# "World War Z" the Movie Thread (Open Spoilers!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244 "2013-06-18T03:49:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/101 "2013-06-25T01:36:54Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > In the film, the closer he got to patient zero, the longer it took for the virus to work. I saw the movie this last Saturday. One thing I didn’t see addressed in this thread is a scene early in the movie where Gerry is fighting with a zombie who bleeds into Gerry’s mouth. I guess this means that if ingested, a zombie’s bodily fluid doesn’t affect humans but a bite injecting it’s fluids will infect humans? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/102 "2013-06-25T02:07:23Z")
Seems to be bite only. And a bit anywhere on the body will turn you in 10-12 seconds but it sprints at the end as it won’t have left your hand yet in the five seconds. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/103 "2013-06-25T02:15:53Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Seems to be bite only. > > And a bit anywhere on the body will turn you in 10-12 seconds but it sprints at the end as it won’t have left your hand yet in the five seconds. There was a quote early on in the movie that ‘not everyone turned’ - you can assume one of two things - a) the dog was right to bark at her - she was now a carrier - b) Gerry was correct that quickly severing the hand prevented the spread. I’ll go with (a) and Gerry has a false positive. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/104 "2013-06-25T02:27:29Z")
What line was there early on that not everybody turned? When they first got to the carrier there was a shot of a solider on the phone with someone asking if there were any observed cases of someone bitten but not turning. But it was a question and we didn’t hear the answer. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/105 "2013-06-25T02:48:22Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > What line was there early on that not everybody turned? > > When they first got to the carrier there was a shot of a solider on the phone with someone asking if there were any observed cases of someone bitten but not turning. But it was a question and we didn’t hear the answer. I recall a line that specifically stated it - that x percent ‘didn’t turn’ - being told to Gerry. The soldier on the phone may have just been gathering data on that occurance/etc. It was in that act of the film - as the UN guy was briefing Gerry. I could be wrong - but I do recall the line. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/106 "2013-06-25T03:08:43Z")
Yeah, I recall that line, too. Are we supposed to assume that Gerry is an immune, or that getting blood in his mouth wasn’t enough to transmit the disease? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/107 "2013-06-25T04:05:16Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Yeah, I recall that line, too. Are we supposed to assume that Gerry is an immune, or that getting blood in his mouth wasn’t enough to transmit the disease? I assume that ‘ingestion’ is not a proper transmitter, while breaking skin/bite is. Maybe since they went with the ‘rabies’ connection, its a saliva thing and not a blood thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/108 "2013-06-25T05:01:11Z")
[**Here’s**](http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/the-buzz/2013/06/film-review-world-war-z.html) a review on the CBC site. > [@](#): > > But during past year, the drama in the boardrooms and on _WWZ_’s set became the talk of the town. The original ending (a brutal battle set in Russia) was so poorly received that producers recruited a new troop of screenwriters, including [_Prometheus_ scribe Damon Lindelof](http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/the-buzz/2012/06/film-review-prometheus.html), to rewrite it. They then reshot the entire third act, at a reported cost of some $20 million. The postscript note: > [@](#): > > (Note: The film’s title is pronounced World War “Zee.” World War “Zed” would be a Canadian film about a zombie attack of Tim Hortons, where we fight back with snow shovels.) ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/109 "2013-06-25T12:42:18Z")
Saw the movie this weekend. Treatment of zombies like some sort of a liquid was neat. The near-complete faithlessness to the book was not. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/110 "2013-06-25T12:51:31Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > We’ve been discussion exactly this for dozens of posts, and it makes sense when you factor in that the early zombies took days to manifest their illness. Thus the line, “the airlines were the perfect transmitter”. For some reason, it didn’t occur to the guys who made _28 Days Later_ to throw in similar lampshading. Get exposed to “rage” and - bam - you’re a zoombie in under a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/111 "2013-06-25T12:55:16Z")
I really didn’t care for the supposed weakness of the virus- it didn’t make much sense. Why would the virus care whether it infected terminally ill victims? And really, Pitt didn’t really have much evidence that being terminally ill was the solution, anyway- all he saw was a handful of people who cowered helplessly or moved slower than the other humans. How exactly was Zack supposed to detect these non-victims? It’s kind of hard to smell someone when you’re sprinting at them at ninety miles an hour, so scent is right out. Wouldn’t it be safer to bite first and ask questions later? And hey, if the virus can infect a victim in twelve seconds, even a guy on his deathbed might be able to bite at least one more person. Honestly, my impression was just that the zombies preferentially attacked fleeing or attacking humans. It certainly makes more sense- healthy victims run away or flee, so it’s easier to pick off the slow and helpless after you bitten everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/112 "2013-06-25T12:59:45Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > Treatment of zombies like some sort of a liquid was neat. That kinds made me wonder about the anthill-like climbing of the Israeli wall. I mean, regardless of how mindlessly angry one can get, you’re still made of human flesh and bone. If someone tries building a human pyramid a hundred feet tall, the humans on the bottom are going to get crushed, and I don’t mean just trampled or smothered, I mean physically squished to a semi-liquid state. And it’s not like they’re cooperating or bracing themselves optimally - the zoombies clawing their way to the top would find it similar to trying to climb a hill made of porridge. But it looks cool, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/113 "2013-06-25T13:02:57Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Honestly, my impression was just that the zombies preferentially attacked fleeing or attacking humans. It certainly makes more sense- healthy victims run away or flee, so it’s easier to pick off the slow and helpless after you bitten everyone else. I figured it would be some kind of predator-movement thing, like the disease jumped to humans from cats or something. Just lie still and let the zombie bat at you a little, before it gets bored and moves on. Then lead zombies into mass killing fields by using laser pointers. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/114 "2013-06-25T13:09:15Z")
I do remember the line about a small percentage of victims being bitten but not turning - but I assumed those victims still died and failed to re-animate. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/115 "2013-06-25T13:13:52Z")
I hope the sequel shows more of the reconquest. Then I might get my catacombs on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/116 "2013-06-25T13:33:43Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I do remember the line about a small percentage of victims being bitten but not turning - but I assumed those victims still died and failed to re-animate. I remember a similar line, but I don’t think they said “bitten”. I think we can assume that it was actually just a small percentage of the population that didn’t turn - because they were terminally ill and were never bitten in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/117 "2013-06-25T15:55:46Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I would have hated that ending. Glad they changed it. > [@Skammer](#): > > **Quimby** , I totally agree that they were right to ditch that ending. Just out of curiosity, why would that ending be bad? Less of a resolution? Not a happy ending? > [@medstar](#): > > I saw the movie this last Saturday. One thing I didn’t see addressed in this thread is a scene early in the movie where Gerry is fighting with a zombie who bleeds into Gerry’s mouth. I guess this means that if ingested, a zombie’s bodily fluid doesn’t affect humans but a bite injecting it’s fluids will infect humans? It was my impression that Gerry spit it out. Nobody else got that impression? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/118 "2013-06-25T15:58:10Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I > If it really all came from a single guy in SE Asia, I don’t see how it could have gotten to Philadelphia the way it did. Nitpick: Korea is in East Asia, not Southeast Asia. > [@obfusciatrist](#): > > That said, maybe I missed something about Jerusalem. > > The walls were built in response to the first rumblings about them fighting the undead in India. So, because they have a policy that if 9 leaders all think the same thing 1 of them is tasked with doing the opposite (an incredibly stupid policy) and so builds 200-foot tall walls around Jerusalem in a few weeks? > > Did I understand that correctly or did I completely misunderstand the timeframe between patient zero in India and the events of the movie. > > While I’m not a fan of the disease resolution of the movie when it first came up I did have this vision of everybody being intentionally infected with AIDS as a lethal but somewhat slow acting disease that we generally know how to hold in check. > [@Frylock](#): > > I am not sure the timeframe was specified, but I could be wrong. > > About the policy, it wasn’t that he had to “do” the opposite, but that he had to make the best arguments he could “assuming” the opposite. That doesn’t seem manifestly foolish to me. IIRC, the first nine all agreed, after hearing the word “zombie” in regard to the Indian case, that it could not possibly be an actual zombie. This 10th man acted on the assumption that it was a real zombie and started checking. He discovered enough to convince everyone that it really was a zombie they were talking about. And as the CIA agent in South Korea said, they didn’t build the walls completely from scratch but rather kicked into high gear and finished several wall projects that had supposedly been in the making for millennia. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/119 "2013-06-25T16:37:40Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Just out of curiosity, why would that ending be bad? Less of a resolution? Not a happy ending? Probably both but more because it would have been even more of a Non ending than what we did get. At least the ending we did get had some sort of conclusion with Gerry reuniting with his family. Also, while I don’t dislike dark movies, the amount of misery in the original third act and ending seemed just gratuitous to me. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244/120 "2013-06-25T17:04:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Nitpick: Korea is in East Asia, not Southeast Asia. Although I knew he was in Korea when he was told that information, for some incomprehensible reason, I believed the events being portrayed happened in like Thailand or somewhere. I know this makes no sense at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-z-the-movie-thread-open-spoilers/661244.md?page=7)