Firstly, Amazon places reviews against all versions of a film so I must make clear to anyone viewing this that I have reviewed the USA release for the Unrated 3D, Blu Ray, DVD Combo set that you should be able to buy through Amazon Marketplace. Although this is a USA release it is multi-region so the Blu Ray should work in UK players (the DVD is coded Region 1 but most DVD players are multi-region anyway or can easily be made so). The Amazon link for this version can be found here World War Z. [Blu-ray] [US Import]. Note: the UK 3D release out appears to be the same as the USA one so much of what follows will hopefully be of use to purchasers of the UK release.

Main reason for my purchase of the USA set is the earlier release date plus fact it contains the 'Unrated' cut of the film. I first watched World War Z at the cinema and thoroughly enjoyed it and, being a fan of the zombie type films, thought I would get the USA release as it adds another 6/7 mins or so to the running time and comes complete with 3D version as well. A review of each as follows:

Unrated edition: The unrated cut is only available on the standard 2D Blu Ray. Watching it and I had to wonder where the extra scenes were as they were not immediately apparent. This is surely a good thing as the film was just as gripping as the theatrical cut with no obvious filler that didn't need to be put back anyway other than to cater for the market I fall for in buying editions with cut scenes reinstated etc.,! Checking after the film finished and it appears the extra 6 or 7 minutes were spread throughout the film with additional 'gore' for scenes where the theatrical version cut away (head impacts etc.,). Coming from watching season after season of The Walking Dead the unrated version did not seem over the top in anyway - the gore parts were entirely consistent with the zombie type film genre and made for a better film. A few scenes were extended such as the Israel part (and one involving teeth extraction - ouch!) but all was certainly worth putting back in. After seeing both versions I feel the unrated version is the one to go for - not sure if the UK release will get this cut so you may have to hunt down the USA release if you want a copy. Be prepared to pay a premium for this as well - watch out if you use Amazon.com if the price of the Blu Ray goes over the �15 limit or customs/VAT charges become due.

3D version: This is the standard cut - the unrated is, sadly, not available in 3D. This was a huge disappointment as an unrated cut in 3D would have been my preference but, sadly, it is not to be. The 3D version is handled well with some good effects but not one of those demonstration moment type films. There are lots of dark scenes of course and this doesn't help with 3D although I noticed the film was presented with a tad extra brightness which helped with the 3D. The lack of 3D unrated cut is the reason I have given 4 rather than 5 stars.

Sound: This has a lossless 7.1 track so for those of you lucky enough to have such a system you will not be disappointed - this is a fantastic soundtrack and of demo type quality.

Extras: there are a fair number of featurettes which are all quite interesting and especially so for the scenes filmed in the UK. I didn't realise the amphibious landing type ship the lead characters helicopter lands on that serves as the command ship was a Royal Navy Ship! The Glasgow part was explained in terms of how they turned it in to a USA city - all very interesting for a single watch.

Overall this is a great package and highly recommended. Hope that this review has helped out for those wondering if the �30 or so (for the USA Unrated version) is worth it.

Update 21st October 2013: As mentioned the UK release does seem to have the longer 'unrated' cut of the film and the BBFC website states that the film was passed as 'uncut' so you should have the same as the USA release but without the extra cost! If you go for the 3D version you will get the same theatrical cut for 3D and the longer cut for the standard 2D. Unless you want the USA one therefore best bet is to save some money and buy the UK release now it is out. Read more ›

Lover of sci fi films anyway this does not disappoint, films just seem to get better and better and will watch this again and again so a good buy for me.

Really like this film. There have been a few dodgy reviews so wasn't sure what to expect but I needn't have worried as it is fast, exciting and very very entertaining. Although I have always loved Zombie movies I have always thought to myself "how could you possibly be caught by them and eaten when they are so slow to move". That is not the case here - here they are very very fast and that would be scary. If you haven't seen this but like Zombie flicks then I am sure you will love it. Go and buy!!

