‘World War Z’ Receiving Mixed Reviews From Critics

World War Z is receiving mixed reviews from critics ahead of its release on Friday.

Helmed by Finding Neverland director Marc Forster, the film stars Brad Pitt as a United Nations employee who is attempting to stop a zombie pandemic from spreading across the globe. This apparently involves a lot of running, dramatic looks, and important-sounding dialogue.

What do critics think about World War Z? Judging from the early reviews found on Rotten Tomatoes, critics are divided on Pitt’s latest effort. The film currently spots a score of 72 percent, which makes it “fresh” according to the site’s rating system. Of course, this could fluctuate in either direction as more reviews roll in.

Let’s kick things off on a positive note.

The Associated Press critic Jocelyn Noveck seemed to enjoy Marc Forster’s flick for what it is: a mindless summer blockbuster designed to separate you from a small handful of cash and a few hours of your time.

“Despite the much-discussed production delays and budget overruns, this movie, based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks (son of Mel), is pretty much what you’d want in a summer blockbuster: scary but not-too-gross zombies, a journey to exotic locales, a few excellent action scenes, and did we mention Pitt?” Noveck wrote in her review.

Ty Burr of The Boston Globe was also impressed with World War Z. According to him, the movie manages to entertain as long as you don’t spend too much time thinking about the finer details of the scenario.

“You can (and probably should) pick it apart when it’s over, but while it’s playing, this represents the better instincts of blockbuster Hollywood filmmaking,” he explained.

On the negative end of the spectrum, reviewer Dustin Putnam was particularly underwhelmed by the World War Z experience. Many fans of Max Brooks’ novel were concerned about the adaptation, and Putnam seems to have confirmed their fears.

“Mild to an almost offensive degree, ‘World War Z’ has a whole host of issues, but the most irresponsible of all is in turning a grand-scaled, epic story of an undead pandemic into such a benign experience,” he wrote.

World War Z opens in theaters this Friday (June 21). Are you looking forward to seeing Brad Pitt battle zombies this weekend?