World War Z trailer is out . . . and it sucks

[Syt]

At least it doesn't put me into the mood of the book (post war eye witness interviews) and looks like a CGI action crapfest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HcwTxRuq-uk

[Josquius]

Always knew it was going to be nothing to do with the book but was kinda hopeful it might work- the book format would make for a weird movie afterall. But this looks to be even more of a departure than expected, very dissapointing.
What is it with New York City and disaster porn?
Nonetheless despite it seeming a huge let down it might be kinda worthwhile. I'm not expecting the best thing ever, that is dead and buried, but I have a little hope it might be watchable when its on TV at least.

[Legbiter]

Those zombies don't look like the shuffling variety in the book.

[celedhring]

JMS' script was very faithful to the book's structure, but the producers chickened out and got a rewrite to make it more conventional, with a clear protagonist, etc...

The only way the book would've worked as written is as a TV series, and it would be so expensive than I'm not sure it would be feasible either.

Anyway, as long as the mass zombie scenes are there, it should be decent. That was one of the most frightening aspects of the book.

[Darth Wagtaros]

BLah. Netflix.

[Razgovory]

It's zombies, of course it's going to suck.

[celedhring]

It's zombies, of course it's going to suck.

No, that's vampires.

[Eddie Teach]

It's zombies, of course it's going to suck.

Dude, Walking Dead is awesome. Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later are pretty good too.

[Razgovory]

It's zombies, of course it's going to suck.

No, that's vampires.

Them too.  People just need to get over this zombie bullshit.  You never see movies about a Mummy apocalypse.  Where pyramids burst up from the ground and bandaged Egyptians come shuffling out.  Or maybe a Ghost apocalypse, where armies of spirits try to drive humanity mad by turning on or off the lights.

[Viking]

JMS' script was very faithful to the book's structure, but the producers chickened out and got a rewrite to make it more conventional, with a clear protagonist, etc...

The only way the book would've worked as written is as a TV series, and it would be so expensive than I'm not sure it would be feasible either.

Anyway, as long as the mass zombie scenes are there, it should be decent. That was one of the most frightening aspects of the book.

It smells of Terra Nova/Falling Skies like meh. The only thing we know about the Brad Pitt character is that he has a family and the doesn't want to leave it despite the government giving him an important job while the human race spirals to extinction.

I am going to pretend that this movie does not exist because the book and the handbook are excellent.

The book would have worked best as a mini-series produced as a series of parallell stores like the book interspersed with vignettes of PSA's from the handbook about why flame throwers are not worth it, why destroying the stairs in your house is a good idea and how the standard roman legionary is better equipped to deal with zombies than the 82nd Airborne.

Movies don't do multiple threads well. Movies to single narrative best. If you have multiple threads they must come together or the movie becomes a disordered chaotic mess. TV and Miniseries can have independent threads which inform the viewer about the nature of the fictional world without having to be directly relevant. Traffic and Crash were loved by critics but they were hard to watch and follow since they (unlike reservoir dogs or pulp fiction) didn't end up with all the characters in the same room. 

[Eddie Teach]

 

Crash was not remotely hard to follow.

[garbon]

Crash was not remotely hard to follow.

Indeed.

[celedhring]

JMS' script was very faithful to the book's structure, but the producers chickened out and got a rewrite to make it more conventional, with a clear protagonist, etc...

The only way the book would've worked as written is as a TV series, and it would be so expensive than I'm not sure it would be feasible either.

Anyway, as long as the mass zombie scenes are there, it should be decent. That was one of the most frightening aspects of the book.

It smells of Terra Nova/Falling Skies like meh. The only thing we know about the Brad Pitt character is that he has a family and the doesn't want to leave it despite the government giving him an important job while the human race spirals to extinction.

I am going to pretend that this movie does not exist because the book and the handbook are excellent.

The book would have worked best as a mini-series produced as a series of parallell stores like the book interspersed with vignettes of PSA's from the handbook about why flame throwers are not worth it, why destroying the stairs in your house is a good idea and how the standard roman legionary is better equipped to deal with zombies than the 82nd Airborne.

Movies don't do multiple threads well. Movies to single narrative best. If you have multiple threads they must come together or the movie becomes a disordered chaotic mess. TV and Miniseries can have independent threads which inform the viewer about the nature of the fictional world without having to be directly relevant. Traffic and Crash were loved by critics but they were hard to watch and follow since they (unlike reservoir dogs or pulp fiction) didn't end up with all the characters in the same room.

The beauty of the book is that it is a single narrative when all pieces are put together though, it's just spread between different characters in different locations. Pretty much almost every chapter follows the next.

It would have worked as a bit of a narrative experiment, and I don't think it would have been hard to follow, but Hollywood producers don't do 100m$+ narrative experiments.

[Ed Anger]

I'm still waiting for new Gor movies.

[garbon]

It would have worked as a bit of a narrative experiment, and I don't think it would have been hard to follow, but Hollywood producers don't do 100m$+ narrative experiments.

But you can get that much in independent funding: see Cloud Atlas...though with it struggling in the box office, I guess that might not be possible now.