The Production Issues of World War Z
By Ben Johnson
There are plenty of reasons a movie’s release could get delayed – script rewrites, actors’ schedules/rehab visits, fixing the special effects. But never will a producer say, “This movie is too awesome, let’s push it back a year – we don’t need that half a billion dollars yet!” No, it’s much more likely that these postponements are due to some serious flaws in the film that need to be fixed if the studio doesn’t want to wind up with the next John Carter-style flop. World War Z is the most recent movie to experience public turmoil behind the scenes, and after a six-month delay in the movie’s release, it’s set to infect (see what I did there?) theaters this weekend. Below is a look at a few of the issues that plagued the production and, on a scale of 1-5, how much panic they should cause your zombie-loving heart.
Director Marc Forster
Panic Level: 3
According to several sites and interviews, there was some concern among World War Z’s producers that their director lacked a cohesive vision for the movie. I have to say I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was true. This is not the first guy I would call when making an epic zombie movie. He does have some pretty good films under his director’s beret (they all wear berets, right?), particularly Monster’s Ball and the underrated Stranger Than Fiction, so he’s capable of adequately handling drama. But those movies stand out more for their screenplays and performances – I didn’t get much of a sense of Forster’s directing style in either film, and there’s only so much directing actors like Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, and Billy Bob Thornton really need.
It’s his previous attempts at action movies that have me worried. His most recent was something called Machine Gun Preacher where Gerard Butler plays a Born Again criminal who does missionary work (and apparently machine gun work) in Africa. But when I first saw it listed on Forster’s IMDB page, I thought it was that Rutger Hauer movie Hobo with a Shotgun. When you make a movie that’s title sounds so much better with the phrase “direct to DVD” in front of it, you have a problem. But I didn’t see Machine Gun Preacher – maybe it’s a philosophical examination of class struggle on the African continent… Ok, maybe not. But moving on. The movie on Forster’s resume that gives me the most pause is Quantum of Solace, the follow-up to Casino Royale, the superb reboot of the James Bond franchise with Daniel Craig as 007. While Casino Royale gave us a fresh take on the most human Bond we’d seen in years, Quantum fell back into the old traps that made the latter Pierce Brosnan films so hokey – an overly-complicated plot and a bland, uninteresting version of everyone’s favorite superspy. Now I don’t know how much Forster himself had to do with all of that, but he clearly didn’t do anything to improve the situation. If the trailers are to be believed, there is a lot of spectacle to be found in World War Z – I hope Forster can give it enough heart to make us care.
The Budget
Panic Level: 1
There’s talk that due to reshoots the movie’s budget ballooned substantially, winding up at close to $200 million. But let’s be honest – audiences don’t care a lick how much the movie they’re watching cost as long as it’s entertaining. It’s only a problem if, say, the budget was increased to pay for larger doses of CGI that diminish the heart of the movie. But rumors are that the original ending was just another big giant zombies vs. humans fight scene, and that the changes they made added depth to the climax. I hope that’s true – if by some miracle these last-minute changes turn World War Z into something memorable, nobody’s gonna complain. But they will if it turns out that the man who was given the task of reworking the ending falls into the habits he’s known for. Which brings me to…
The Script
Panic Level: 5
I have two words that should adequately sum up my fears about World War Z’s script: Damon Lindelof. For the uninitiated, Lindelof is one of the co-creators of Lost, and more importantly for the panic meter, he’s primarily responsible for the colossal disappointment better known as Prometheus. Annnnnnnd let the rant begin! I have been a Lost apologist ever since the show went off the air, but I can’t make excuses for Lindelof on this one.
As a supposed prequel to Alien, one of the best sci-fi/horror movies of all time, there were huge expectations for Prometheus. Ridley Scott’s return to space! Michael Fassbender! Killer special effects! In other words, all the ingredients for the perfect summer movie soufflé. But what we weren’t told was that we would be treated to two hours of Damon Lindelof philosophizing about the origins of human life, posing question after question that the movie fails to answer.
Why did the race of jacked albino aliens use their evolution-goo to create us only to decide to exterminate us later? Why is every scientist on the mission so stupid, like the guys who didn’t run away screaming when the no-eyed eel-alien swam up and proceeded to ruin them? Why did Fassbot put evolution-goo in guy scientist’s drink? Was he trying to kill him?You are on a SCIENCE SHIP – why not just take it to the lab? Lindelof has said many of the unanswered questions will be resolved in a sequel, but isn’t it a smarter decision to have a complete story in your first movie and not to assume that I’m going to see your next one?
UGH. OK, End Rant.
Can you tell I have a lot of problems with Lindelof and his recent film work? He has to be one of the most frustrating writers in Hollywood. In the case of both Lost and Prometheus, he claims he’s trying to give the audience something to debate once the show/movie is over, but in the end it comes across as lazy storytelling and makes it seem like he never had any actual answers in the first place. That is at the center of my worries about his contribution to World War Z.
This is a film that looks to have some serious potential – it’s not every day that you get an A-list movie star attached to your zombie movie (a genre that has a pretty big built-in audience).
Not to mention the novel it’s based on was positively received, though it’s clear that the film’s narrative is a big departure from the structure of the book, which takes place years after the fact and recounts the war against the zombies through several oral interviews. But for months there has been speculation that Brad Pitt and company were interested in turning this into a franchise, and I’m afraid that by bringing Lindelof on board the producers have chosen to leave doors open for future films instead of providing a satisfying conclusion to the story being told in this movie.
Will you be seeing World War Z this weekend? How much do these production issues and its significant departure from the source material bother you? Sound off in the comments!