While the peak of the zombie genre may have come and gone, with the upcoming release of Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, fans are diving back into some of the best and most divisive zombie movies. As well as classics like the work of George A. Romero, one of the most terrifying and controversial zombie movies of recent years, World War Z, has also come back to life on streaming. Starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster, World War Z was released in 2013 to middling reviews from audiences and critics, although everyone agreed that its depiction of zombies was haunting. Over a decade later, the film has resurfaced from the grave to gain a second life on streaming.
World War Z is currently streaming on Paramount+, and subscribers have flocked to it like a horde of sprinting zombies. The film is the sixth most popular movie on the streamer this week, sitting behind Scott Adkins’ Take Cover in fifth, while Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II holds the top spot. World War Z is adapted from the novel by Max Brooks. As previously mentioned, critics were relatively (but not overwhelmingly) entertained by the film, as it holds a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences reacted slightly more positively to the movie, earning it a 72% audience score.
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How does ’28 Years Later’ compare to the beloved original?
The movie follows Gerry Lane (Pitt), a former U.N. investigator who leads the search across the globe to cure the deadly zombie virus that is rapidly spreading and threatening humanity. Alongside Pitt, the film also stars Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Matthew Fox, Peter Capaldi, and Ruth Negga. The most iconic and entertaining element of World War Z is undoubtedly its undead. 28 Days Later introduced the world to sprinting zombies, but World War Z gave them an unhealthy dose of steroids. The zombies in World War Z might just be the fastest in cinema history. They careen over each other in a bid to infect as many people as possible, resulting in gigantic hordes that can swarm entire cities.
Why Was ‘World War Z’ So Divisive?
Paramount Pictures
If you’ve only seen the film, then you probably thought that World War Z was a passable action-horror flick with some A-list faces and good CGI. But, fans of the book were incredibly disappointed when the film was released. In a similar situation to Will Smith’s I Am Legend, the book and the film share the same name, and that’s about it.
Max Brooks’ novel took a unique approach to the zombie genre. The book is written as a series of journalist interviews as a reporter travels the globe during the early days of the pandemic, tracking strange occurrences that eventually lead to the zombie pandemic. Some thought that format wouldn’t work on the big screen. However, the hit sci-fi film, District 9, proved that mockumentary stories can still have emotional weight and impact. There is hope in the future that World War Z will one day get a faithful adaptation, especially as the long-gestating sequel movie now appears to be officially dead.
Release Date
June 21, 2013
Runtime
1h 56m
Director
Marc Foster
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