---
title: "World War Z: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/world-war-z/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/world-war-z"
critics_score: 54
critics_reviews: 23
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# World War Z (2013): what the critics said

Critics' score 54 from 23 reviews: 6 positive, 10 mixed, 7 negative.

The reviews are mixed, leaning towards qualified disappointment rather than dislike. Where critics agree is on the spectacle. Most single out the set pieces: the Philadelphia outbreak that opens the film, the Jerusalem siege, and the aerial views of the undead piling up in their thousands. Several credit Marc Forster with staging these on a scale the zombie film has not seen before.

The reservations cluster on everything in between. The protagonist is thin, the family he is trying to get back to is barely sketched, and the cure plot never builds. The ending divides them: some find the laboratory finale the tensest stretch, others find it bloodless. The spread is wide. Variety and The New Yorker rate it a smart, gripping surprise, while The Guardian and the Evening Standard call it bloated and boring; the harshest notices come from the British papers.

## The New Yorker — David Denby

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2013. 

Denby calls it the most gratifying action spectacle in years, despite conventional passages and a soft ending. He praises its ability to restore genuine shock, especially in the chaotic Philadelphia outbreak and the digitally inventive Jerusalem sequence.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/01/life-and-undeath)

## Variety — Scott Foundas

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 2013. 

Foundas finds the film surprisingly smart, gripping, and imaginative. He praises Forster’s tense action and striking imagery, along with Brad Pitt’s grounded performance.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/world-war-z-review-1200492031/)

## IndieWire — Eric Kohn

Rating B-. 18 June 2013. 

Kohn finds the film thoughtful but uneven, with its ideas often undercutting its momentum and horror. He praises the intense airplane showdown and final laboratory sequence for finally blending medical intrigue with suspense.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/is-world-war-z-too-smart-for-its-own-good-37535/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2013. 

Turan finds the film familiar zombie fare, but says it is made with intelligence and skill. He singles out the unnerving, memorable swarming sequences and their visual centerpiece in Israel for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-jun-20-la-et-mn-world-war-z-review-20130621-story.html)

## Empire — Nick de Semlyen

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2011. 

The critic finds the film an effective but somewhat bland thrill ride. He praises its unnerving opening and vivid images, while wishing it showed more large-scale combat.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/world-war-z-review/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 2013. 

McCarthy finds the film an immersive, entertaining action spectacle, though its strong set pieces do not add up to a convincing story. He praises the Jerusalem siege for its scale and clarity, while faulting the adaptation for sacrificing the book’s broader political perspective.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/world-war-z-film-review-562560/)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint is visible in the available text.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/world-war-z-2013)

## Screen Daily — Brent Simon

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 5 June 2013. 

The critic’s verdict is inaccessible in the paywall shell. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the supplied text.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/world-war-z/5057042.article)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Rating C+. 20 June 2013. 

Dowd finds the film a visually enormous but underdeveloped, overly tame zombie blockbuster that fizzles out without a proper ending. He praises the early Philadelphia outbreak sequence for its stunning scale and the suspenseful stealth passage for its humor.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/world-war-z-1798177134)

## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall

Rating 3/5. 

The three-star rating indicates a moderately positive verdict. The review excerpt singles out the zombies’ speed as a distinctive feature.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-15me3o/world-war-z/)

## Time Out — Cath Clarke

Rating 3/5. 7 June 2013. 

The critic gives the film a middling three-star verdict. The page highlights its $200 million blockbuster-scale makeover of the traditionally low-budget zombie genre.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/world-war-z)

## Total Film — Paul Bradshaw

Rating 3/5. 17 June 2013. 

Bradshaw finds the film hectic and spectacular but emotionally empty. He praises the huge zombie hordes while criticizing the bloodless, familiar finale and lack of heart.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/world-war-z-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin

Rating 1/4. 19 June 2013. 

Cabin finds the film dull and politically shallow, with little of the excitement promised by its zombie premise. He singles out the WHO climax and the escape from South Korea as occasional effective or inventive sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/world-war-z/)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 2013. 

Edelstein finds the film exciting at first but ultimately dull and disappointing. He praises the opening sequence’s visceral editing and sound, while faulting the thin protagonist and uninventive story.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/06/movie-review-world-war-z-david-edelstein.html)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2013. 

O’Sullivan finds the film bland, bloated and largely pointless. She praises the aerial shots of the zombie hordes, but says the creatures are not scary up close.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/world-war-z-film-review-8641779.html)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2013. 

Bradshaw pans the film as a bloated, boring adaptation that turns a complex novel into a parody. He singles out the dull CGI and the anticlimactic laboratory finale for particular criticism.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jun/20/world-war-z-review)

## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie

Rating 3 out of 5. 7 June 2013. 

Lambie finds the film solidly entertaining, though its drama and supporting characters are weak. He praises the eerie zombie set-pieces and the spectacle of the swarming undead.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/world-war-z-review-2/)

## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael

Rating 4. 2 June 2013. 

The critic finds the film a fast-paced, exciting survival epic, though its cure-related plot feels underdeveloped. The review praises the tense, atmospheric depiction of vast zombie hordes and citywide destruction.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a485921/world-war-z-review-brad-pitt-faces-zombie-apocalypse/)

## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape

Rating 3/5. 2 June 2013. 

The review finds the film entertaining in parts but too familiar and uneven overall. It praises the tense, thrilling finale and intimidating zombies, while criticizing the lagging middle and Brad Pitt-centered story.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/world-war-z-review/)

## Paste — Michael Burgin

Rating 5.5/10. 20 June 2013. 

Burgin finds the film lifeless, criticizing its weak adaptation and clumsy, plot-hole-ridden action. He singles out its frantic CGI monsters and contrived suspense as preventing the story from gaining substance.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/world-war-z)

## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams

Rating ★★. 20 June 2013. 

The critic finds the film a clunky, tedious blockbuster, despite a more effective final stretch. They praise the research-facility section for steadier camerawork, less frantic editing and genuine tension.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/world-war-z)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2013. 

The critic finds the film suspenseful and visually impressive but ultimately let down by its lack of human depth. They praise Marc Forster’s ability to generate terror on both intimate and large scales.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/world-war-z-review-humanity-under-attack-and-thats-just-script-98041/)

## Eye for Film — Max Crawford

Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2013. 

The critic finds the film a jumbled, emotionally hollow mess. They single out its scattered storytelling and weak family motivation as reasons there is little to care about.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/world-war-z-2013-film-review-by-stuart-crawford)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/world-war-z.md