won’t stand still to have their heads bashed in. They’re getting smarter and they’re hungrier, too. Hiding out behind locked metal doors is your best bet, or finding that darn cure pretty lickety-split.

Like most summer features “World War Z” didn’t stay with me long. Its action and suspense are good, but I mostly forgot about it not long after I left the theater. The zombie outbreak only took me so far without too much depth. And Brad’s hair was ready for a shampoo and change by the end.

Meanwhile I’ve watched a few episodes of the new TV series “Under the Dome” based on the 1,088 page sci-fi novel by Stephen King about a small town that finds itself cut off from the world by a mysterious barrier that suddenly surrounds it. I think my husb thinks the show’s pretty weak so far, and is like a soap opera. The characters are a bit stereotypical I admit, but I’m willing to keep with it for awhile at least. It’s pretty entertaining in a mindless TV kind of way. But it probably doesn’t hold a candle to the book, or does it? I guess I’ll have to plow through King’s Dome sometime to find out.

Until then, what do you think? Have you liked any action flicks this summer? Or what do you think of “Under the Dome”?

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9 Responses to Zombies & Domes

  1. Bryan G. Robinson says:

    I’m sort of “into” zombies too, but don’t know if I’m in any rush to see World War Z. I’ll probably end up seeing it on DVD. I read the book, but unlike your husband, I hated it. I’m glad that the movie is nothing like it.

    I did see Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness. Both were good, but I didn’t think they were great. I haven’t watched Under The Dome, but from what I’ve read online, among friends of mine who have read the book, it’s nothing like the book and that’s not a good thing. I’ll probably skip it, I’m thinking, but you’ll have to let us know what you think once you’re done watching it.

    • SGW says:

      Thanks Bryan, good info. Yeah you wont miss much by seeing it on DVD, just 3D craziness. I’ll probably see the others on DVD. I’ll see how long I hang with the Dome.

  2. Laurel-Rain Snow says:

    I’m really not into zombies, but I might see this one on DVD…because of the Brad Pitt factor…lol.

    Here’s MY SUNDAY UPDATES/MAILBOX MONDAY POST

  3. bermudaonion (kathy) says:

    I generally avoid action flicks so I haven’t seen any this summer.

  4. Ti says:

    I saw Iron Man 3 and loved it because I love RDJ, but now that everyone has been raving about Pacific Rim, I want to see it!

    I have been watching Dome and I don’t like it nearly as much as the book. I expected that but I didn’t expect The Hub to like the series so much. He didn’t read the book but he is really enjoying the show. I will watch it for as long as it’s entertaining.

    • SGW says:

      Yeah I’ll need to see Iron Man 3 on pay per view. The writing on the show The Dome seems pretty weak … but we are still watching it . thanks Ti.

  5. Brooke Lee says:

    World War Z definitely holds its own against the other summer blockbusters. I’d say that you should really go see Pacific Rim because I think that’s summer cheesy goodness at its finest. People clapped and hooted and hollered throughout the whole thing – left grinning.

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