Okay...I get it. I really get it now. All the hoopla over World War Z leading up to the release of the movie seemed like a lot of over-the-top hype. That is...until I read the book. After the first few interviews (scenes), I had to flip through the rest just to see if that was really what the whole book was going to be. My initial disappointment was quickly turned around as the flashbacks from individual characters all over the world became more and more interesting. By the time the story got to the family in Troy, Montana, I was hooked. Colonel Christina Eliopolis's story was heart-thumping, and Kondo and Tomonaga in Japan were sympathetic characters that an entire book could have been written around. Then...there's a submarine scene that'll absolutely make your skin crawl. The amount of technical detail and research Brooks put into this epic story is mind-boggling. Techno-geeks and artillery-happy readers will be well-fed.
So now...I confess. I haven't seen the movie yet. (Still waiting for some discounted tickets to arrive in the mail.) I've heard it doesn't contain the battle of Yonkers. (Was that scene too expensive for Hollywood? Or, did they not want to dis a potential military audience?) I'm kind of afraid to see it and be disappointed after reading the book, because from what I've heard, it's only loosely based on the book, portraying a main character during the epidemic instead of the book's flashbacks from the viewpoints of many characters. (Is this forgiveable only because that main character happens to be Brad Pitt? Maybe it ranks a bonus star for eye candy, but I'll need more than that to give it two brains up.)
Have you seen the movie? If so, will you still read the book? I once made a mistake of reading a book AFTER I saw the movie--The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I slogged through that book, because there was nothing in it that wasn't in the movie. But, if you decide to read World War Z after seeing the flick, I don't think you'll be disappointed. It will just make you think about all the "what ifs"...and make you want more.
My husband hates it when we're watching a movie and I've already read the book. I keep saying stuff like, "It didn't happen that way" and "That's not supposed to happen". The same way with TV. I had to just pretend I hadn't read the books Rizzoli and Isles was based on. I almost NEVER read a book after I've seen the movie. But I almost always watch a movie if I've read the book. We probably won't see WWZ at the movies because there are too many other movies we want to see, and we can't afford them all. But we'll see it on DVD. As far as reading the book...my TBR list is SO long. I just don't know.
ReplyDeleteYes...I become the "peanut gallery" too when I've read the book before seeing the movie. LOL. I'll probably be coaxed to see Monsters University before I get anyone to see WWZ with me. Ahh...the TBR list. I really need to take a speed reading course, so I can whittle down my vast collection of books waiting to be read. Then again...what's the fun in slamming through something and not taking the time to savour it?
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