World War Z Genre Analysis

The genre of a film is very important as it draws the viewers into worlds different from the life they experience on a daily basis. In this paper I will be discussing several scenes in a movie (World War Z) that includes both thriller and sci-fi genre, and the stylistic elements used in this film. Thriller is one of the major film genres, it includes suspense with continuous movements and physical actions such as fights and battles. While sci-fi is mostly related to the science based and relates with the imaginative aspects such as aliens, zombies, advanced technology and several things that we are not used to seeing or hearing about on a daily basis.

One of the fundamental aspects that determine the genre of a film is the iconography and the

generic conventions in terms of character types and typical narrative conflicts. The convention character types include the antagonist (villain) and protagonist (hero) and innocent victims. In World War Z, Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is the protagonist and the antagonist are all the zombies that attack the humans throughout the film. By looking at the cover photo of the movie, we see helicopters and buildings crashing and burning, which gives an idea of the world ending and with the helicopters and fire we assume the film to be a thriller. The dark colors on the cover photo also suggests violence and mystery. Usually, thriller movies include justice and injustice with good and evil roles opposing each other along with the tension and suspense given to the audience. After the world is plagued by a baffling infection turning most of the human population into raging mindless zombies, Gerry who is a former UN investigator, goes on the mission to examine this disease while his family is protected on a safe offshore aircraft carrier.
Two of the most interesting scenes in the film are the opening and the climax scene which occurs later on in the movie. The opening scene of this movie shows the tranquility of our world, which is later starkly opposed with the issues we face in today’s daily basis issues, but leaves the audience at a questionable thought whether this may occur in the future or not. In the opening scene there are several shots of television news with diegetic sound such as waves, traffic noises and presenters speakers as well as non-diegetic sounds such as the television and radio news. There is a use of montage editing which gives the audience a varied range of views of the world. A montage editing is a series of short shots that are edited into a sequence to condense time and information. The idea of having a clear understanding of the news that the reporter is giving, highlights the importance in what is being said. The scene shifts to Gerry and his family seated in a car who seem to be having a normal day until Gerry realizes there is something strange with the traffic. People are shouting and a police officer gets run over by a truck right next to their car as he orders everyone to stay in their cars and leave the doors locked. This scene causes anxiety to the viewers as well as curiosity to find out what is happening.
The next most exiting and uplifting scene is when Gerry goes to an abandoned institute which he thinks might have a vaccination that will protect the humans from the zombies.

As he goes, he finds some other doctors inside the institute who are afraid of leaving because of the zombies inside the building with them. Gerry takes the risk and goes to test the vaccination as he passes by a zombie but does not get bitten. The iconography of his character shows his bravery through his ability to take all the risks and to face the creature that could kill him. While he injects himself with the syrup that should protect him, the background music is at first calm but full of suspense. The camera focuses on the injection as he gives himself the vaccination. The music becomes more and more suspicious and the camera moves from the protagonist to the antagonist who happen to be opposite each other causing frustration to the viewers. Gerry opens the door that happens to be separating the two characters and the music stops, causing the audience to jump off their seats wanting to know what could happen next. The suspense music comes back on with a lifting spirit that the protagonist is safe while the camera focuses on all the other zombies passing by him without harming him because the cure he has taken prevents them from sensing any humans around

them.
Mise-en scene refers to all the elements of stage design including the props, furniture, windows and walls. Throughout the film, the tight frame of the protagonist (Gerry Lane) makes him look vulnerable and frightened especially by focusing the camera on his facial expressions using close-up shots. The colors and the locations used in the film are natural with not many props or odd costumes.
The sound in the opening scene as well as throughout the whole film is extremely crucial as it stimulates the viewer’s mood giving them a high level of anticipation, heightened expectations, uncertainty and surprise. The Film creates a world of dense and exotic scenes.
The goal in the movie is to find the cure for the spreading disease that is threatening to all humans and stop the zombie attack. Gerry goes on a mission that involves him in life threatening situations.