Unchanging

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking a visit to the city known as Manhattan. When one lives in New Jersey, a trip to the Big Apple is always quite the event. Arguably, the biggest place in the city to visit is Times Square. On my way to Nintendo World I walked into it, and out of it. The things which set Times Square apart from other parts of the city are the many unique stores and also the big billboards of pictures and videos. Sadly, about 90% of those billboards showcase scantily clad women.

Things change.

Years and years ago you wouldn't find this kind of stuff in public settings. As the years go on, things change. What was once considered to be unheard of is now the norm. For example, years ago it was insane to think a certain word that starts with an "f" would make its way into a PG-13 movie. Nowadays, if one heard it, it wouldn't be "Whoa! How could they allow that?!" Instead it would seem normal to the viewer because these types of words are almost basic language today.

The culture changes, and dictates what should be allowed in society. Magazines that were once held behind a counter can now be seen almost right away when you enter a Barnes & Noble. As the culture allows this stuff to be in abundance, the further away it gets from morality and wholesomeness.

People change. Society changes. Culture changes. There are only two things that remain unchanged: one is the Bible, and the other is Jesus Christ.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." ~Hebrews 13:8

Murder, Assault, Killing, Suicide; These kind of things have been happening all throughout history, even during Biblical times! Now, let me ask you question...has the society and culture gotten better or worse? Do you hear more stories of people being heroes or committing those things on the news? Sadly it has gotten much worse because the culture has shifted away from the principles God has established.

The Bible has remained unchanged for thousands of years. How amazing is it that a book written so long ago could be incredibly relevant today? How nicer would society be if more people simply followed things like "Love Your Neighbor as Yourself" (Mark 12:31) and "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church." (Ephesians 5:25) The Bible is technically still the most read book today, but people just don't put it into practice. Even some believers choose not to follow Biblical principles and instead follow the world thinking they're good to go because they simply believe God exists.

It's important to remember that God and his principles have remained unchanged all these years. However, human laws are always changing, and will continue to adapt what society wants, and not God. People would rather  live a "fun" purpose-less life than put God's plan to action. I can say that it is a lot more meaningful to live a life dedicated to living out God's Word. In my years before accepting Christ into my life, I had no purpose and this emptiness inside. Today however, I wake up each morning ready for action and with joy because I know God is with me and He and His words don't change.

Society will continue to change and plunder its way into Hell. Jesus will continue to remain unchanged as this happens. Will you stand with an always changing culture that doesn't care about an individual unless he or she is a famous person, big money maker, or what it deems as beautiful, or with a God that loves and cherishes you as His creation?

WORLD WAR Z Review

WORLD WAR Z received all the wrong kind of hype when it was first unveiled. At the screening for the 2012 Super Bowl viewers saw a teaser for it. The problem? It was mysterious, and not the good kind. It didn't show us any real reason why someone would pay $12 to see it. It was one of the most poorly made teasers ever created. And the fact that it would be deviating from the novel it was based on didn't help matters. But then it came out, and lo and behold it actually garnered some good reviews. It ended up being one of the surprise hits of 2013. Zombies in Hollywood is nothing new, in fact many call it an ongoing fad, same with vampires. There has been good zombie/infected flicks such as Dawn of the Dead and Quarantine, and hundreds of low budget, plain awful films. World War Z rises above the latter and aligns itself with some of the zombie greats. Director Marc Forster delivers a near-perfect experience, easily one of the best action-horror films in awhile.

The plot follows Gerry who is the key player in finding a vaccine for the zombie plague. He'll have to travel far and wide to get there while trying to live another day to see his family. This film plays out much like THE LAST OF US. The intro starts out where we meet the main character and his family. There are hints to what's happening on the TV stations and overall ominous atmosphere. The opening act is easily one of, if not the best part of the film. The perspective is very realistic and frightening to think that this could actually happen. The CGI zombie took away from that realism a bit, but it quickly picked up afterward. It's a great beginning, it sets up the tone and panic. It's not something you haven't seen before, but regardless it's handled marvelously.

The film perfectly creates an atmosphere of tension and unease, much like THE LAST OF US. The second part of the beginning act where Gerry and his family were in the apartment is a callback to those dark levels for people that played the aforementioned game. Brad Pitt is one of the bigger name actors out there, so naturally he's pretty much on screen the entire time. He does a solid job as the protagonist, nothing to complain about. His wife (Mireille Enos) has a genuine feel to her dialogue, plus the chemistry between her and Pitt is good. The daughters are your stereotypical terrified kids you find in these movies. There are quite a few other characters that pop up throughout the two hours. One of the more interesting ones was the deranged ex-CIA-agent, who sadly after his appearance doesn't appear again or is even mentioned. But pretty much everyone fits their roles nicely. (It was also interesting to see Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. star Ruth Negga in this.)

One of the things setting this apart from other zombie films is the location, which changes throughout. We have New York, then Newark NJ, and even Jerusalem. So in-between all the mayhem we're treated to some nice scenery. I bet you would never expect a zombie invasion in Israel, we're so used to seeing these things in American cities or suburban towns. The actual zombies don't disappoint. Like in Dawn of the Dead, they run at incredible speeds. There's a lot of action within the two hours. It's definitely more of an action movie than horror, which isn't a bad thing. We've seen a lot of movies where the characters are defenseless, so it's nice to see them taking on a proactive role.

The film never fails to unnerve the viewer. The only scene I didn't particularly care for was in the climax. After Gerry finds out the cure he starts walking back to the others past the un-dead. It's a bit cheesy and kinda ruins the mood. Thankfully the final few minutes with the narration makes up for that. There are plenty of great scenes throughout. From the Jerusalem invasion, to the plane, to the the W.H.O. Building, there's a lot of great set pieces. The soundtrack is pretty typical, it matches the scenes nicely enough. There's no memorable themes, but then again in this type of movie great music isn't such a huge factor.

Overall, WORLD WAR Z was a big surprise. It succeeds in being an action-horror film, a lot of fun but with plenty of scares too. The zombies don't disappoint, plus I don't think we've ever seen a film where they use each other to get over great walls. It's two hours, but it goes by rather quickly since it's paced really well. I hope it goes down as a 'classic' zombie flick, because it deserves it. I eagerly await a sequel.

4.5/5