World War Z - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Paramount Scares Vol. 2 Edition)

I’m a huge fan of Zombie movies. Ever since one fateful evening when I saw Night of the Living Dead, NOLD 1990, Dawn of the Dead, and Return of the Living Dead all in the same night, I’ve been a rabid connoisseur of Living Dead cinema. I love how one independent film virtually changed Horror filmmaking overnight while also providing a forum for some deft socio-political commentary... when done right. I’m not a stuffed shirt traditionalist who insists the undead be lumbering rotting bags of flesh. I don’t mind if the undead have some speed in them or have a sense of humor. As long as the movie has an idea of what it’s doing, where it’s going, and why it’s doing it - then I’m good. 

That’s why I’m ultimately not much of a fan of Marc Forster’s adaptation of Max Brooks' novel World War Z. Outside of a series adaptation, the novel doesn’t easily lend itself to a linear storyline. It covers a lot of history and world events so trying to condense all of that into a straight A-to-B thread would have been difficult. Some plot aspects had to bend and so we end up with Brad Pitt playing Gerry, a former U.N. investigator with the uncanny power of noticing things, and his family trying to survive the onslaught of the undead as society crumbles around them. 

Truthfully, the first act of World War Z really cooks. It moves maybe a little too briskly giving us very little time to get to know Gerry and his family, but it works. Even the numbingly ridiculous scene where Gerry figures out how long it takes someone to turn into a zombie works because there’s some kind of dramatic payoff soon after. Even with the sanitized PG-13 carnage, the film has momentum and energy. Once Gerry gets his family to safety, it loses all urgency as he’s sent all over the world to find Patient Zero. Once his family is no longer in danger, the film loses thrust and becomes a dreadful slog with only some well-staged action sequences to keep you awake and invested. 

Fittingly enough, that part of the film is about when all of the late-in-production rewrites and reshoots hit. Between David Lindeloff and Drew Goddard’s last-minute rewriting and the production reshooting almost 40 minutes of the film, you can feel the creative team trying to bandaid a bigger mess into something commercially viable after sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into it. The bandage holds it together but just barely.

While I admit I’m dunking on World War Z pretty hard, it’s not a total loss. The film is actually fairly entertaining and when it works it’s intense and exciting. You can tell when the film works best because the scenes are dynamite examples of establishing the stakes, building suspense, and then paying off with some edge-of-your-seat thrills. The opening escape is a perfect example along with one of the most terrifying airplane crash sequences. So this film has some things going for it, but a lot of the middle material is sluggish and I genuinely hate the final twist resolve for the Zombie Apocalypse. When David Fincher was circling the sequel I briefly got excited at the prospect of a genuinely good take on this material, but alas, that film never materialized and likely never will.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

The super fast zombies of World War Z make their second run on 4K UHD with a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray as part of the Paramount Scares Vol. 2 four-film collection. The 4K delivers the PG-13 version and is pressed on a BD-66 disc. The included BD-50 offers the much better Unrated Cut and is a repress of the previous Blu-ray from ten years ago. The two discs rest in a standard black case with a custom box set exclusive slipcover. The 4K disc loads to a static image main menu with standard navigation options.

World War Z previously arrived on 4K thanks to Scream Factory, and like that release we only get the bland PG-13 version in 2160p with Dolby Vision HDR. I don’t have that disc to compare because I’m not a huge fan of this film (in case you didn’t read my review), and then I really only like the Unrated Cut. I was hopeful this direct release from Paramount would offer that version but that sadly is not the case.

As far as upgrades to 4K go, World War Z fairs pretty well. Considering the film was shot on a combination of 35mm and Digital (I don’t know if they conformed a new 4K DI or upscaled the 2K DI), the added resolution and HDR grade actually lends some visual heft to this feature. The previous Blu-ray had to deal with some clarity inconsistencies, there were quite a few soft shots, and it just didn’t fully pop to life. While some soft scenes remain - my guess is those were quick on-the-fly reshoots - there is certainly an appreciable improvement in detail clarity. Even some of the more ridiculous CGI Zombie shots appear to have some more weight to them letting them blend into the scene better without looking quite so weightless. Bitrate remains nice and high throughout.

The Dolby Vision grade works wonders here for a more nuanced handling of black levels, shadows, and color. The film is at its creepiest in low-light scenes and this HDR grade really helps those moments come to life. Blacks are nice deep inky with well-balanced light grading for shadows improving that sense of depth. Whites and spectral highlights can often look stunning. While the film offers a more muted olive drab tone, splashes of primaries are strong, well-saturated, with healthy skin tones to match for our living cast members. Perhaps not the greatest apples to oranges upgrade, but for a film of its era where 2K digital intermediates were the norm, the enhancements here are notable.

On the audio front Paramount sticks with the same DTS-HD MA 7.1 track from the Blu-ray days and that’s just fine. I imagine an Atmos or DTS:X rework might yield some improvements, but truthfully this track still kicks. The sound of that truck crashing through the cars during the opening mayhem is still an incredible sonic punch! And likewise, all of the best action scenes and big canvas mayhem sound terrific. Where I can be very critical of the plot, the film knew when to stage some genuine suspense scenes letting silence build the terror to a crescendo payoff. The Marco Beltrami score remains a moody and atmospheric piece. Imaging for the mix is pitch-perfect. I think the Zombie Ant Pile is probably one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen, but sonically speaking, it’s impressive work and this track delivers when and where it counts most.

The same slim set of extras also return which isn't all bad, but what's here also isn't the greatest material ever assembled. The four-part Production min-doc is the best piece here, but even then if feels like most of the material is spent rehashing the plot before they get into how they executed certain sequences. 

• Origins (HD 8:21)
• Looking to Science (HD 7:28)
• WWZ: Production (HD 36:18)
• Outbreak
• The Journey Begins
• Behind the Wall
• Camouflage

I guess I should clarify that I don’t explicitly hate World War Z, I just don’t care about it. I wasn’t impressed by it in theaters and only grained a little more appreciation of it via the slightly longer, bloodier, and ultimately better Unrated Cut. It’s still a mess of a movie and truthfully the details about the production and reshoots is more terrifying and entertaining than the final product. With that, I admit, I do occasionally revisit this film and don’t regret the time I give it, it just hasn’t gotten better in my estimation.

On 4k, the film picks up a welcome visual enhancement with Dolby Vision HDR, but I’m frustrated that it’s only the bloodless PG-13 Theatrical Cut and not the better Unrated Version and that aspect is impacting my overall score. But, if you like that version best, this 4K should be pleasing. The same excellent DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio track returns along with the same set of interesting extras. Dollars to donuts, I’d say this film is the weakest offering within the Paramount Scares Vol. 2 collection so I can only call it Worth A Look.