Some movies leave a lot of openings for a sequel, and others tend to wrap up in their own way. Even if there are questions and possibilities of moving forward, it might be that such an effort wouldn’t be fully appreciated given the way the movie ends. World War Z left a lot of questions despite the depths it tried to go to when explaining its own premise. But by the time the movie ended and the credits started to roll it felt as though it was best that the movie not be given a sequel. The plans for another movie were made evident after a while, but the direction that such a movie would take doesn’t feel as though it would the smartest idea. It does appear that the story could have moved on since the biological weapon that was devised and then used against the undead was described as a way to help humanity survive, but there was still a long way to go. This kind of indicates that a sequel would have taken a slightly different direction that would have opened up the story a little more.
But the whole idea that humanity had a way to fight back against the undead makes it evident that this turned out to be one of the few zombie movies that might have had something close to a happy ending since many such stories end in tragedy as the overwhelming tides of undead continue to push forward and suffocate the survivors in a horrific world that is devoid of any hope that anything might be recovered. Many zombie movies feature undead human beings that are animated in some fashion and either move slowly or insanely fast in their quest to find and consume human flesh and this, in turn, prompts the living to try and survive and help others to do the same. World War Z manages to push this same narrative as it moves along, but while it leaves several things open as it moves from start to finish, it also tapers off at the end in a way that many zombie movies do not.
The movie did end up doing something that other zombie movies hadn’t done in the same manner, and that was the horde, or swarm effect that saw the zombies spilling over one another in a flood that sees them surging forth like a wave of rotting flesh with limbs and teeth that were capable of snagging anyone who wasn’t able to move out of the way. From one part of the movie to the next it does move quickly and with a purpose, but it also leaves things in a way that some think is incomplete. But by the time the movie ends it feels as though any unanswered questions might have become less than important since a solution has been devised, which is something that many similar films don’t often end up discovering until the franchise becomes a little too overdone, such as Resident Evil. The problem presented by a zombie apocalypse isn’t just the fact that there are bound to be millions upon millions of undead creatures coming after the living with ravenous hunger, it’s the issue of what to do with the world once a solution is found.
A sequel to World War Z could easily cover this since it would be likely that the same issue that has plagued many zombie movies would come around; the living who remained would be far more dangerous than the undead could ever be. The explanation for that is easy since the undead are simple in their goals and aren’t thinking, devious creatures that are actively trying to bring down what’s left of civilization. Humans on the other hand are extremely problematic, especially when they’re placed under great stress and have to make decisions that are practical and based on survival. Unfortunately, in the face of survival, it does behoove a lot of humans to turn on their fellow humans or impose their will upon them to maintain their survival, as it’s been seen in many different ways when it comes to zombie stories. It’s fair to think that the same might be seen in a sequel to World War Z if the movie ever hit theaters.
Right now it feels as though it would be a bad idea simply because it might be forced to follow the same path that many other similar stories have gone down over the years, and that feels as though it would ruin this idea. Some folks didn’t care for the movie, to begin with, but it does have a unique look at a common story idea, and trying to force it down the known path doesn’t sound like it would be the best idea. Maybe it’s better to think that a single movie is enough, especially since it ended with a note of hope at the end.
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