Movie · 2013 · Horror, Comedy, Romance · 1h 38m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.1/10 (572.6K ratings)
He's still dead, but he's getting warmer.
Overview
After a zombie becomes involved with the girlfriend of one of his victims, their romance sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.1/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 2.96/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Jonathan Levine
Production
Summit Entertainment, Mandeville Films
Cast
Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Lio Tipton, John Malkovich, Dave Franco, Rob Corddry, Cory Hardrict, Vincent Leclerc, Daniel Rindress-Kay, Chris Cavener, Aaron Janke, Serge Alain Cambronne, Robert Reynolds, John Topor, Ayisha Issa, Debbie Wong, Christian Paul, Billie Calmeau, Clifford Leduc-Vaillancourt, Adam Driscoll
Curator Review
Verdict
A goofy, sweet zombie-romance that works best as a light genre mashup with sincere heart. It’s uneven, but the charm, chemistry, and playful take on undead mythology make it an easy recommendation for viewers who want horror-comedy with actual tenderness.
Best for
rom-com fans open to high-concept genre twists
viewers who like undead stories with a soft center
people who enjoy earnest teen romance and playful irony
audiences looking for a low-stakes, funny date-night movie
Skip if
you want serious horror or strong zombie scares
you dislike YA-style romance and sentimental narration
you prefer sharper satire over broad, feel-good comedy
the premise of romanticizing the undead is a turnoff
Overview
Warm Bodies is a clever, crowd-pleasing mashup that treats zombie lore like a framework for a very familiar romantic fantasy. The movie’s biggest strength is its tone: it knows the premise is absurd, but it commits to the sweetness of it instead of mocking it into nothing.
Worth noting
Nicholas Hoult gives the film a surprisingly endearing center, and Teresa Palmer helps keep the romance grounded enough to sell the emotional stakes. The humor is broad, the world-building is simple, and some of the genre mechanics are more cute than scary, but that’s part of the appeal.
Bottom line
It’s not a great zombie movie in the traditional sense, and it’s not a fully satisfying romance either, but it lands as an enjoyable hybrid. If you’re in the mood for something light, strange, and unexpectedly sincere, it’s worth a watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
molly (2.5★) · 4455 likes
i’m no necrophiliac but dead nicholas hoult can like... get it
lucykitley (3★) · 4130 likes
R(omeo) & Julie(t) 💀
liv 🍏 (5★) · 2881 likes
weird girl and dead bf is my fav trope
Jack (3.5★) · 2331 likes
brb gonna go kill my crushes boyfriend and eat his brain to see if that helps my chances
Silent J (4★) · 2225 likes
If you think about it, falling in love with a zombie automatically makes you a necrophiliac. That's kinda nasty.
Warm Bodies breaks every single rule in the zombie handbook: these zombies can talk, think, dance, shrug, have feelings, love...
...and it's awesome! A lot funnier than I thought it would be too!