You may remember from one of my videocasts that I reported 'Quantum of Solace' Director, Marc Foster, was adapting Max Brooks' book 'World War Z' to the big screen. When I learnt what the book was about I had to read it. So, if you're waiting until next year to see the film, I have to warn you, this review contains spoilers.
The book's full title is 'World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War', which pretty much sums up the contents. Ten years after humanity declares victory over the Zombie horde, Max Brooks tries to set down a detailed account of the war from the very first outbreak, through the infestation to the final mass slaughters of the walking undead.
The story starts in a small rice village in China, where a Doctor is called to investigate a potential Rabies outbreak. A young boy has returned from a fishing trip and proceeded to bite the other villagers. Now infected, the villagers succumb and die. Then immediately get back up again and bite someone else.
The zombie disease has begun and it spreads like wildfire. Villages, cities and continents are caught off guard as it escalates out of control. America is overrun, Japan is evacuated, Isreal seals its borders and quarantines itself from the world.
In no time at all the Zombies have the upperhand; An unstoppable army that never sleeps, or tires and replenishes its number every time it bites an enemy. Only a headshot can kill it and it will not stop even if it has to crawl towards you with severed legs.
In one great scene, the might of the US war machine is overrun in Manhattan, while it throws every conceivable High Tech projectile at the oncoming Zombie swarm.
Broken up into individual stories from interviews with survivors, the story gives brief and personal accounts of every step of the war. Masses of displaced refugees trying to survive at sea, on remote islands and even on the International Space Station. When your enemy can walk along the sea bed and rise on the beach at any time, is there really anywhere to hide?
Some people try to capitalize on the catastrophe, such as the Pharmaceutical company that manufactures a supposed cure. The Hollywood director who rejuvenates his career by producing propaganda films.
Soon, there are few human strongholds left and are under constant siege by the deceased marauders.
Once the military and scientists understand the enemy though, the tide turns. Rag tag bunches of civilians and soldiers, armed with new weapons, take the war to the invaders.
It's non stop action from beginning to end, but has one itching flaw. It was, no doubt, a clever idea to show so many perspectives, but it switches too regularly between Points of View that you sometimes forget whose account your reading. You have to skip back to the chapter heading to find out which country you're reading about. It also doesn't give the reader the time to associate with any of the characters as they're all given short shrift.
You're not going to find such an in-depth analysis on current sociology than this. It may be dressed up as a horror story, but like the other Zombie master George Romero, Brooks inflects his story with deeper themes. It's a haunting reminder of how much our society relies on technology and how fast we would descend into anarchy without it.
If Marc Foster can relay the underlying message of the book properly, then World War Z should be one hell of a movie.
Verdict 7/10
An infectious read with a scatter brain structure.
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