(Credit: Universal)

Brad Pitt has had a few career detours, and World War Z was one of them. When it came out back in 2013, the buzz was more about what went wrong behind the scenes than what actually played out on screen. The film had a big budget, several reshoots, and a completely rewritten third act. And most importantly, it had Brad Pitt. It did well at the box office, but most people walked away feeling like something was missing.

Now, over ten years later, it is suddenly back in the spotlight. World War Z has climbed to number seven on Netflix this week. The film that was once seen as a messy blockbuster is now one of the most-watched titles on the platform.

The story is simple. Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator who finds himself in the middle of a fast-spreading zombie outbreak. He is pulled into a global mission to track the origin of the virus and stop it before humanity is wiped out. The infected in this film are not your usual slow-walking zombies. They are fast, aggressive, and relentless. The pace is quick from the start, with set pieces that move from city streets to aeroplanes to walled-off zones.

At the time of release, zombie fatigue had already set in. The genre had been done to death. What hurt World War Z even more was that it did not really stick to the tone of the book it was based on. Fans of the original novel expected something deeper and more reflective. What they got instead was a big studio action film with zombies.

Still, it was not a total loss. The film made money. It just never found the lasting impact it hoped for—until now.

So why are people watching it again?

Part of it could be the Brad Pitt effect. His older films are being rediscovered on streaming, and his name still holds weight. People trust that if he is in a film, it is at least going to hold their attention. World War Z may not be his best work, but it shows him in a role that suits him as calm under pressure, focused, and always moving forward.

Another reason might be the film’s pace. It is easy to put on and get pulled into. There is action in nearly every scene. You do not need to remember a long backstory or follow a complicated plot. It is simple. Something goes wrong, and Pitt’s character has to fix it. Sometimes, that is exactly what people are looking for when they scroll through Netflix.

Another reason might be how it fits into the current Netflix mood. Many of the shows in the Top 10 right now are thrillers, survival stories, or emotionally intense dramas. World War Z slides in as a mix of all three. It is not deep, but it is entertaining. And in a crowded streaming catalogue, that is often enough.

Whatever the reason, World War Z is having a moment. It may have started off as a flawed film with high expectations, but right now, it is one of the most-watched movies on the platform. That is the thing about streaming. Sometimes, a film just needs time.