Despite being around for the better part of 100 years, zombie movies aren’t losing their luster. Alex Garland and Danny Boyle returned to the 28 Days Later franchise in 2025, releasing 28 Years Later, a continuation that took the series to new heights. The undead are even making their way to arguably the biggest franchise in the world, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is set to release the animated series Marvel Zombies in 2025. However, despite all that zombie goodness, the most exciting major development for the genre is the announcement that Paramount is open to making a sequel to World War Z, the 2013 movie starring Brad Pitt.
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There have been a few attempts to continue the story of Gerry Lane, but nothing concrete has ever gotten off the ground. But even if this is just another example of Paramount putting the cart before the horse, it’s still a good time to look back at the greatness of Marc Forster’s film. Here are 3 times that World War Z proved it was one of the best zombie movies.
3) The Stakes Are Very Real
Unlike most zombie movies, World War Z drops the audience right into the middle of the action. Gerry and his family are traveling through Philadelphia when people start attacking one another, forcing them to commandeer an RV and escape. Fortunately, Gerry’s past life as an investigator for the United Nations means he has connections that can get his family safe. After a run-in with some zombies, they make it to a boat, where military personnel are working to find a solution to the virus.
All the government has to go on is a potential source, which they want to investigate. With Gerry having experience in the field, his old boss asks him to go, and he isn’t thrilled about the idea. Well, he doesn’t have a choice when he’s told his family will get kicked off the ship if he stays. World War Z‘s decision to give Gerry an ultimatum makes the events on the boat as stressful as those off it, as the ticking clock puts everyone’s lives in jeopardy.
2) The Zombies Are Some of the Scariest Ever
As the events in Philadelphia prove, the zombies in World War Z are nothing to joke about. They seek out healthy hosts and will go to any lengths to infect them. However, Gerry doesn’t truly grasp the situation until he arrives in Jerusalem, the only city in the world to have prepared for the outbreak. The powers that be there tell Gerry that they took reports of zombies very seriously, but their precautions prove ineffective when the undead start working together.
When the zombies hear too much noise coming from the city, they begin to form a tower with their bodies, which allows some of them to jump over the wall. It only takes a few getting in to throw the entire city into chaos, forcing Gerry to flee. The way the zombies throw caution to the wind makes one want to put on something like Zombieland, where the monsters can barely move a muscle without tripping on their own feet.
1) The Solution Doesn’t Make the Entire Problem Go Away
Escaping Jerusalem proves more challenging than Gerry thought because a zombie wreaks havoc on the plane he boards. It goes down, but still he’s able to reach his destination: a World Health Organization facility in Wales. Gerry believes that the zombies don’t go after terminally ill people because they see them as tainted meat, and he wants to put his theory to the test.
After one final run-in with the undead, Gerry injects himself with a disease and walks right up to a zombie. The creature ignores him, allowing him to take other samples to the doctors waiting nearby. A vaccine is quickly manufactured, and the world begins to heal. However, the end of World War Z makes it clear that the fight is far from over. Whether a sequel happens or not, it’s nice to see a movie not try to tie everything up in a neat bow.
What is your favorite part of World War Z? Do you think it’s one of the best zombie movies of all time? Let us know in the comments below!
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