For anyone who enjoys Zombie movies, this is one of the best I've seen. Action packed and intense in places. It dips into elements from the Max Brooks' novel of the same name (which I thought was a great read). The beauty of it is that it didn't need to resort to showing extreme gore. The psychological impact of such an apocalypse was seen in the mindless way the zombies attacked - at speed and in great numbers.
The Bluray has additional footage that blended in so seamlessly that it was hard to believe that it was not there in the theatrical version.

World War Z is ultimately classed as a great Zombie film. Don't usually watch Bead Pitt films but I can safely say that he was excellent throughout the film. Watched this film in the cinema and was gripped as soon as the film started. Now can't wait for the sequel movie to be produced and come out in the cinema.

Great action film, good for all the family to watch(older kids of course) really enjoyed the story, made you feel the panic
That was going on as some of the crowd footage was like watching a news clip.

Great film really got into it . Effects were good especially when they were trying to get over the large wall around the city . .

An extremely impressive entry in the zombie genre and for me easily the best such since 1977's Dawn of the Dead. WWZ may break one of the supposed rules of the genre in its almost complete absence of gore but Brad Pitt's film more than compensates with an efficiently plotted linear storyline that remarkably shows no obvious signs of its troubled production, a spectacular sense of scale, a satisfactory balance between action and emotion rare in summer blockbusters and an often intense breakneck pace.

There's a lot that I liked about WWZ, from the way the film utilizes its fast moving zombies as a symbol of the often frightening speed and density of everyday life, to supporting characters who are introduced only to be killed off without any of the bombast you'd have had to endure had the movie been directed by a Zack Snyder or Michael Bay. The emotional heart of the story - UN hotshot Gerry Lane's (Brad Pitt) relationship with his wife and kids - feels refreshingly damped down rather than overblown, believable without being schmaltzy. Rich and famous he may be but there's an interesting grounded quality to Pitt. Casting him as an Everyman sort of character doesn't seem like the kind of stretch it would if you had the likes of DiCaprio or Tom Cruise starring.

The story is a ground-breaking amalgamation of zombie horror and one of those plague stories in which the hero is charged with finding a cure. The plot, which sends Gerry from Philly to South Korea, to Israel and then Wales in pursuit of the infection's source, never feels like it's just marking time. Each location holds a clue and by the time Gerry figures out the ingenious solution en route to the film's climax the story tops even that by forcing our hero to make a virtual life or death decision. The payoff includes what might be the most well earned and enjoyable onscreen drink since Ice Cold In Alex.

The action sequences are sensational with the (rightly) much talked about Israeli siege a standout. The chaos which leads to a hectic chase through narrow streets covered by a wire fence over which swarm countless zombies leads to an even more claustrophobic showdown inside a jumbo jet. The film is genuinely unnerving, often tense - especially the final third - and sometimes jump out of your seat scary. All without any bad language or explicit gore. There's a lesson there.

Littered with unexpected touches - the viewer's shock at a would be suicide jump by a certain character who fears he's been infected and can't bear to see his family in danger, a female Israeli IDF soldier who becomes an unexpected ally of Gerry's and who isn't saddled with a lame romantic sub-plot between her and the star, a nuclear blast viewed from the cockpit of a plane in which no words, no explanation are offered and don't need to be (at this point in the movie it truly looks like game over for mankind) and a last act that eschews the empty spectacle of so many summer blockbusters and goes instead for a tense, low-key and genuinely intimate climax that I'm happy to acknowledge had me on the edge of my seat.

But perhaps best of all is the film's underlying message, epitomized by an Israeli who tells Pitt's character that 'For every life we save, it's one less enemy we have to fight.' This is a movie about the end of the world that unlike so many other zombie films shows people refusing to retreat into small survivalist groups but instead doing their best to save as many lives as they can. It does not surprise me in the least that World War Z has defied months of hostile online sniping to become a big box office hit and I'm very happy it has. Highly recommended. Read more ›