Warm BodiesMovie Reviews

So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 59 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times |

    A well-paced, nicely directed, post-apocalyptic love story with a terrific sense of humor and the, um, guts to be unabashedly romantic and unapologetically optimistic. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    I don't know if the first zombie date flick is a step forward or backward for civilization as a whole, but I can say that Warm Bodies pulls off a pretty impressive trick: It has its "Twilight" and goofs on it too. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    An enjoyably clever and cartoonishly gory rom-zom-com. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    At this point in the actor's career, it is pretty well impossible to tell when Malkovich is camping it up, or just being John Malkovich. Under the end-of-civilization circumstances of Warm Bodies, he's just the right guy for the job. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Sheri Linden

    The low gore quotient and emphasis on young love might disappoint genre purists, but for those open to the idea of a gently goofy mash-up, the film is strong on atmosphere and offers likably low-key, if somewhat bland, charms. Read full review

  • 70
    NPR | Bob Mondello

    There's not a lot of gore - or even suspense - in Warm Bodies, and the script plays fast and loose with the zombie rules invented by "Night of the Living Dead" creator George Romero. But director Jonathan Levine's area of expertise is confused-young-men comedies like "The Wackness" and "50/50," so he really gets this hero's predicament. Read full review

  • 60
    New York Daily News |

    Hoult's genuinely awkward charm and Palmer's tomboyish wholesomeness disarm an audience overfamiliar with this story. The two ably communicate the primitive and irrational feelings of falling in love. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    There's one really good idea at work in Warm Bodies, which is to take "Romeo and Juliet" and mash it up with a zombie movie. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The script is too primly PG-13 to really go for it. Warm Bodies even suggests that true love can help the right zombie grow a new heart. That's a con job that makes Bodies lukewarm at best. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    Geared for teens who perhaps found the Twilight series too profound, Warm Bodies is an unabashed homage to that wildly successful franchise. One of its stars, Teresa Palmer, is even done up to be a carbon copy of Kristen Stewart, the anchor of the vampire series. Read full review

View more reviews for Warm Bodies on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Despite violence, book-based zombie romance is OK for teens.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that, given the current popularity of zombie apocalypse stories, Warm Bodies should appeal to plenty of teens. With its Romeo and Juliet romance and appealing leads -- not to mention a popular young adult book as its source material -- the movie is aimed squarely at adolescent viewers. There's a notable amount of violence, including a considerable body count (zombies kill humans and eat their brains). Although the zombies barely speak, there's some strong language (one "f--k," several uses of "s--t," "a--hole," etc.), and a sweet romance that builds up to a passionate kiss (as well as some making out shown in flashbacks). But overall, there's less sexual content here than in the book. Despite the violence, this is a funny love story at heart.
  • Families can talk about what R and Julie's story has in common with Romeo and Juliet. What are the similarities (and differences) between them and Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers? 
  • Some have criticized Warm Bodies for breaking established "zombie rules" the way that Twilight breaks vampire rules. Do you think it matters whether a zombie has ever been able to heal himself in a story before?
  • For those familiar with the book, what do you think about the changes the filmmaker made? Which changes did you appreciate, and which aspects of the book did you miss?
  • If you haven't read Isaac Marion's book, does the movie make you want to?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: A central message is that all it takes to spark humanity in others is the expression of humanity -- and that even just a couple of optimists can make a huge difference. Although the story is Romeo and Juliet-esque in that the central romantic couple is from antagonistic sides, unlike Shakespeare's tragedy, love conquers the greatest of differences in Warm Bodies -- in this case, the bridge between life and death.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: R is self-aware enough to feel conflicted about his "new hunger" to eat humans; he's willing to sacrifice himself to save Julie, who in turn puts herself in danger to be with R. R and Julie challenge others to see a way for the future that doesn't revolve around a cycle of killing and closing people off from the rest of the world.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: There's zombie vs. human and zombie vs. zombie violence. The Boneys are skeleton zombies who no longer have any flesh, and they're ruthless and freaky looking. In a couple of scenes, zombies are shown attacking humans, but the quick editing doesn't focus on the gore. The main character and his zombie pals kill a bunch of young adults, and R eats a particular man's brains for a big part of the movie. Human militias shoot and kill zombies.
  • sex false2 Sexy stuff: Unlike the book -- which features some explicit references to sex, zombie genitalia, and skin-to-skin contact -- the movie is tamer, with a couple of kissing scenes (in flashback), plus flirting, hand-holding, and eventual kissing between R and Julie. In one scene, Julie is so cold in her wet clothes that she strips down to her bra and panties in order to get dry.
  • language false3 Language: Several uses of "s--t," plus "a--hole," one memorable "f--k," "hell," "ass," "crap," "oh my God," and a couple of "bitches."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Even after the zombie apocalypse, there are brands that have survived. Some of the ones featured or mentioned include BMW, USA Today, Corona beer, iPod, Prozac, Cream of Wheat, and more.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: It's unclear how old Julie is, but she does drink a Corona beer that R offers her.
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